Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Album Review: MINISTRY - Relapse



When you've been in the business of making music, and have been raped by the 'labels' enough, it's no wonder Al and the gang decided to call it quits. However, when you're in the business of making music, it is your life. So when some artists retire, (Ozzy's 1991 "No More Tours" Tour ring a bell) it's hard to stay away from music for very long. So when I heard MINISTRY was dropping a new album, I thought to myself, "Ya just couldn't hang with old age anymore, could ya Al?"

Inevitably, he did what most who declare their music career over: Relapsed! And boy did Alain ever relapse!!!
If you thought "Houses of The MolĂ©" and "The Last Sucker" were the hardest & heaviest MINISTRY could get, then you're in for a shock!

"Ghouldiggers" starts off the album with some nice heavy guitar tapping, while Al does a trippy spoken word on the music business. It finally kicks in with the massive double bass programming, with the guitars perfectly inline creating an insanely brutal sound.
The usual themes surround the lyrics in songs like "Double-Tapped", "99 Percenters" where, if there were no politics, Mr. Jourgensen may have a hard time finding inspiration. Not so, as the title suggests. There are many references to relapsing into addiction, including a new drug, "It's called 'Crope' - it's half crack and half dope. And all it costs ya is twenty dollars."

Continuing the thought of record labels royal(t)ly screwing artists, "Kleptocracy" is hook-laden and brutal, with a very catchy chorus that is definitely an earworm!

Overall, this is MINISTRY's heaviest effort to date, and also their first since becoming independent, retired... anything but dead! Don't be surprised if you suffer cranial damage while listening to this at full volume!


Rating: 7 out of 7 Headknockers 

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