THE CULT Rejoined By Guitarist JAMES STEVENSON

Guitarist Mike Dimkich has left THE CULT to play with BAD RELIGION as the fill-in for Greg Hetson, who is said to be "dealing with some personal issues." Replacing Dimkich in THE CULT is James Stevenson, who previously toured with the band in 1994 and 1995.

THE CULT will perform its 1987 album "Electric", raw and unfiltered, on tour in 2013, an event branded as "Electric 13". Until now, THE CULT has never performed the album in its entirety. The live show will also include a second set pulling from the band's eight other studio albums.

Says THE CULT guitarist Billy Duffy: "We stared of rehearsals as a trio with me, Chris [Wyse, bass] and Johnny [Tempesta, drums] as we felt like we just wanted to get a bit of the rust off as we haven’t played together for a while.

"Obviously, 'Electric' is very much a two-guitar album, one rhythm and one lead, so with Mike moving on, we've decided to welcome back James Stevenson back into the fold to play rhythm for the tour. As a CULT alumni of 94/5, James was the obvious choice.

"The plan is to play the 'Electric' album in order then break and play a bunch of other stuff from the other eras, similar to the 'Love Live' tour from a few years back. I've really enjoyed playing 'Bad Fun', 'King Contrary Man' and 'Electric Ocean' again as its been a while. There's moments when it's really exciting and that's really cool.

"It will be interesting to see how 'Memphis Hip Shake' goes down, as it will end that first section of the set, as it sounds really good, but it's not your traditional set-ending song. But then 'Black Angel' ended the 'Love Live' set really well."

Beggars Archive has set a July 30 release date for a two-disc set from THE CULT on CD and vinyl called "Electric Peace", which will pair "Electric" with the abandoned "Peace" album, tracks from which have been released over the years on "The Manor Sessions" EP, as "Electric" B-sides and on 2000's "Rare Cult".

In 1985, THE CULT enjoyed breakthrough success with the single "She Sells Sanctuary" and the album "Love", establishing themselves as a new breed of alternative rock band. When it came to recording a follow-up, the band booked into The Manor studios in Oxfordshire with Steve Brown again producing the album. By the end of October 1986, the album was recorded, the masters assembled and it was given the title "Peace". However, the band weren't happy with the final results, which seemed too polished. Appreciating the rawness of RUN-D.M.C.'s "Walk This Way", the band contacted producer Rick Rubin to remix the lead track, "Love Removal Machine". Rubin agreed to work with the band but only on condition that the track was entirely re-recorded. The result was a sparse, dry, riffing version that captured the sonic excitement the band were looking for. Enthused by the results, the decision was made to abandon the expensive "Peace" recordings and re-record the entire album in New York with Rick Rubin. The new tracks would become THE CULT's third album, re-titled "Electric", and a multi-million seller.

Tracks from "Peace" were used as single B-sides and some of the alternative versions were issued on an early CD, "The Manor Sessions", but it wasn’t until the limited "Rare Cult" box set in 2000 that fans got to hear the full album correctly sequenced. The box rapidly sold out so "Peace" has been unavailable for 13 years.

"Electric Peace" track listing:

CD/LP 1 - "Electric"

01. Wild Flower
02. Peace Dog
03. Lil' Devil
04. Aphrodisiac Jacket
05. Electric Ocean
06. Bad Fun
07. King Contrary Man
08. Love Removal Machine
09. Born To Be Wild
10. Outlaw
11. Memphis Hip Shake

CD/LP 2 - "Peace"

01. Love Removal Machine
02. Wild Flower
03. Peace Dog
04. Aphrodisiac Jacket
05. Electric Ocean
06. Bad Fun
07. Conquistador
08. Zap City
09. Love Trooper
10. Outlaw
11. Groove Co.