Ministry – Hopiumforthemasses
Release Date: 1st March 2024
Label: Nuclear Blast
Bandcamp
Genre: Industrial, Groove Metal.
FFO: Rob Zombie, Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM.
Review By: Jeff Finch
Disclaimer: if you don’t like politics in your music or your reviews, don’t listen to Ministry and, as a direct consequence, don’t read this review.
Now, for those that either don’t mind, or those that already know exactly what they’re getting when Uncle Al decides to drop another album with his industrial metal bandmates in Ministry, this new record Hopiumforthemasses is effectively a continuation of the albums that Al and crew started in 2004, with Houses of the Molè (first in the George W. Bush trilogy), right up through the end of the Trump administration, in Moral Hygiene. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or anyone even well versed in politics to see the trend in what Al does and doesn’t like, and Hopiumforthemasses sees Al and crew tackle the same themes, completely eviscerating right-wingers over the course of 40+ minutes. Needless to say, Uncle Al and I see eye to eye.
Ministry wastes no time getting right to the point on this record, the first song BDE (big d*ck energy) continuing the trend of utilizing samples in songs, either taken straight from television or radio, repeated consistently to get a point across, in this one ‘Toxic misogyny, violence’ the constant backdrop, before Al jumps into his own instantly recognizable smokers rasp, as he pokes fun at the ‘horny little boys’, while seething with rage as they wage war against women because ‘they can’t get a date.’ It’s hilarious, it’s infuriating, it’s Al, and it’s what Ministry puts out now; unrepentant rage against the sheer lunacy from the right wing, mocking and lamenting the nonsense they bloviate about on a daily basis, both the politicians and their followers alike.
Second track, and first single, Goddamn White Trash isn’t difficult to translate almost immediately, as Al mocks those who are ‘uneducated and ready for war’ while the constant repetition of ‘we need your help’ hits between the gnarly riffs, fist pumping and head banging in nature, while Al just continues to drive the point home about these unintelligent folk (i.e., white trash) who are “Indoctrinated, the facts are ignored” while being “Manipulated into civil war.” The rest of the song is primarily a regurgitation of the line ‘A Goddamn White Trash’ from Al, over the sweet riffs, damn near a breakdown at one point, the whole thing just an absolute bop that’s infinitely enjoyable because the music is catchy, and it’s Al at his most Al.
Just Stop Oil is a genuinely well written track that doesn’t so much rely on the same sample over riffs that bookend the lyrics from Al, rather, they make his lyrics even more powerful; this is a straight-up dissertation on climate change and the dangers we all face as a result, profound lyrics like:
The glaciers are melting, the forests are burning
The oceans are acid, the air is so rancid
The chance of redemption is, oh, so concerning
The price of oppression is civil aggression
Surrounded by the repeated lines of:
We are on the outskirts of the biggest catastrophe humanity has ever faced
And our government is doing nothing
All the while the band just industrially riffs and bangs on the drums, ferocious in intensity even if the song sounds a bit unassuming, neither the riffs nor the drums taking center stage, Al using a lower end vocal, almost as if he’s simply speaking to us but with a snarl on his face.
The rest of the album plays out a lot like this: Aryan Embarrassment throws around the word ‘nazis’ quite a bit (obviously the aryan embarrassment being mentioned), as Al, sounding a lot like Rob Zombie, says ‘we’re headed right for a collision, baby.’ Coming out of a brief guitar solo, the song slows back down to a marching pace behind the chants of ‘Make America Hate Again,’ a phrase that has been used frequently since the 2016 election, while TV Song is a thrashy endeavor with soundbites from the January 6 insurrection spliced in for maximum effect.
Being a fan of most of the bands compositions, Cult of Suffering is a brilliant track, the insanely catchy chorus of ‘Love it, Love it’ breaking listeners out of Al’s rasps describing the very track itself, which is a reference to those that feel ennobled because they suffer, the word’s tyrant, suffering, love it, all spewing from the speakers at various points, dripping with sarcasm and somehow as catchy as anything on this album, riffs popping in at consistent intervals just to drop by and let us know they’re still here.
Outside of a fun and catchy cover of the song Ricky’s Hand by Fad Gadget, a fun romp in its own way, what’s been described can really describe any of the albums that Ministry has put out lately; politically driven and riff based industrial metal with a great many samples that make the songs catchy and fun, although perhaps a bit shallow when Al’s own lyrics aren’t being sang, but a repeated sample used for maximum effect. Sure, the meanings ‘hiding’ underneath the catchiness is not something that one would probably consider ‘fun’ or choose to sing along to, but if nothing else, Al Jourgensen is consistent with his approach and does not try to hide what he’s going to write about. If you know Al, you know what Ministry is going to be dropping and, when that can be accepted, the songs here can be enjoyed for what they are: an open mockery and call out of the right wing with some beefy riffs thrown in for good measure. Sure, it may get repetitive both lyrically and musically, but those 40 minutes are going to fly by and when they restart, you might just feel ready for another 40 minutes. Uncle Al, you got another good one here, sir.
(4 / 5)
