Ministry - Rio Grande Blood

25 years after their debut Ministry shows no signs of slowing down or mellowing out.

My first exposure to industrial metal pioneers Ministry was a heavy dose of 1986's Twitch, thanks to my college roommate. Their next few albums were all excellent, culminating in 1992's Psalm 69. They went into a bit of a slump after that, but their last two albums have brought a creative renaissance.

The 2006 incarnation of Ministry includes of course the legendary frontman Al Jourgensen along with guitarist Tommy Victor (Prong, Danzig), bassist Paul Raven (Killing Joke) and drummer Mark Baker. Jourgensen certainly hasn't mellowed over the years. He continues to express his opinions in no uncertain terms when it comes to Bush and the war in Iraq.

As you would expect the music on this album is fast and aggressive. There are industrial elements to the music, but the main influence is thrash metal. There are also some guest musicians including Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys and Liz Constantine of Dizzy X. I like the way Ministry approaches their lyrical message. When artists like Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen sing protest songs it sounds whiny. When Ministry does it they just sound pissed.