Ministry’s long career began back in 1981 and has seen many different incarnations over the proceeding 43 years with the one constant of producer/singer/multi-instrumentalist Al Jourgensen steering the ship throughout. It’s fair to say the band have had to navigate some severely choppy waters over the decades, with a revolving door style policy of other personnel joining the larger-than-life frontman in his lifelong musical pursuit, and with various controversies never too far away.
When you think of Ministry, you almost certainly think of them as pioneers of Industrial Rock and Metal, and from their early days of Synth-Pop, through to their rise as Industrial legends with the records The Land of Rape and Honey (1988), The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste (1989) and the commercially successful Psalm 69 (1992), Ministry have journeyed through a number of highs and lows. In the last 30 years they’ve collectively faced overcoming addictions, deaths, and numerous changes in style from record to record, which have often been polarising for their fanbase… it’s fair to say that they have had a career like no other!
HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES (Nuclear Blast Records) is Ministry’s 16th studio album, and from the opening bars of “B.D.E”, it is clear Jourgensen has lost none of his enthusiasm for creating unique music. Opening with a sample proclaiming “This is a nightmare!”, a heavy rolling riff picks up the pace with Al’s vocals neatly weaving in and around various other samples. What instantly stands out is that the guitars are heavy, and as you would expect from Ministry the production and sound quality is absolutely spot on.
Early single “Goddamn White Trash” provides a bubbling NIN-style synth with the vocal sample, “We need your help!” providing an infectiously catchy hook alongside Jourgensen’s voice once again. With a marching percussive rhythm and stabbing guitars, this is a strong song and a delicious slice of Industrial-Punk. “Just Stop Oil” continues similarly with a lovely pulsating palm-muted riff and robotic drumming. And there is a strong eighties and nineties Thrash/Groove Metal element on the song, which is consistent throughout the majority of the release and notable on both “New Religion” and “TV Song”.
As with all Ministry releases, Jourgensen provides some absolute lyrical gold within the various political messages scattered throughout. On “Aryan Embarrassment” he sings the line, “War on women, war on drugs … war on fun!” as well as “We won’t stop until we find a way to deworm your mind!” The nuance of his vocal delivery changes from song to song, with moments that sound like he’s singing underwater one minute, to your typical Rob Zombie / Marilyn Manson Industrial style another.
https://youtu.be/8imYWda6MOs
There are also parts where he channels a tone similar to the likes of The B-52s, a sound prominent on both “Aryan Embarrassment” and “Cult of Suffering”, with the latter harking back to Ministry’s early eighties Synth style. And to mix the record up a little further, “It’s Not Pretty” opens with a long drone soundscape and a delicately strummed acoustic guitar, while closer “Ricky’s Hand” provides a lyrical dollop of humour and an orchestral intro, jumping into a frenetic Synth-Dance number with an Old-School Techno beat. While a legacy band such as Ministry are never quite going to be able to capture the magic of their most iconic early albums, HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES is certainly a strong collection of modern songs.
Buy the album here:
https://ministryband.com/
8 / 10
ABSTRAKT_SOUL