Ministry

Ministry is an industrial metal group from Chicago, United States, formed in 1981 by Al Jourgensen and active since then. The band begins as a synth pop project before becoming one of the early acts associated with industrial rock and industrial metal in the late 1980s. Jourgensen remains the only constant member, and Ministry goes through frequent lineup changes over its career.

Style and collaborators

The group is associated with alternative metal, ebm, electro-industrial, industrial, industrial metal and industrial rock. Studio and live contributors include Nivek Ogre, Chris Connelly, Gibby Haynes, Burton C. Bell, Jello Biafra, Mike Scaccia, Tommy Victor, Cesar Soto, Paul Barker, Paul Raven, Jason Christopher, Tony Campos, Paul D’Amour, Jimmy DeGrasso, Bill Rieflin, Martin Atkins, Rey Washam, Max Brody, Joey Jordison, Roy Mayorga, Aaron Rossi, John Bechdel, DJ Swamp and Arabian Prince.

Commercial breakthrough and later albums

Ministry finds commercial success in the late 1980s and early 1990s with The Land of Rape and Honey, The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste and Pslam 69 / ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ. The first two albums receive gold certification, while Psalm 69 is certified platinum. Filth Pig in 1996 marks a stylistic change and reaches number nineteen on the Billboard 200, though it receives a mixed response and coincides with a decline in the band’s commercial profile. Dark Side of the Spoon follows in 1999, after which Ministry is dropped by Warner Bros. Jourgensen later enters rehab and the band goes on hiatus.

Return, political period and later activity

Ministry returns in 2003 with Animositisomina, the last album to feature Paul Barker. The band then issues the politically themed “Bush Trilogy”: Houses of the Molé, Rio Grande Blood and The Last Sucker. Although the latter is intended as a final release, Ministry reforms in 2011 and releases Relapse in 2012. Mike Scaccia dies in December 2012 and appears posthumously on From Beer to Eternity. The group continues with AmeriKKKant, Moral Hygiene and Hopiumforthemasses.

Recognition and performances

Ministry receives six Grammy Award nominations. The band also performs at major festivals including Lollapalooza in 1992, Big Day Out in 1995, and Wacken Open Air in 2006, 2012 and 2016.