Artist: Ministry
Label: Sire Records
Release Date: 1992
Rating: 4 Skulls
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Title: Psalm 69 Artist: Ministry Label: Sire Records Release Date: 1992
Rating: 4 Skulls |
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Reviewed by Solomon:
In the Nineties, metal reached new highs (or lows, depending on your take) in subcatagorization. Death and black metal certainly had their roots in the Eighties, but it wasn't until the next decade that these violent forms of metal blossomed and established a firm root in the worldwide scene. "Goth" or "atmospheric" metal bands took as much inspiration from Depeche Mode as they did Black Sabbath, and death metal acts combined the ferocity of Morbid Angel with the harmonies of Iron Maiden and Metallica to create some of the most accessible forms of "melodic" extreme music yet. This period also saw the rise of so-called "industrial" rock bands (Nine Inch Nails, Stabbing Westward, Front 242, Frontline Assembly, Fear Factory), groups whose approach revolved around repetitive, harsh, electronic/guitar sounds that you may or may not have been able to dance to. Many of these bands were commercially successful, but with the platinum achievement of Psalm 69 (don't forget the subtitle of 'The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs'), Ministry elevated itself to the top of the heap and became one of the most memorable industrial bands ever. The group, fronted by mastermind Al Jourgensen who has been involved in more projects than space allows, had been around for a decade before Psalm 69 began assaulting MTV viewers with the lead single and video, "N.W.O." After more pop-friendly beginnings, Ministry started grazing in blacker pastures with The Land of Rape and Honey (1988) and The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste (1989), taking dance/electronic music and giving it a heavy metal/punk steroid shot.An emphasis upon gritty guitar riffage is what makes Psalm 69 a true industrial "metal" record. Samples and effects give it the "modern" edge, but the lack of clubby synth parts won't let you mistake it for New Order. The term "industrial" is a dead giveaway, because the music is very mechanical, abrasive and REPETITIVE. You have never heard a band play one simple riff a billion times and make it sound so cool like Ministry does on "Just One Fix," one of the most recognizable guitar motifs in the metal canon. Okay, maybe Motley Crüe did it before with "Looks That Kill," but it's rare you can hear the same two-bar phrase that much and still want to hear it again. Funny, it all sounds so simple, but can you image how easy it would be to screw it up after the 453rd. time? The locomotive single "Jesus Built My Hotrod" lends some humor to an otherwise cold and desolate record, no doubt propelled by guest Gibby Haynes' (Butthole Surfers) psycho jibbering and goofball sermonizing. Next to "Just One Fix," the title track contains the gnarliest guitar groove, complete with not-too-surprisingly blasphemous sampling that makes it good, evil fun. The chaotic, percussive mindfuck of "Corrosion" is one of the album's most brutal, unmusical moments, although it has that repetitious, hypnotic effect that is strangely pleasurable.
Yes, if you're not used to this kind of music, it can be a bit trying getting through an entire forty-five minute album of this stuff, but you'd be hard pressed to find a platinum album this uncompromisingly hard and compact to the core.
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