The Cult, which entered the studio last week to begin tracking its next LP, will road-test some of its new material during a brief tour, though you'll need a passport to attend most of the dates.

Fans in Southern California can catch the Cult alongside the Foo Fighters, Deftones, Incubus, TapRoot, and Sprung Monkey on October 21 at the Coors Amphitheatre in Chula Vista for "When Bands Attack II," sponsored by San Diego radio station KIOZ. Afterward, the group will head to South America for five dates in Brazil and Argentina from November 9 to 15, according to the band's management.

Missing from the lineup will be former Porno For Pyros bassist Martyn LeNoble, who joined the Cult last year. The band recently announced it parted ways with LeNoble and named session player Chris Wyse (Tal Bachman, Big Blue Missile) as an interim replacement.

The forthcoming Cult album is expected out next year. A spokesperson for the band confirmed that the group headed

into a Los Angeles studio with producer Bob Rock on Thursday.

The sessions have not been without a few false starts. The band, which regrouped in 1999 after a four-year hiatus, originally tapped producer Michael Beinhorn for the album (see [article id="1427712"]"The Cult Tags Producer For New LP)"[/article]). Beinhorn only ended up producing the song "Painted On My Heart" for the soundtrack to the movie "Gone In 60 Seconds.

Work on the album was put on hold when the group scheduled a tour with Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes. The outing was subsequently cancelled due to Page's back injury (see [article id="1425890"]"Page, Crowes Nix North American, European Tour Plans"[/article]).

In other Cult news, Beggars Banquet will release a 15-track compilation CD titled "Best Of Rare Cult" on October 17 in advance of a limited edition six-CD Cult box set. The "Rare Cult 1984-1995" box, due out on November 21, will include 90 non-LP studio

tracks. Forty-eight of the tracks have never been released, while an additional 30 will be surfacing for the first time in the U.S.