Post-New.com's James Oliver has issued an interview with THE CULT frontman Ian Astbury. An couple of exerpts follow:

Q: Can you please tell me a bit about how The Cult has evolved and grown over the years?

A: "We started as a post-punk band, really street kids and evolved through hard rock and back to post modern and beyond. We have always tried to reflect our feelings and reflections of the culture at the time of writing and recordings."

Q: Personally, what have been some of the most significant movements during your generation?

A: "I don't really feel like I belong to any generation or period, I have always been nomadic, I'm still deeply passionate about culture... I'm grateful to have lived through some amazing periods in the late 20th century and early 21st century. The punk rock 70's, Basquiat's NYC and the Def Jam 80's, the rise of street culture in the 90's, the ability to create your own tribe and image in the 2000's... I could list hundreds of events. I'll leave that for the memoirs (not ready for that yet)."

Read the complete interview at this location.

The Cult recently announced its 2012 summer tour of Europe that will include headline shows, festivals, special dates with GUNS N' ROSES, and main support on an OZZY & FRIENDS show. The tour is in support of The Cult's first new album in five years, Choice Of Weapon, which is set for a May 21st release date internationally, and a May 22nd release date in North America, on Cooking Vinyl worldwide.

The 14-date trek kicks off June 28th in Belgrade with The Cult as main support for Ozzy & Friends, then to Austria and Romania with Guns N' Roses, followed by a slew of headline club shows, and then wrapping up on July 19th in Portugal, sharing the stage with GARBAGE.

Choice Of Weapon was produced by Bob Rock (METALLICA). It 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.

Choice Of Weapon tracklist:

'Honey From a Knife'

'Elemental Light'

'For The Animals'

'Life>Death'

'The Wolf'

'Amnesia'

'Lucifer'

'Wilderness Now'

'A Pale Horse'

A free download of the track 'Lucifer' can be found below:

Confirmed dates for The Cult's 2012 European tour are as follows:

June

28 - Belgrade, Serbia - USCE Park (with Ozzy & Friends)
29 - Graz, Austria - Schwarzl Freizeit Zetrum (with GN'R)

July

1 - Bucharest, Romania - Rock the City Festival (with GN'R, Faith No More)
3 - Split, Croatia - Spaladium Arena (headline)
4 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Kino Siska (headline)
7 - Zottegem, Belgium, Rock Zottegem Festival
8 - Weert, Netherlands - Bospop Festival
10 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli (headline)
13 - Pizzola Sul Brenta, Italy - Contarini Festival (headline)
14 - Rimini, Italy - Velvet Rock (headline)
15 - Milano, Italy - Carroponte (headline)
17 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz (headline)
18 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera (headline)
19 - Porto, Portugal - Mares Vivas Festival (with Garbage)