Death Cult

Death Cult
“Resurrection Joe (Live)”
Release Date: 10-09-2025
Paradise Live (Beggars Banquet Records)
Release Date: January 16, 2026
by Scott Hefflon

Before there was The Cult, there was Death Cult, and the short-lived Southern Death Cult, which released one self-titled album posthumously in 1983. The power of shamanic singer Ian Astbury was evident even then, and the later pairing with guitarist Billy Duffy sealed the deal. If we had had no releases other than Southern Death Cult, the Death Cult EP, and Dreamtime, we would still have been blessed. But as the moving singles from Love began sinking in, followed by the swagger of Electric and the soulful shake of Sonic Temple, rock’n’roll perfection was achieved.

“Resurrection Joe (Live)” shows the now-wisened duo revisiting a 1984 B-side, recorded live in Manchester, with no overdubs. This would probably work better as a video, because there are stretches where you wonder what’s happening on stage, because not a lot is happening musically. The rhythm section rocks as Duffy solos and shimmers, and Astbury lets out a few “whew!”s and “whoa!”s, just like his rock god ’80s incarnation. 

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