The last time I saw Ministry was in 1992 at the second Lollapalooza. They were touring in support of their genre-defining masterpiece Psalm69 while being groomed by their record label as the next big thing.
While Ministry were arguably at the top of their game regarding songwriting and live performances, what was happening behind the scenes would ultimately push the band to the brink of extinction. It’s the classic story of drugs and rock ‘n’ roll but retold in an extreme manner. Ministry founder and frontman Al Jourgensen not only invented the genre of industrial metal, but he also reinvented a mystique and intrigue around an entire rebranding of a band.
How does a group start off sounding like Depeche Mode/ New Order but later find their breakthrough moment pushing the boundaries within an entirely new genre? I think it’s all about timing. Furthermore, you give a musical genius a shit ton of money, an enormous amount of pressure, and some mind-altering substances, and you are likely to generate something no one has ever heard before.
The follow-up to Ministry’s breakthrough is one of the coolest stories of artist vs. major record label. The band was so pissed on drugs and trying to control the chaos of newfound success, that they basically delivered a huge middle finger to Sire/ Warner Brothers called Filth Pig; a noise infested sludgefest that would make the Melvins sound commercial. What could have become the band’s “Thriller” moment brought confusion and alienation to its fanbase. This was sort of the beginning of the end of the beginning of Ministry and begs the question, what would have become if the band did deliver a proper follow-up to their seminal masterpiece?
Twenty plus years later, Ministry has delivered what could be that follow-up record, 2018’s AmeriKKKant—and it’s a brilliant return to form for Al and company. We can only wonder what would have happened if the band delivered this record to Warners in 1996 and led with three singles “Twilight Zone,” “Antifa,” and my favorite track from the record “Wargasm.” Would the band’s destiny take a different path? Does it matter at all? I mean, the band is still touring, they sound fantastic live, and they still put voice to polarizing social commentary—and the crowds are there. I would guess that Ministry have at least a couple of more records in them, especially with the world going to hell in a handbasket.
The show itself reminded me of exactly why I fell in love with this band in the first place. They know what they stand for and what they will not, there’s an element of mystique, and they are tight as can be—and heavy as hell. There’s beauty in simplicity when it comes to the juggernaut style riffs that have defined this band. When you continue to add new musical elements along with the no holds barred assault on the state of the nation, you have a band that is just as important and relevant as they’ve ever been.
Oh, and after the show, I purchased Al’s autobiography Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen and read the thing from cover to cover in one weekend. I could not put it down. It’s one of the craziest stories in rock ‘n’ roll that I’ve ever heard, and the fact that Al doesn’t hold back on details makes it not only fascinating, but painful at the same time. Get the new record, see the tour, read the book, then sit back and marvel in the awesomeness that is Al Jourgensen and continue to celebrate his genius.
