Ceremony

The song "Ceremony" by The Cult from their 1991 album of the same name carries a heavy dose of controversy and cultural weight. The track, a swirling mix of hard rock and Native American-inspired themes, was overshadowed by a lawsuit from the parents of Eternity DuBray, a young Sioux boy whose image was used on the album cover without permission. The $61 million suit claimed the boy was emotionally scarred, especially after seeing his image burned in the music video for "Wild Hearted Son," a ritual tied to death in Sioux culture. This legal battle delayed the album’s release in countries like South Korea and Thailand until 1992 and kept it unreleased in Turkey until the band played Istanbul in 1993, as noted in a 2018 post by @officialcult on X. Despite the turmoil, the song itself is a standout, with Ian Astbury’s vocals channeling a raw, spiritual energy and Billy Duffy’s guitar riffs delivering what some fans on Reddit call a "classic Cult cut."

Another layer to "Ceremony" is its reflection of Astbury’s deep fascination with Native American culture, a theme that permeates the album. According to a 2016 article on Blood + Spirit, this focus marked a shift from the band’s earlier, more straightforward hard rock sound on albums like Sonic Temple. However, the recording process was fraught with tension. Astbury and Duffy were barely speaking, rarely sharing studio time, and the departure of longtime bassist Jamie Stewart left the band scrambling. Session musicians Mickey Curry on drums and Charley Drayton on bass stepped in, but the disjointed sessions led to mixed reviews and sales of about one million copies worldwide—respectable, but a far cry from their earlier peaks.

The Cult began in Bradford, England, in 1983, evolving from the ashes of Ian Astbury’s earlier band, Southern Death Cult. Astbury, born in 1962 in Heswall, Cheshire, and raised partly in Hamilton, Ontario, was shaped by influences like David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and the New York Dolls. His early band, formed with guitarist Buzz Burrows, bassist Barry Jepson, and drummer Aki Nawaz Qureshi, leaned into post-punk and gothic rock, playing their first show at Bradford’s Queen’s Hall in 1981. The name Southern Death Cult drew from a 14th-century Native American group, the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, and also nodded to the band’s critique of England’s north-south divide. By 1984, after morphing into Death Cult and then The Cult, Astbury teamed up with guitarist Billy Duffy, whose songwriting partnership would define the band’s sound. Their debut album, Dreamtime, dropped in 1984, with the single "Spiritwalker" gaining traction, setting the stage for their mid-’80s rise as a gothic and post-punk force.

Today, fans can keep up with The Cult through their official website, Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts, where they share tour updates and throwbacks like the 2018 X post about their 1993 Istanbul shows. Fan communities thrive online, too. The The Cult Fans Facebook group is a hub for devotees swapping stories, vinyl finds, and concert memories. Websites like Blood + Spirit offer deep dives into the band’s history, while Reddit’s vinyl community often buzzes with posts about rare pressings of albums like Ceremony. These spaces keep the Zoo Freaks’ passion alive, spinning tracks like "Ceremony" with the same rebel spirit that fueled The Cult’s start.