MIRRORS

Sometimes, the change in the musical style of a band is due to the line-up changes which affect the quality of their music. But there was nothing as such with the Cult. Their ''transformation'' is due to other elements.

Even if I wasn't a big fan of their music in the seventies (I was more influenced by UK music than American one), I have to admit that they released some pretty good songs and they released several good albums with ''Secret Treaty'' as highlight in their career.

This work is quite a different story, but the previous ''Spectres'' was already a down point in their discography. This one is a straight pop-rock album with little creativity. Radio-friendly (?) and formatted US music.

The BÖC relation with prog has always been very thin (if ever existing), but this one is even more alien to the concept. The nadir being the syrupy ''In Thee'' which is a complete PITA. But great songs don't belong to this work, unfortunately.

Below average basic rock tunes like ''Mirrors'' are just bearable: weak melody, average soloing, poor chorus etc. Actually, I don't feel like this album is underrated: it is just rated as it deserves: a very, very average rock album. No less, no more.

It only escapes the one star rating thanks to a couple of songs which are raising the level of this work. But let's not be too much excited about these, they are far from being masterpieces.

Take ''The Vigil'' for instance. A heavy blues-rock fully in accordance with the Purple Mark III mould. This piece of music is brilliantly illustrated by the very good work from Buck Dharma on the guitar (same comment for ''I Am The Storm'').

This album is totally dispensable. Two stars.