Hopiumforthemasses

Regimes rise and fall. Stars shine and fade. Trends come and go. MINISTRY lives on. The six-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated multiplatinum juggernaut founded and fronted by Al Jourgensen has seeped through the darkest corners of popular culture and infected the mainstream for over four decades, gleefully spewing sonic bile between the cracks of the system's facade. Born in the eighties, they survived the nineties, weathered the turn-of-the-century, and even held on through a Goddamn pandemic. However, MINISTRY shows no signs of stopping or slowing down—even for a breath. Instead, the band—"Uncle Al,” John Bechdel [keyboards], Monte Pittman [guitar], Cesar Soto [guitar], Roy Mayorga [drums], and Paul D’Amour [bass]—cranks out another blast of anthemic industrial metal on its 2023 opus and sixteenth full-length LP, HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES [Nuclear Blast]. The guitars rip, the drums rumble, and Al's as righteously cantankerous as ever about a fucked up world ripe for a boot up its ass.

To say it’s been a hell of a ride for MINISTRY might be the understatement of the century…

MINISTRY’s history has encompassed game-changing classics, including gold-certified standouts The Land Of Rape And Honey [1988] and The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste [1989] as well as the platinum-certified Psalm 69 [1992]—which graced Rolling Stone’s coveted “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All-Time.” Their music has scarred the underbelly of blockbuster films and television series, screeching through RoboCop, The Matrix, Steven Spielberg’s A.I. (in which the musicians appeared on-screen at the request of the late Stanley Kubrick), and all the way up to Atomic Blonde (as covered by composer Tyler Bates and Marilyn Manson). They even cooked up an official theme song for The Chicago Blackhawks.

They garnered six GRAMMY® Award nominations in the category of “Best Metal Performance.” Not to mention, they have collaborated with everyone from author William S. Burroughs to Jello Biafra of DEAD KENNEDYS and Gibby Haynes of BUTTHOLE SURFERS on wax. Their traveling circus (the real greatest show on earth) has welcomed players such as Joey Jordison of SLIPKNOT, Nivek Ogre of SKINNY PUPPY, Burton C. Bell of FEAR FACTORY, and dozens more among its demented troupe. They’ve persisted as the rare force of nature who can share a bill with NINE INCH NAILs, DEATH GRIPS, SLAYER, or GARY NUMAN. 2021’s Moral Hygiene kickstarted another era. The critically acclaimed LP wound up on year-end lists from the likes of Consequence of Sound and Loudwire, and they sold out venues coast-to-coast on tour.

They kept going though, running right into what would become HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES with the force of a runaway freight train. Conducted by Al, that train was powered by the strength of the collective—a first for MINISTRY in over two decades and a callback to seminal albums.

 MINISTRY introduce HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES with the single ‘Goddamn White Trash.’ On the track, synths pulsate beneath a robotic sample punctuated by a plea, “We need your help.” A grimy riff snakes around propulsive percussion, kicking the door down for a hypnotic hook and the groan of a wah-drenched solo. Then, there’s ‘Just Stop Oil.’ A staccato rhythm underlines the venomous verses as Al ponders, “Who is the driver of the coming disaster?” In true Ministry fashion, the distortion bleeds into unexpected surf guitar.

 ‘Big Dick Energy’ hinges on a stomping chant and trudging guitar groove as Al bemoans, “Toxic little man with a toxic little plan.” Elsewhere, chaotic riffing sets the tone for the cataclysmically catchy ‘New Religion.’ As guitars crash, Al repeats a lament like a prayer, “That’s just not right.”

 In the end, MINISTRY have a lot of gas left in the tank, and Al’s going to ride out the shitstorm with us a little bit longer