THE CULT: “Ceremony”, <i> Reprise/Sire</i>

Whoever coined the phrase “Too much ain’t enough” had surely never listened to a Cult album all the way through. In small doses--like the rock hits “Love Removal Machine” and “Sweet Soul Sister” and the current, similar but not quite as good “Wild Hearted Son”--it’s easy to appreciate the British band for its skillful melding of hard rock with an alternative sound and image. But its albums have always been exercises in bombast, and “Ceremony” is the most fulsome yet.

From the blowhard singing of frontman Ian Astbury to such ridiculous lyrics as “But I longed to run free/a screaming horse in my belly,” the Cult has gone over the top, spilling down the sides on its way to the bottom of the barrel.

It’s possible to hear the germ of listenable songs in such tracks as “Indian” and “Sweet Salvation,” but everything from the production to the guitar lines is so overblown that their merits are obscured. If the Cult doesn’t curb its tendency toward excess, its now considerable audience just might dwindle to the point that it reflects the band’s name.

Rating: *1/2