Ceremony  by The Cult

Ceremony - released in 1991 - by The Cult is one of the most controversial chapters in their history, as it was born amidst a climate of internal collapse. Following the gigantic success of Sonic Temple, the band sought to maintain its arena-rock glamour, but with a more spiritual turn.

The musical style of the album remained faithful to hard rock, yet incorporated tribal rhythms and strong influences from Native American culture, something vividly reflected on the cover and in tracks like Wild Hearted Son. The recording was a "war" of nerves. Bassist Jamie Stewart had left, while Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy barely spoke, often recording their parts at different times to avoid meeting. Producer Richie Zito took on the daunting task of taming this chaos.

Although the album reached No. 25 in the U.S. and went gold in the U.K., its commercial journey was halted by the advent of grunge and an expensive legal battle over the child depicted on the cover. Despite the difficulties, it remains an album with "soul," filled with the raw energy of a band on the brink of the abyss.