THE CULT: North American Tour Dates Announced

THE CULT's 20-date North American tour is set to kick off on Friday, May 25 in San Diego, California, bringing the band's incendiary rock energy to major and secondary markets across the continent.

For most of the dates, THE CULT will be supported by AGAINST ME! and THE ICARUS LINE. Ticket on-sales begin later this week; go to this location for all details and to purchase tickets.

"This is going to be a very intense, high-energy tour," said THE CULT vocalist Ian Astbury. "We are really looking forward to the time we spend on stage connected to our music and our audience. That's our purpose."

THE CULT 2012 North American tour dates:

May 25 - San Diego, CA - Humphreys By the Bay
May 26 - Las Vegas, NV - M Resort
May 27 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
May 30 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
Jun. 01 - Chicago, IL - Congress Theatre
Jun. 02 - Windsor, ON - Great Canadian Beaverfest, Riverfront Festival Plaza
Jun. 03 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE - Indoor Stage
Jun. 05 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
Jun. 07 - Buffalo, NY - Erie Canal Harbor Central Wharf
Jun. 08 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
Jun. 09 - Hampton Beach, NH - Ballroom
Jun. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
Jun. 12 - Washington, D.C. - The Fillmore
Jun. 13 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva
Jun. 15 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
Jun. 16 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues
Jun. 17 - Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
Jun. 19 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
Jun. 20 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
Jun. 22 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre

Audio samples of all 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."