On April 25, Jason Saulnier of the MusicLegends.ca web site conducted an interview with THE CULT frontman Ian Astbury. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube below.

THE CULT's new album, "Choice Of Weapon", will be made available on May 22 via THE CULT's new label Cooking Vinyl.

"Choice Of Weapon" is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2007 release "Born Into This" that the U.K.'s Mojo magazine called "a wholehearted, utopian and irrefutably exciting record." Longtime THE CULT collaborator and producer Bob Rock (METALLICA, BUSH), who produced one of THE CULT's most successful albums, the platinum-certified "Sonic Temple", put the finishing touches on the foundations that were laid by co-producer Chris Goss (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, U.N.K.L.E., MASTERS OF REALITY).

The album was written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy, recorded in New York City, Los Angeles, the California high desert, and the band's Witch Mountain studio between July and December 2011. The new release features founding members Astbury on vocals and Duffy on guitars, with drummer John Tempesta and bassist Chris Wyse.

Speaking to Austin360.com, Astbury said of "Choice Of Weapon", "I think we went back to a place of instinct. There were no predetermined agendas. We've had periods of stagnation and being stale and repeating ourselves, but I think that's common. With 'Choice Of Weapon', we just said, '(Screw) it! We're going to grab every jewel we can find. We're going to play the ace and go as deep as we can.' There's definitely hard rock moments on this record, but then again, there's moments that are kind of pastoral."

"Choice Of Weapon" is aimed at the heart of THE CULT's loyal following. It reflects the current discontent and destruction of our eco systems, the search for individual meaning against a tide of rampant materialism, narcissism and disconnected lives.

"We're still growing and still developing," Astbury told Austin360.com. "We're still students; we're still inquisitive; we're still passionate. I still think what we're doing is relevant. We still have an awareness of what's going on around us. It's not like I live in a cave."

"Choice Of Weapon" track listing:

01. Honey From A Knife
02. Elemental Light
03. The Wolf
04. Life > Death
05. For The Animals
06. Amnesia
07. Wilderness Now
08. Lucifer
09. A Pale Horse
10. This Night In The City Forever
11. Every Man And Woman Is A Star
12. Embers
13. Until The Light Takes Us
14. Siberia

THE CULT's film clip for their new single, "For The Animals", from their forthcoming "Choice Of Weapon" album, reflects the socially and economically divided world that we find ourselves facing.

"'For The Animals' is a metaphor for people existing in a realm outside of structured society and what cultural editors deem to be relevant," explains THE CULT's lead singer Ian Astbury. "It could be the feral punk rock kids squatting in abandoned homes or the spirited individual who has little regard for social conventions. It's for people who choose not to tow the party line or try to fit in. It's for the free-thinkers who are creative and dynamic."

With the film clip, THE CULT has captured the rising tensions and frustration of a growing group of disenfranchised youth. The provocative clip, from visionary director Michelle Peerali and starring hot young actress Hanna Mosqueda as the lead character, portrays the 19-year-old protagonist transforming from a lost and abandoned youth, overwhelmed by the state of the world large and at her own poor economic status and broken family at home, into an empowered strong woman who finds her inner strength in the end.

In the film clip, we see the lead character navigate a chaotic world looking for an answer only to realize in the end that what she was looking for all along was within her the whole time. "She realizes that the only solution for change is actually within her. It's about her self-awareness, inner strength, and waking her internal life, realizing she has to take command of the situation and has the power to break through," says Astbury, who appears in a cameo role along with band mates Billy Duffy (guitar), John Tempesta (drums), and Chris Wyse (bass). "In the end, she finds others who feel the same way. The message being, 'if you feel you don't fit it, it's okay. There are others out there. The tribe is there.'"

As Astbury sings in "For The Animals", the song and film clip is "for all the fucked up children staring down the barrel of a gun," a real and metaphorical image, the social, economic, and environmental cards this generation of youth has been dealt. It's a theme that is put into sharp focus by an aware Astbury on the band's new album, "Choice Of Weapon", due May 22 on Cooking Vinyl.

"Your choice of weapon can be anything you use to deal with your world. It could be self-knowledge. I think we're at a crossroads, as individuals and as a society, to define our intentions in life. What do you choose to do with your life? What do you need to really flourish? How do I not get stuck being a slave to convention? And as the character in the film clip writes on the wall, 'How many more ways will they find to reinvent boredom?'"

These are just some of the observations THE CULT shares in "For The Animals" and on "Choice Of Weapon".

Audio samples of all 14 songs that are set to appear on THE CULT's new album, "Choice Of Weapon", are available for streaming at Amazon.com. The band's first full-length studio release in five years will be made available on May 22 via THE CULT's new label Cooking Vinyl.

"Choice Of Weapon" is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2007 release "Born Into This" that the U.K.'s Mojo magazine called "a wholehearted, utopian and irrefutably exciting record." Longtime THE CULT collaborator and producer Bob Rock (METALLICA, BUSH), who produced one of THE CULT's most successful albums, the platinum-certified "Sonic Temple", put the finishing touches on the foundations that were laid by co-producer Chris Goss (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, U.N.K.L.E., MASTERS OF REALITY).

The album was written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy, recorded in New York City, Los Angeles, the California high desert, and the band's Witch Mountain studio between July and December 2011. The new release features founding members Astbury on vocals and Duffy on guitars, with drummer John Tempesta and bassist Chris Wyse.

Speaking to Austin360.com, Astbury said of "Choice Of Weapon", "I think we went back to a place of instinct. There were no predetermined agendas. We've had periods of stagnation and being stale and repeating ourselves, but I think that's common. With 'Choice Of Weapon', we just said, '(Screw) it! We're going to grab every jewel we can find. We're going to play the ace and go as deep as we can.' There's definitely hard rock moments on this record, but then again, there's moments that are kind of pastoral."

"Choice Of Weapon" is aimed at the heart of THE CULT's loyal following. It reflects the current discontent and destruction of our eco systems, the search for individual meaning against a tide of rampant materialism, narcissism and disconnected lives.

"We're still growing and still developing," Astbury told Austin360.com. "We're still students; we're still inquisitive; we're still passionate. I still think what we're doing is relevant. We still have an awareness of what's going on around us. It's not like I live in a cave."

"Choice Of Weapon" track listing:

01. Honey From A Knife
02. Elemental Light
03. The Wolf
04. Life > Death
05. For The Animals
06. Amnesia
07. Wilderness Now
08. Lucifer
09. A Pale Horse
10. This Night In The City Forever
11. Every Man And Woman Is A Star
12. Embers
13. Until The Light Takes Us
14. Siberia

Legendary rock band THE CULT has re-teamed with producer Bob Rock for the recording sessions for the group's long-awaited ninth album, tentatively due in early 2012 via Cooking Vinyl Records.

A photo of THE CULT guitarist Billy Duffy in the studio with Rock putting the "the finishing touches" on the band's new CD can be seen below.

Bob Rock previously worked with THE CULT on 1989's "Sonic Temple", 1994's "The Cult" and the 2001 comeback album "Beyond Good And Evil".

In a recent interview with ViperRoom.com, THE CULT bassist Chris Wyse stated about the status of the band's new CD, "The new THE CULT deal is with [the] Cooking Vinyl [label]. We're in good company with THE PRODIGY and MARILYN MANSON. The record is nearly done; Ian [Astbury] is probably doing vocals right now. It is due out April 2012!! This record is kind of a ZEP/STOOGES mix of energy, and I believe showcases a new level of depth for THE CULT."

THE CULT's most recent release. "Capsule 2: New Blood Deep Cuts", featured new songs "Embers" and "Until The Light Takes Us", live recordings of some of the band's huge hits and an intimate look into THE CULT's rehearsal space, with a never-before-seen warm-up performance of "Black Angel".

Rather than revisit the traditional method of releasing a long form CD, the band pioneered a new way of providing material. Capsules span multiple media formats including vinyl, digital, USB, CD and DVD formats, and can be purchased at CultCapsuleStore.com.

THE CULT is Ian Astbury (vocals), Billy Duffy (guitar), Chris Wyse (bass), John Tempesta (drums) and Mike Dimkich (rhythm guitar).