Yeehaw rednecks beware, cantankerous moral crusader Al Jourgensen and his bunch of rebellious wranglers are back and nobody is safe from a tongue-lashing. Mind you after 16 albums and a storied career of over four decades we wouldn’t really accept anything less. It’s curious that there has even been recent interest in the new wave origins of the band when the Uncle at the helm was just a fresh and less pierced face. I guess you could even think of those early works of love as trendy now even if it’s been years since I gave my worn out tapes a spin. But it’s back to the present here and the follow up to 2021’s brain bleach release ‘Moral Hygiene.’ As expected we get a wild cavalcade of samples and throbbing industrial ballast from the group handled in a way that is the musical equivalent of a night on the tiles with Hunter S Thompson and a scissor wielding William S Burroughs. Yep that cut and paste frenzy is here in spades although thankfully it’s a lot easier to follow than the prose of the latter high priest of Hipsterism.
The power of the players of this apocalypse may get overshadowed by the frontman but don’t discount the likes of Mayorga, Soto, Pittman, Bechdel and D’Amour to keep things seething and flowing through various moves and grooves on these nine numbers. We start off with ‘B.D.E.’ swinging away and thrusting its Big Dick Energy in our faces. Hopefully you will have consented by choosing to allow this. Slow and low it eases in but the only thing standing up to attention here is its anti-misogynist message. Juddering and with a smorgasbord of accompanying vocal parts it’s a song designed to cock-block toxic behaviour. No doubt the proud boys among us will ignore such sentiment but they are going to get a veritable kick in their balls from ‘Goddam White Trash.’ The video that preceded it has no doubt been viewed by fans and made them wryly smile or maybe grab guns and plot the next revolution. It’s a rollicking ride of a track and catchy as hell as it gets to grips with the threat of brainless fascism and the political activists of the day. Pepper Keenan is also on hand and reporting for duty on this one. Track titles like this and ‘Just Stop Oil’ speak for themselves and I guess if fans of the band are lost along the way it’s a case of tough (gender unspecified)-titties. Lubricating the backbone of the oily number is a beat and echoing vocal that takes back to earlier days and reminds a fair bit of Revolting Cocks. Let’s not forget Union Carbide and this could be its sequel both musically and thematically. The word “Profit” is guaranteed to leave a nasty taste in the mouth.
Who better to join in on ‘Aryan Embarrassment’ than fellow cranky legend Jello Biafra. If you don’t clock that voice in a second, you’re listening to the wrong album. Just in case the message doesn’t also hit you straight between the eyes its slightly less subtle than shouting out ‘Nazi Punks Fuck Off’ but consider it cut from the same swastika. It’s no surprise that ‘TV Song 1/6 Edition’ is the downright fastest number here and will cause a pit meltdown. Long-time fans of the band will be aware of its genesis and it’s a riotous romp over political a bed of political discontent. ‘New Religion’ has one of those rafter raising vocal performances designed for a stadium and will get you swaying, if not praying along with evangelical zeal. ‘It’s Not Pretty,’ goes from quiet to brash and is full of melody that swings from the chandeliers. There’s all sort of vocal accompaniments here, high and squeaky, low and oratory as well as female backing sass. The album came without anything in the way of statements for us commentators but it would be nice for a namecheck as the variations within the song give it plenty of distinction. So too does the swagger and soulful funk with almost gospel backing parts on ‘Cult Of Suffering.’ A side-walking strutter and a half, it’s designed to take the listener on a stroll along with a bit of a jaywalk without hitting like an out of control truck. We are informed that Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello is along for the ride here and for that I’m thankful as never would have known. We are not however told anything about the last number but thankfully I kind of guessed it was a cover and at first thought it was a little bit Devo as well as being somewhat familiar. I’m not sure what the story is behind ‘Ricky’s Hand’ but it was originally envisaged by Fad Gadget and should come with a warning. Damn it’s an earworm and once heard will take a month of Sunday’s to shift.
So a measured album with a bit of everything. Don’t go expecting to get stomped to oblivion here, the days of complete industrial decimation have long gone. Do expect a varied selection of styles and subtly in everything apart from rhetoric. Thankfully, although I wasn’t expecting the greatest album of the group’s career, it is certainly a grower. As for the future Al has announced the next album is likely to be the last… yeah right, heard that before!
Stateside piss army can catch Ministry on tour with Front Line Assembly and Gary Numan now (jealous moi, just a bit).
(8/10 Pete Woods)
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