Ministry – "Hopiumforthemasses"
Something proper about your propaganda – all else being equal
When we last left Ministry, mastermind Al Jourgensen had, apparently, made a kind of comeback album, which I found solid, given what I'd read about its predecessors, which I hadn't heard, given that I'm a slob and all.
This time around, we're on the same level of overall quality, and definitely in the same familiar surroundings. We're talking lots and lots of samples about various loaded topics, simple metal guitar rhythm figures that are doing their job and nothing more, and, of course, far-left political lyrics.
If you're expecting all of this, which you should if you're into Ministry, you're not gonna be disappointed by this album. But that doesn't mean it's very ambitious, either.
It's hard to say a lot about the music itself. Mostly, it rocks as it should. It's not memorable. But it's ugly and sneering as it should be. Apart from the relatively slow opener "B.D.E.", we're rocking out in mid- and uptempo on the ensuing singles "Goddamn White Trash" and "Just Stop Oil". So... yeah. Lah-dee-dah.
"Hopiumforthemasses" is another Ministry record that serves as an effective backdrop for anyone who's so much of a fan that they can't get enough of Uncle Al's auditive outputs.
If you didn't know the band, and if you couldn't tell by those aforementioned song titles, Ministry often feels more like a political outlet than anything else. And it gets tiring. Partly because, unlike Rage Against the Machine, another far-left band, but with equal parts masterful and insisting lyrics front and center, Ministry's vocal lines hardly feature any hooks, and, often distorted and semi-whispered, they tend to be intangible, eluding the listener's attention. Kinda weird if you wanna get a message out there.
But partly also because that preachy attitude is hard to justify when it comes from someone who's a political extremist himself. And a song like "Aryan Embarrassment", featuring long-time collaborator Jello Biafra (ex-Dead Kennedys) on vocals, is, apparently, supposed to be about neo-Nazis, but suddenly throws in a whole bunch of other hot causes:
"Wake up and smell the Musk
Democracy turns to dust
War on women, war on drugs
War on voting, war on fun"
Yes, Al, we know. Nazis ARE morons. Oil IS harmful to the environment. Women SHOULD be in control of their own bodies. The war on drugs IS a cold, oppressive power trip more than anything else. But let's not forget that the so-called anti-fascists of the world are just as harmful and anti-democratic as the forces they claim are the oppressors. Opposite agenda; same hysterical, distorted rhetoric; same fascist methods and militant hooliganism. Everybody calm the fuck down and get some goddamn perspective before forming inviolable opinions, already.
That preachy attitude is hard to justify when it comes from someone who's a political extremist himself.
And yes, I don't like that so much of this review is about politics rather than music, either. But it only reflects what I'm dealing with here. So, with that, let's move the fuck on...
Apart from the wonderfully dirty thrasher "TV Song 1/6 Edition", the biggest variations here are the ending combo of the clean, Hammond organ-based "Cult of Suffering" featuring Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello on guest vocals (sounding like Tom G. Warrior for some reason) and the ending cover of "Ricky's Hand" by Fad Gadget. Never heard of the artist before, but we're talking dark, uptempo new wave/synthpop with clear hints of equal parts early Killing Joke, Sisters of Mercy, and My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult. So right there are some big ups in my book. Also, as the only song this time around, this one actually features a memorable chorus theme. Which, I guess, is kinda unfortunate, seeing how it's a cover and all. But at that point, it's still more than welcome.
Because, to reiterate and sum up, "Hopiumforthemasses" is another Ministry record that serves as an effective backdrop for anyone who's so much of a fan that they can't get enough of Uncle Al's auditive outputs. Nothing less, nothing more. And, seeing as Al's talking about calling it quits – again – this could be the last chance. Unless, of course, he reforms with himself a coupla years later like last time.
Rating: 4 out of 6
Genre: Industrial metal
Release date: 1/3/2024
Label: Nuclear Blast
Producer: Al Jourgensen