Something tells me Al Jourgensen isn’t a Republican. Psalm 69 – arguably still the band’s finest hour – kicks off sampling George Bush Snr (on ‘N.W.O.’) and Ministry’s latest return completes the circle. Opening track ‘No “W”’ kicks off with Carmina Burana, George W soundbites and a reference to Psalm 23, which sets out the stall for the whole album.

Sometimes lately the band have felt a bit flat, but this album combines fast guitars and industrial metal in classic Ministry style or, for the uninitiated, think along the lines of Suicide, Rammstein and KMFDM, with songs like ‘Waiting’ that would’ve been at home on The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste. There’s barely a let up in the pace, any song could be a hit on the right kind of dancefloor. The initial gripe, however, is it soon starts to sound formulaic. Another thunderous industrial backing, more political voice samples (Bush again) and anti-American social commentary…

Let’s face it, Bush Jnr is a fairly easy target, and much the same themes have been tackled better before – Ministry’s own Psalm 69 and KMFDM’s recent WW III for starters.

Nonetheless, even going through the motions Ministry still have something to offer. Put up with the occasional over-use of random samples – generally effective on ‘WTV’ but elsewhere irritating - and you get some of their best tracks in years. Maybe it’s no coincidence that my favourite songs are practically the only respites from the otherwise relentless thrash though - the menacingly slow pound of ‘World’ and the unusual ‘Worm’ (even if it does remind me a bit of a heavier Covenant with phonecalls from Marilyn Manson’s Smells Like Children).
(4/5)

Release Date: 21 June 2004