The Cult have made it safe to headbang again with Beyond Good and Evil, their first disc of new material since 1994. After penning 60 new songs, the reconstituted band went into the studio with longtime producer Bob Rock to chisel their brand of hard-rock bombast into the lean, mean dozen songs found here. Falling somewhere between the raw power of Electric and the sophisticated message and melody of Sonic Temple, Beyond Good and Evil pairs Ian Astbury's lofty themes of temptation and spiritual regeneration with Billy Duffy's fierce guitar attack and an antediluvian rhythm section that recalls the days when dinosaurs ruled the earth. Hard-won spiritual battles colour the sometimes-nightmarish lyrics on songs such as "American Gothic" and the spooky "Ashes and Ghosts", but just when you're about to reach for the light switch to banish the shadows, he sings a simple love song to the late and sometimes great chanteuse Nico. --Jaan Uhelszki