It’s hard to believe that industrial legends Ministry have been around (in one incarnation or another) for forty years but here they are in 2021, returning with their fifteenth full length studio album. Another title including amusing wordplay, Moral Hygiene (Nuclear Blast Records) is yet another solid release by Al Jourgensen and co. and features a few surprises along the way.
Driven by a stealthy main riff, portentous opener ‘Alert Level’ asks, “how concerned are you?” while consisting of a typically wide selection of samples including excerpts from Greta Thunberg‘s 2019 UN speech and a cameo from N.W.A. founder member Kim Renard Nazel (aka Arabian Prince or Professor X). ‘Good Trouble’ couples melancholy with distorted authority, parts of the song harking back to the band’s earlier years while Jourgensen asks, “are you depressed and agitated?” against a backdrop of chuggy riffs and harmonica.
‘Sabotage is Sex’ is the mutant offspring of White Zombie and Dead Kennedys, this impression furthered by the unmistakable presence of DK and Lard frontman Jello Biafra on lead vocals. Clearly written with the Trump administration in mind, ‘Disinformation’ samples the former President amid several mentions of “fake news”. A restrained but powerful cover of ‘Search and Destroy’ by Iggy and the Stooges follows with guest appearances from Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison and former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson.
Morrison and Ellefson return on ‘Believe Me’, another strong cut powered by the pulsing rhythm section of drummer Roy Mayorga and former Tool four-stringer Paul D’Amour, the song possessing a more than noticeable aroma of Sisters of Mercy. If there’s one thing Uncle Al loves, it’s a song with a Middle Eastern vibe and that’s exactly what the ecological warning of ‘Broken System’ delivers before the slow and throbbing arrival of ‘We shall Resist’ and the bass and Covid-heavy industrial funk of ‘Death Toll’. ‘TV Song #6 – Right Around the Corner Mix’ closes out the album, another updated remix including as many Republican and Trump-baiting samples as possible.
Consistently unafraid to divide his fanbase with politics, if you don’t know what Uncle al stands for by now then you never will. Guaranteed to offend somebody’s personal sensibilities somewhere, Moral Hygiene is another satisfyingly abrasive release from a band with a lot more still to offer.
Buy the album on CD, vinyl and digital download formats at the following links:
Record label store: https://www.nuclearblast.com/ministry-moralhygiene
Band store: https://store.ministryband.com/collections/moral-hygiene
8 / 10
GARY ALCOCK