Relapse

Fucking hell does Relapse start out with a god damn nuclear explosion, what a completely batshit insane opener. "Ghouldiggers" is one of the most badass awesome openings to an album I've ever heard. After a soaring high-pitched guitar lead playing in the background, with an interesting and humorous narrative introduction by Uncle Al talking about moose, the music business, ex-wives, Kurt Cobain and other dead artists exploited by evil scumbag music corporations--the "music" stops....Only to BURST back in with one of the coolest and fastest chunking industrial/thrash riffs that has ever been conceived by any sentient creature in the entire universe, played by the late great Mike Scaccia, which probably only he could play at such mind-blowing, blistering speeds. While during the chorus good ol' Uncle Al reminds us by yelling that he, in fact, isn't dead yet dammit, so don't EVER forget that. And judging by this opening track, I can sure as hell see (and hear) that he isn't. The song closes out with an even faster riff, with some crazy, wild soloing going on in the background that simply puts "Ghouldiggers" over the top and out of control.

However, after the opening? It's all downhill from there, unfortunately. And while the energy, intensity and sense of urgency found on "Ghouldiggers" is generally carried over to the rest of the album, the riffs just don't compare. The rest of the album is standard-fare modern Ministry, but "standard-fare" modern Ministry is still better than a lot of other music out there. Not surprisingly the clearest, closest comparison to Relapse musically is with The Last Sucker. So, I'd sum up Relapse as a lesser The Last Sucker. The production, style and guitar tone of both albums are very similar, along with the obviously heavily programmed drums. Although in Relapse’s defense, “Ghouldiggers” is by far the best song out of these two albums.

Relapse doesn't have the feeling as if Ministry is just going through the motions, the passion and excitement is there and it shines through with a lot of the songs, but it does feel like some aspects of the album were rushed. The main reason I say this is due to the lyrical content (and terrible cover art), which in all honesty, is some of the worst Al has ever written. For example, while admittedly catchy, "99 Percenters" has some really awful lyrics. The only reason why the lyrics are catchy is because Al simply counts to nine repeatedly, and that's essentially it. The song has Al reciting "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 99 Percenters" a dozen times. Not very creative--Seriously Al, that's all you could come up with for such a refreshing, powerful movement as the Occupy movement? Disappointing. I mention this mainly because in the past, Al has had superb lyrical offerings, especially on albums like Rio Grande Blood and Psalm 69. Just check out the lyrics to a song like "Gangreen", humorous, insightful and totally scream-able....M-16s FOR JESUS CHRIST!!!! Unfortunately, lyrically Relapse is generally awful and this kills my overall enjoyment of the album.

Vocally, Al's familiar distorted raspy yell is on full display, again sounding similar to the previous effort; The Last Sucker. Nothing to complain about there, as his approach and style to the vocals has always fit Ministry perfectly and I can't imagine them any other way. Al sounds as powerful and angry as he ever has vocally, but with the poor lyrics found on Relapse, it's harder to buy into the messages offered. Additionally, we do get a special treat on "Weekend Warrior" with a guest vocalist by the name of Sammy D'Ambruoso. I have no idea who he is, but apparently he's done engineering and programming for Ministry on their most recent material (mainly being Relapse), and while sounding similar to Al for the most part, he does throw in some solid cleans on this song around the middle.

Relapse does contain some quality moments outside of the opening track in the riffing department, same as every Ministry album ever created (maybe not With Sympathy, but that doesn't even count, Al said so). However, those moments are far too rare for this album to have much more than a modest amount of impact, as a lot of the album is lost soon after listening to it. Even by the time the album is over, I'm still trying to recover from "Ghouldiggers" and the following ten tracks fail to make even remotely the same kind of impact, but like I said, there are some additional standout moments. For example, during the chorus of "Double Tap", Al surprisingly yells--you guessed it; "Double Tap", where there is a cool catchy high-pitched lead riff, with the keyboards following in the background. Now that I'm on the topic of "Double Tapping", I always thought this was a rule to survive the zombie holocaust, you must always double tap zombies (in the head of course), you know....to be sure. Apparently, this rule applies to thin seven feet tall Middle Eastern terrorists with walking sticks too. Anyway, to reiterate, there are some cool chunking riffs and solos occasionally on Relapse, like the example above, and the energy is generally high throughout, but overall the riffs are mediocre and the lyrics are poor and unimaginable.

As with most all industrial, samples can be found scattered throughout Relapse, and Al has always had a knack for selecting good, relevant samples to include in his music, serving to enhance the overall manifesto he is attempting to convey. The two most relevant and powerful samples appearing in the song "Kleptocracy", which if I remember correctly, both appeared in the film Capitalism: A Love Story. The first sample being congresswoman Marcy Kaptur standing up and declaring that average Americans fight against and defy these corporations and wealthy, powerful individuals stealing what little, we as middle class citizens, do have. The other being a modest, hard-working, small-town American who essentially had his house stolen from him by douchebag real estate companies and banks to make a marginal profit. After all, that's what America is all about; profit, regardless of whether or not it's fair or hurts others, however, I'm not writing this review to express an opinion on Michael Moore. Although, those two moments in the film were certainly illuminating and powerful, and it makes sense that Al would use them in "Kleptocracy" to strengthen his message.

Despite the issues I have with Relapse, which I've spent a majority of the review highlighting, the fact remains that Al is still able to churn out the most aggressive, angry industrial metal possible. There are some undeniably catchy, awesome moments and a foolhardy charm present on Relapse. On the other hand, there is also no denying that Relapse is a mediocre effort, with obvious filler material, from the otherwise industrial virtuoso--Uncle Al. If the listener were to take Relapse out of context and as an entity unto itself, it’s a decent effort, worthy of listening to occasionally. However, given that this is Ministry and Al Jourgensen, it’s overall a bit disappointing and my expectations are higher for a record graced with the logo of Ministry (even though the Ministry logo for Relapse has also changed for the worse too!). I’d recommend Relapse to only the more dedicated Ministry fans among us, because while it’s not a bad album, casual listeners of Ministry and industrial metal in general won’t have much use for Relapse. You casual listeners are better off sticking to the classics, and you people know which ones they are. However, I will joyously shout along to “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 99 Percenters!” from time to time with Al, because I’m always happy to have just one (more) fix of Ministry. Please Al, don’t make Relapse the last fix!

And a final RIP to Mike Scaccia, because without you, Ministry wouldn't be what it is today. So thank you, Mike.

Originally published at http://suite101.com

Everybody knows you’re never supposed to believe it when a celebrity announces their retirement. Even if their band is one that seems to have less success when a Democrat is in office, death is the only thing that can truly keep an artist from heeding the call of creativity. No stranger to threats of professional and personal death himself, Ministry mainman Al Jourgensen and his cronies apparently thought that The Last Sucker wasn’t a proper swansong and decided to grace us with their first studio album in five years. Of course, no one is the least bit surprised but one can still wonder if this was worth coming back for…

As expected, Ministry pretty picks up where the infamous “Bush Trilogy” left off and is still deeply rooted in a cesspool of industrial-tinged thrash metal. The guitars are at a constantly fast pace, the drum programming is relentless, a good number of samples are planted in, and the vocals are as processed and pissed off as ever. Some may yearn for the band’s more danceable moments but there’s no denying they pull the heavier style off quite nicely. It certainly helps that the backing band largely consists of guys from Prong and Rigor Mortis…

And seeing as how the band’s most lyrical muse has left the Oval Office, the change in themes is inevitably noteworthy. Half of the songs still keep the political theme going as “Double Tap” looks at the assassination of Osama bin Laden while “99 Percenters” is a somewhat boneheaded take on the Occupy Wall Street movement. The other half hits closer to home with the opening “Ghouldiggers” providing a lengthy filibuster on the music industry’s politics while songs like “FreeFall” and the title track reflect on past drug use. They’re certainly not the deepest of ideas but the smartass tone does go pretty well with the musical content.

Speaking of music, pretty much all of the songs on here are fast-paced and packed with thrashy hooks. Fortunately, the songs never seem to run together as each one maintains its own identity. Lead single “99 Percenters” is one of the more accessible tracks on here thanks to its stadium shouts during the chorus while songs like “Double Tap” and “FreeFall” play out like Rio Grande Blood and The Last Sucker outtakes. Their cover of Stormtroopers Of Death’s “United Forces” is also worth noting as they manage to do justice to the crossover classic without it sounding the least bit out of place.

Interestingly, the bookending tracks are probably the two most satisfying songs on here. While “Ghouldiggers” is an intensely fast paced song like the others, it manages to stand out thanks to the rapid-fire transitions and elaborate spoken segments that are humorous as they are preachy. In contrast, “Bloodlust” is the slowest track on the album and closes things out with some heavy guitar grooves and particularly vicious vocals.

Unfortunately, there are a couple tracks that aren’t as strong as the others. The title track does pack in some solid riffs, but it’s not as energetic as the tracks before it and really would’ve benefitted from an angrier delivery to go along with its scaled back tempo. “Weekend Warrior” is even weaker as the vocals by drum programmer Sammy D’Ambruoso and the party lyrics really bring down the song’s punkier feel. Sorry, guys, but songs about the weekend just don’t work anymore if they ever really did. Blame Rebecca Black…

From what I’ve gathered, this seems to be one of those comeback albums that has really pissed people off. Some have branded the songwriting as forced and contrived while others see the quick comeback itself as being nothing more than a sleazy cash grab by an industrial veteran that’s not ready to stop spouting off his opinions to anyone that will listen. I was one of the people that initially wondered why this reunion had to happen and can certainly understand why people don’t like it, but Relapse has to be one of the most entertaining releases that I’ve heard this year.

Don’t get me wrong: this is definitely a stupid album. It’s mindless, shallow, instantly dated, but also an incredibly fun listen. It may sound like the last few albums that came before it, but Ministry’s take on thrash metal is one of the most unique out there and the riffs are definitely energetic enough to warrant the revival. Jourgensen himself has said that this is going to be the last album that Ministry ever puts out, but I’m gonna take that statement with a grain of salt personally. After all, we can’t keep the Republicans out of the White House forever…

Current Highlights:
“Ghouldiggers”
“Double Tap”
“United Forces”
“99 Percenters”
“Bloodlust”

After a three year break Ministry reunited and announced a new album. Being a fan, I was tremendously happy with their return, but didn't really care for the album. For me it seemed rushed, hastily put together, and almost unnecessary. My expectations for "Relapse" were fairly low (I mean, just look at the cover), but I got the album nonetheless.

That being said, the album opens with a damn solid track "Ghouldiggers", which is just a blast. Heavy, loud and pummeling. Plus it's always nice to hear uncle Al take a jab at the music industry. And by the end of it, you too will raise your fist and shout along with Al that he isn't dead yet. And the eight minutes fly by quick. The second song "Double Tap" took me some time to get into, but it grew on me. Aggressive, fast as hell and feels like something straight from "The Last Sucker". And also the addition of gun sounds always make a song better. However it's all downhill from here. "Freefall" and "Kleptocracy" serve just as filler and are terribly forgettable. The only thing that saves them from total mediocrity is Mike Scaccia's (RIP) and Tommy Victor's stellar guitar work. And at this point, the sub-par lyrics hit you. Al Jourgensen, the man who wrote incredibly colorful and smart lyrics in the 90s now writes "Help, help, help. No, no, no.". This is just embarrassing.

"United Forces" from S.O.D. is a nice unexpected surprise and it breaks up the monotony of the previous songs. It's a pretty kickass cover and Ministry gave it an unique spin. As with most Ministry covers, the speed is maxed out and the guitar solo flies by like a fighter-jet (plus the "Milk" tribute at the end is fitting). However, speaking of lazy lyrics, here's "99 Percenters" which demonstrates that yes, Al can count to 9. It's so goofy, that it could be played at a children's show. C'mon kids, lets occupy Wall Street, yaaay. I do applaud Al for trying to be topical and relevant, but his lyrics never sounded so dated. And I really do think, that if they didn't rush this album out, Al would have put together a more coherent statement than - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - 99%. However with all its mind-numbing simplicity I do enjoy this song. I guess I'm a hypocrite who enjoys counting to nine.

However the second half of the album feels like a chore. Homework. Just boring, uninventive and lazy songs that drone on for too long. Sparkled with out-of-place samples, because yeah, Ministry were an industrial band at one point. The second half of the album simply sounds like a collection of rejected Ministry songs. Especially "Git up Get Out 'n Vote", which has to have the dumbest song title ever conceived. Its frankly depressing, that Al's political insight has now boiled down to - get up, go vote, it's cool. How lazy must you be, to pass this as a legitimate song. "Bloodlust" just doesn't end and you grind your teeth on how annoying it is. How did such a visionary and creative band as Ministry become so watered-down and mediocre? For the lucky ones the album has ended, but the rest of us have to sit through the bonus track remix of "Relapse". Yeah, because that was a truly awesome standout song. It sucks, end of story.

All in all, this a incredibly lazy album, plagued with blatant mediocrity and terrible lyrics. The whole product seems rushed and not given much thought. And the cover art proves that marvelously. I actually thought it was a fake joke cover at first, but nope. Ministry can write better material, this album does really sound like a collection of scrapped ideas and left-over songs. Al clearly couldn't be bothered to write actual coherent lyrics, so he just wrote some words and their stupidity often ruins the whole song. If you block the lyrics in your head, then the guitar work and drum beats are decently enjoyable. But that novelty wears out fairly quickly with every nonsense lyric being uttered. "Relapse" definitely has to be one of the lowest points in Ministry's career. I would rather listen to "With Sympathy", because that at least contains well written fun songs (yeah, you know it's true). Watch the video for "Ghouldiggers" and don't be bothered with the rest of the album.

I don't care for "Relapse", but the fact that Ministry got back together and toured once again is amazing. They are still a great live band and so much so, that even I had to jump and count to 9 as they played "99 Percenters". And if they ever release a follow up album, I am fairly certain that it will be better. As for now "Relapse" is still a hurried, dull mess of laziness.