Review Summary: An absolute smackdown on the culture of the times, including Trump.
Ministry have never been ones to shy away from skewering the figureheads of politics. Now that punk rock is safe, preferring lyrics about broken hearts, and metal is largely "apolitical" in its tales of elves and dragons and whatnot, Ministry have assume the role of Dead Kennedys of industrial, Al Jorgenson skewering political figures left and right, and politically as well. On latest comeback album
Moral Hygiene Jorgenson borrows from the great truth-speakers of history, from Aristotle to Mark Twain to Jeff Tiedrich. Fitting for an album released amidst a deadly pandemic, let's just say Al leaves no orange spraytan mushroom penis overturned on
Moral Hygiene, letting listeners know that political figures must be skewered.
If Dylan and Eric had been listening to Ministry instead of KMFDM and Marilyn Manson, they might have used their powers for good instead of for evil. But one commonality Al Jorgenson has with the Columbine killers is a complete disdain for bullies, in this case bullies like the Republican party and Donald Trump. But in case you thought Jorgenson was partisan, he serves as a divider between the tides of fools much like the Libertarian candidate who shares his name. He attacks CNN, he attacks Fox, he skewers Mitch Mcconnell and Al Gore in the same breath. Al is not Bill Maher, he skewers who he sees fit. If you aren't careful, he will skewer you, and you want to be left unscathed by his mighty pen and tongue, believe me. His voice is still as raspy as ever, gruff and masculine, yet soulful and enticing, sometimes lulling the listener into a state of hypnosis when combined with the trademark drum machine grooves Ministry is known for. It is easy to think Al Jorgenson has a sandpaper tongue much like a cat, and when he goes for your butthole you won't even be able to fart without crying in pain. But the pain was deserved, for Al only punches up, like the best comedians, and not Joe Rogan or Trump, both of whom are crapped upon in the lyrics of this album. Songs such as "TV Song 6" and "Death Toll" describe the times in a way I simply lack the wit to even hope to imitate. Al Jorgenson says what we are all thinking but too afraid to say, in this age of 4chan trolls, alt-right nazis, Twitter SJWs, and more scourges upon the freedom upon which our foundation was founded. Verbal smackdown upon verbal smackdown is leveraged, not in abject anger such as artists like Eminem, but instead in hope. Like the best punk rock, Ministry has hope beneath its scorn and disdain; a softness beneath the skewering.
If you want to hear a band summing up the times and skewering dunderheads like Donald Trump and George Bush, give this a listen. In a world without Dead Kennedys and RATM, and when a new Tool album only comes out every 15 years, we have to rely on Ministry to give us the truth when it's such a rare commodity.
