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Underground > Radio & Music >

New Ministry Album

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03:29 / 28.06.04

Last week Ministry released their latest album (their ninth to date), called "Houses of the Moles". Like their last one in 2003, "Animosita", it's a return to form after the dreary post "Psalm 69" years... In fact it's actually a sequel of sorts to "Psalm 69". Recently frontman Al Jourgeson joked that Ministry albums suck when a Democrat is in the Whitehouse. It seems that now there's a new Bush in office they've regained their formidable skills.

The first song, "No W", is very good (and a reference to "Psalm 69"'s first track, "N.W.O."). All the songs on the album start with the letter W pretty much, and most of the lyrics (printed in the booklet: a rare thing for Ministry) are attacks on everyone's favorite president. It's a pretty brutal album, and uses way more samples then their last few. Ministry may not be as innovative these days as they used to be, but eh fuck it, they've blazed enough new trails in the past with their merging of punk, industrial and metal. It's good to see them back in fine form.

There are 2 hidden tracks, located at the tracks 23 and 69. Make of that what you will.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

15:35 / 28.06.04

Cheers, Sypha... didn't actually know this was out. (But now I do, so I bought it today!)

Yes, this is a DEFINITE return to form- it is to Dubya what Psalm 69 was to Bush Senior.

Gone is the sludginess of Filth Pig et al... this is much more crisp, tight and shiny, much like Psalm 69 itself.

More when I've given it a few moew spins.

Danzig: He Pitys the Fool!

07:45 / 30.06.04

Tis indeed a triumphant return for Ministry. About time too. Although the last 3 albums had their moments, they just weren't a patch on the previous 3. Maybe it's wars in Iraq that get them going? The similarities with Psalm 69 are quite startling in places.

In other good news, Ministry are in talks to tour with Skinny Puppy in the states. That's all well and good for all of you stateside. Here's hoping for that little number to head to the UK.

The resistable rise of Reidcourchie

07:48 / 20.07.04

According to an interview with Jurgensen Ministry should be touring Europe in November (round about my birthday excellent). Al also implied that the return to form may have to do with Barker leaving the band and the fact that Al himself has quit drugs. Make of that what you will.

I don't dislike Filthpig but the following album, the name of which I can never remember wasn't much cop. As a result when I went to buy Animostisomnia I was thinking "Ho-hum another Ministry album." I put the it on the car stereo and thought, "Fuck me that's loud!" followed by "Fuck me that's heavy!" and finally "Fuck me I'm old!". It would appear that I am not 19 anymore as can be witnessed by me throwing out my back dancing to Wish. My copy of Houses of the Mole is in the mail at the moment, very much looking forward to it and seeing them live standing way back from the mosh pit, wearing slipper and smoking a pipe.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

23:06 / 02.08.06

Just came back from seeing them. And they rocked. If anything, the latest album Rio Grande Blood is better than Houses... and they played the fucking ass off it tonight.

Al's certainly put on weight since getting off the drugs, but his music's improved no end. First time I've seen them in about eight years, and by crikey they still know how to rock. My only criticisms are 1) despite the fact that I appear to have lost the use of both ears, they should have been LOUDER, and 2) they didn't play Palestina.

Fuck, they were good.

07:18 / 04.08.06

I was at that gig too - incredible stuff. Felt like being blown across the room. I don't know about louder; two days later and I still can't hear. But! Wow.

Mon Oncle Ignatius

08:47 / 04.08.06

Yes indeed. My ears have mostly recovered now, but even though Stoatie and I were down the front, Ministry could have been still louder yet and I'd have been even happier.

They did very much rock on the Motorhead/Swans scale of heaviosity (about 8.5 at a rough estimate) though. Being back in the moshpit for "Stigmata" after about eight years was almost all it should have been - though I suspect that as the Ministry fanbase gets older, the moshing gets proportionatly less intense. I kept both my hat and glasses on throughout - something I have never successfully managed at say, a Guitar Wolf or Alec Empire gig. Last time I was down the front for Ministry at the Brixton Academy was one of the more intense crowd experiences I've had, but leaping around to "Lies Lies Lies" and "Thieves" this time round was pretty good.

There was much that was great about the show - including our blagging our way downsatairs from the seated balcony by asking innocently "can we go in to visit the merchandise stall, please?" - and Jourgensen's skull-crucifix mic stand is superb. The band were top-notch too, and super-tight to the point I was worried that they were in fact miming (without foundation, I'm sure). Oh, and one last micro-caveat: where was the double-necked guitar this time, Al?

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15:14 / 11.08.06

I'm surprised there was never a thread for the new Ministry album, "Rio Grande Blood". I think this new one is even better than "Houses of the Moles". Probably one of their most intense, rocking albums yet, with a strong punk influence (some of the best tracks: The title track, "Fear is Big Business", "Lies Lies Lies" which is probably my favorite on the album, "Yellow Cake"). It's still not a patch on "Land of Rape and Honey", but still very, very good and blows most of their younger peers away in sheer terms of noise, vitriol, and energy. I read somewhere that this is the second album of some sort of Bush trilogy, and after doing the final album Ministry will break up. Interesting...

MattShepherd: I WEDDED KALI!

21:59 / 16.08.06

But this'd be the third Bush album, if you count Psalm69 and Bush the First.

Three GWB albums is paying too much attention to the little crapweasel. The sooner he's a lost footnote ... or better yet, a cautionary tale... the better.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

22:49 / 16.08.06

Psalm 69 wasn't GWB, though... 'twas GB the senior.

00:59 / 17.08.06

Ahhh, they all look the same to me.

11:34 / 19.02.08

Probably the last time to see Ministry live...

The Forum - London - TUE 27/05/2008
Waterfront - Norwich - WED 28/05/2008
Manchester University - Manchester - THU 29/05/2008
Carling Academy Glasgow - Glasgow - FRI 30/05/2008
Carling Academy Bristol - Bristol - SUN 01/06/2008
Wolverhampton - MON 02/06/2008

09:52 / 20.05.08

Anyone else planning on going to the London gig next week? I've grabbed a ticket, but couldn't convince any of my friends to joing me, so would up for some company if anyone's offering.

Remember kids, probably the last time to see Ministry live since Al's breaking the band up after this tour.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

13:35 / 20.05.08

Yeah, myself and Mon Oncle Ignatius will be there, as will punji steak (though I'm not sure if he's still on Barbelith...)

Drop me a PM closer to the time if you want to meet up.

13:40 / 20.05.08

Ah, excellent. Cheers man. I'll give you a shout closer to the date.

07:53 / 21.05.08

Always lurking...

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

23:24 / 27.05.08

MY EARS HURT.

But fuck 'em. I'll build some out of tinfoil and papier mache if need be.

If this really IS Ministry's farewell, then... it was a good one. Yeah, there was shit missing- Supernaut, Stigmata- but they only had a couple of hours. And So What was like being back in 1987 or something again.

The Last Sucker stuff was ace- The Dick Song ("Dick Cheney, son of Satan... he is the chosen one") was amazing.

Their "What A Wonderful World" was good, but would have been better had that song not already been comprehensively pwned by Cave and MacGowan (even Joey Ramone never managed to beat that one).

Minor criticisms all. That was a fucking killer gig by a fucking killer band, and if they're really fucking off then I'm gonna miss them terribly. One of the best Ministry gigs I've been to.

See ya later, Ministry. (Now, is Al ACTUALLY gonna do the country and western thing with Hank Williams III he's been promising? Christ, I hope so).

Was also great to meet JamesPD, and also to see Baobab for the first time in, well, a long time! Keep in touch, motherfuckers.

Ah well. Final salute to one of the greatest bands ever. They're like Slayer being played by giant robots. They fucking rule.

\m/

Baobab Branches and Plastic

11:31 / 28.05.08

Whew...

My ears are a bit sore, but not as sore as I would have liked them!

(also I'm still a bit pissed)

I thought the sound was a bit poor and not quite the awesomely overwhelming as in days of yore!

It was a bit sad for me cos all my mates have apparently got far too old to go to rock concerts these days, but arriving alone I met up with all sorts of characters, including the legendary Stoat!

As much as I like the later tunes, it was fuckin fist pounding magic when they played the old tunes and weirdly the sound suddenly improved. When Thieves and Just One Fix rumbled over everyone it was just pure, well, magic, throngs bonded threw themselves into the air, into samadhi, into each other, and eventually into the floor.

I'm sure if Julian Cope was present he would have riffed hard on the apocalyptic shamanistic energy trance of those mid period industrial tunes, which absolutely flattened the ego with their 6/4 grooves punctuated by hearty anthemic battle cries...

Its a wonderful world, was IMHO a bit of a shitty ending to a great night. Yeah, there was a chummy, sing-a-long element to it, but the by-the-numbers punkerisation of what is now a hokey standard seemed pretty cheap to me given the wealth of material available. It kinda smacked of frat-boy guffaws to me... Still a positive song to end on for a band that I guess doesn't do 'up' material. The light shines out of me - would have been better.

Wandered backstage after the gig, drank far too much tequila, got taught how to knock someone unconscious with a single punch by the tour assistant/security dude, ran into old buddies, got savagely bitten by the russeted haired lighting maiden for arguing the various merits of a competing lighting desk... wished Al well and thanked him for music!

All in all probably one of the best nights of my life.

uncle retrospective

12:06 / 28.05.08

I have a ticket for this tour in Dublin and I can not fucking wait.
Kick ass!

15:31 / 30.05.08

Indeed was a mighty fine night. Kinda wished that I'd listened to the last two albums a little more since I didn't recognise all of the first half of the set. But certainly the new songs sounded great.

So What? was utterly, utterly awesome. I think I must have knocked a dozen people flying when I lunged for the mosh pit when the intro started. Shame there was no Stigmata, but I they still played for an absolute age.

Special thanks to Stoatie and his many friendly friends, who without them I'd have been on my lonesome. Also special shout outs to the lovely musselly lady for picked me up, not once, but twice when I crashed to the floor of the mosh pit.