Story by: Mario R. Martin
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Where did Nine Inch Nails come from? How about Marilyn Manson? My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult? How about Godsmack? They came from the recesses of nothingness with nothing but one main influence…Ministry.
Ministry called it quits. They just wrapped up their last North American tour, and will be in Europe for a few months, but after that, no more Ministry. What?! No more Ministry?! Shit.
So while you’re making your plans to go to all the trendy music festivals this summer, think about some real purveyors of an original style of music. Think about Ministry.
Ministry dates back to 1981. In order to do the band justice, we’ll skip over the early 80s to 1989 when Ministry became what they are best known for: aggro-industrial metal. The leader of the diabolical circus is one Mr. Al Jourgensen. Jourgensen had a slew of cohorts, but the right-hand man was Paul Barker for many years. Together, the constant duo revolutionized the hard rock/metal scene with grinding machine sounds and drilling samples.
The decade from 1989 to 1999 belonged to Ministry. Ministry not only paved the way for imitators, but also carved a niche in the void musical soundscape for something original and unique.
Ministry may be an acquired taste, but there is no doubting the band’s affect on musical history. Spawning such followers as the ever-powerful Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson, Ministry became more and more politically charged. And this is not even mentioning the slew of offshoot bands that resulted from the minds of Jourgensen and Baker (Revolting Cocks, Acid Horse, PTP, Pailhead, etc.). All the offshoots were amazing in their own right, but they were just that, offshoots.
The music they created was left over material from one session, and maybe manipulated later on by friends of Ministry, and eventually recorded with more co-conspirators. Every effort was better than the last. Every charge was stronger and more aggressive than the pervious.
Ministry was the spine of industrial music; the one thing that remained constant in an ever-changing scope of music that dwindled into shit.
At the height of their popularity and recognition, Ministry joined the Lollapalooza tour for the second year of the tour. The sets were covered in bones and Jourgensen would ride a giant skateboard of bones onto the stage.
Throughout the tour, Ministry would steal the thunder from the weakening Red Hot Chili Peppers (who would have a replacement for John Fruciante) who donned the ever ridiculous light bulbs on their heads, and basically began their decline from venerable funk/punk rockers to stupid, sappy balladeers. Ministry ruled the nights and everyone was taking notice.
The world has changed a lot since Lollapalooza 1992. The world has changed a lot since the close of 1990s. Ministry changed as well. Paul Barker departed the band. Some friends died. A divorce took place for Jourgensen, and drugs played a major hindrance in the band’s history.
And now, it’s 2008. We’re looking at a political uproar within the Democratic Party, global warming, overpopulation, and the lack of originality in music. Through the years, the world needed Ministry.
The world needed a band that would take over the mainstream and provide an alternative to the existing bands that would lose their edge through the years (yes Red Hot Chili Peppers, this one’s aimed at you). Ministry got stronger with age, and more vigilant against the ills of the world.
Now what do we do? Now we need Ministry the most! In a world where American Idol is the most widely watched show, and the winners of the show are ruling the charts, there is more loss than there is gain.
Luckily, Ministry left behind a musical legacy. Ministry created a discography that is as aggressive and accessible. You can look to your online vices to find out about what is the best. You can read reviews all you want. The map you want to use to navigate through the career of one of the greatest bands of all time is this article. As a follower of Ministry, I have made it easy to make a mix of some of the best tunes from the purveyors of industrial.
Ministry - "N.W.O."
If asked how much I identify with Ministry, I can honestly say that it meant the world to me as I learned and grew. The lyrics spoke to me, and the aggression lit the fire that still burns inside me today.
I drank the Kool-Aid. I even sport the same pyramid tattoo as one Mr. Al Jourgensen to remind me not of the music, but of justice. In this case, the justice Ministry’s music made is on an otherwise bland culture that is as fickle as it is dumb.
Thank you for all the good times.
Ministry
Rest In Peace
1981 – 2008
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