Ministry - Houses of the Mole
Sanctuary - MYNCD023 - 2004
By Paddy Walsh
Ministry have appeared to be on a downward slope for years now, never seeming to be able to recapture that timeless acidic sarcasm interspersed with programmed beats and 'industrial' riffs that had made the likes of Psalm 69 such a classic. Houses of the Mole goes some way to repairing past damage, and sees Ministry latching onto the current wave of anti-Bush sentiment like the proverbial bandwagon jumper. It all feels a little calculated, but they just about pull it off, and I'll be the first to admit I'm surprised.
With the recent departure of long time member Paul Barker, Houses of the Mole sees the band adopting a more guitar oriented approach. This can be likened in some ways to Psalm 69, but with even less melody, and more of an emphasis on attacking the senses. The album is full of hard hitting riff-fests (unusual for a Ministry album) overlaid with Al Jourgensen's bile-filled rants. Every song on aside from opener 'No 'W'' begins with the letter 'W', a reference to a certain Mr. 'Dubya' himself. Yes the whole Bush bashing schtick may be getting a little tired at this stage, but hearing a sample of the man saying 'I have a message for the people of Iraq...go home and die' is nonetheless a powerful statement in itself.
Highlights include the brilliant opener with its barrage of frankly hilarious Bush quotes ("We're fighting Evil!"), and the blasting 'Warp City', which echoes 'Jesus Built My Hotrod' in the way it seems to fly by like some kind of techno workout for guitar. It's not all great of course - some songs could have used a little more variation, and enjoyment of this album will probably depend on your willingness to stomach another half-baked psuedo-political rant. But despite everything, Houses of the Mole has its (black) heart in the right place; right in the arsehole of America.
8/10
Official Ministry website
Official Sanctuary Records website
Sanctuary - MYNCD023 - 2004
By Paddy Walsh
Ministry have appeared to be on a downward slope for years now, never seeming to be able to recapture that timeless acidic sarcasm interspersed with programmed beats and 'industrial' riffs that had made the likes of Psalm 69 such a classic. Houses of the Mole goes some way to repairing past damage, and sees Ministry latching onto the current wave of anti-Bush sentiment like the proverbial bandwagon jumper. It all feels a little calculated, but they just about pull it off, and I'll be the first to admit I'm surprised.
With the recent departure of long time member Paul Barker, Houses of the Mole sees the band adopting a more guitar oriented approach. This can be likened in some ways to Psalm 69, but with even less melody, and more of an emphasis on attacking the senses. The album is full of hard hitting riff-fests (unusual for a Ministry album) overlaid with Al Jourgensen's bile-filled rants. Every song on aside from opener 'No 'W'' begins with the letter 'W', a reference to a certain Mr. 'Dubya' himself. Yes the whole Bush bashing schtick may be getting a little tired at this stage, but hearing a sample of the man saying 'I have a message for the people of Iraq...go home and die' is nonetheless a powerful statement in itself.
Highlights include the brilliant opener with its barrage of frankly hilarious Bush quotes ("We're fighting Evil!"), and the blasting 'Warp City', which echoes 'Jesus Built My Hotrod' in the way it seems to fly by like some kind of techno workout for guitar. It's not all great of course - some songs could have used a little more variation, and enjoyment of this album will probably depend on your willingness to stomach another half-baked psuedo-political rant. But despite everything, Houses of the Mole has its (black) heart in the right place; right in the arsehole of America.
8/10
Official Ministry website
Official Sanctuary Records website
