A real barrel of laughs this one. How to describe it? Tyrannical repetitive rhythms, a hornets’ nest of grungy, buzzing guitars, distorted vocals, a collage of sounds and samples – albeit skilfully and imaginatively deployed.
But Al Jourgenson and his Ministry’s world vision is a harsh and a bleak one. On one level this could be a soundtrack for urban chaos and paranoia. And, in the wider sense, it’s predictably anti-establishment, whether it be the tired old targets of the Bush administration or TV evangelism.
Fair enough, there’s no preaching on Jourgenson’s part, but there’s little comfort here. If that’s the way they feel about the way of the world they should be out there planting bombs in Tesco’s or kidnapping their record company bosses, rather than indulging in this rather harmless form of sonic terrorism.
Esoteric and uncompromising in its way, but – and a big one at that! – Jourgenson’s crazed, twisted approach is as negative as the things it despises.
Grade D
Mark & Colin Liddell
July 1992
Riff Raff
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