Ministry (band)

Ministryis an Americanindustrial metalband founded inChicago,Illinois, in 1981 by producer, singer, and instrumentalistAl Jourgensen. Originally asynth-popoutfit, Ministry evolved into one of the pioneers ofindustrial rockandindustrial metalin the late 1980s. The band's lineup has changed frequently, leaving Jourgensen as the sole remaining original member.Musicians who have contributed to the band's studio or live activities include vocalistsNivek Ogre,Chris Connelly,Gibby Haynes,Burton C. BellandJello Biafra, guitaristsMike Scaccia,Tommy Victorand Cesar Soto, bassistsPaul Barker,Paul Raven,Jason Christopher,Tony CamposandPaul D'Amour, drummersJimmy DeGrasso,Bill Rieflin,Martin Atkins,Rey Washam,Max Brody,Joey JordisonandRoy Mayorga, keyboardist John Bechdel, and rappers and producersDJ SwampandArabian Prince.
Ministry attained commercial success during the late 1980s and early 1990s with three of their studio albums:The Land of Rape and Honey(1988),The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste(1989) andPsalm 69(1992). The first two were certified gold whilePsalm 69was certified platinum by theRIAA.Psalm 69was followed byFilth Pig(1996), which was a stylistic departure for the band, and earned Ministry its highest chart position on theBillboard200at number nineteen, although it was met with mixed reception by critics and marked the beginning of the band's commercial decline.The lackluster response to their next album,Dark Side of the Spoon(1999), resulted inWarner Bros.dropping Ministry from the label and the group entered an extended hiatus in early 2000s, when Jourgensen enteredrehabafter years ofsubstance abuse.
Following Jourgensen's recovery, Ministry resurfaced in 2003 withAnimositisomina, which turned out to be their last album with Paul Barker, who would leave the band the same year after nearly two decades as an official member.Ministry returned to thethrash/industrial style ofPsalm 69and released three albums critical of then-President of the United States,George W. Bush, dubbed the "Bush Trilogy":Houses of the Molé(2004),Rio Grande Blood(2006) andThe Last Sucker(2007); these albums effectively revitalized the band's commercial viability. AlthoughThe Last Suckerwas initially intended to be the band's final album, Ministry reformed in 2011 and releasedRelapsein the following year. On December 23, 2012, longtime guitar contributor Mike Scaccia died of a heart attack, and he was posthumously featured in the next Ministry album,From Beer to Eternity(2013), which was again supposed to be their last album, as Jourgensen thought his death was the end of the band.Despite this, Ministry has since released three more albums,AmeriKKKant(2018),Moral Hygiene(2021) andHopiumforthemasses(2024), while tentative talks of a second breakup of the band, after at least one more album, have ensued since 2022.
Ministry has been nominated for sixGrammy Awardsand has performed at several music festivals, including the second annualLollapaloozatour in 1992, co-headliningBig Day Outin 1995 and performing atWacken Open Airthrice (in 2006, 2012 and 2016).
Ministry's origins date to 1978, when Jourgensen moved fromDenvertoChicagoto attend theUniversity of Illinois at Chicago. He was introduced to the local underground scene by his then-girlfriend, and in 1979 he replaced Tom Hoffmann on guitars inSpecial Affect, a post-punk group which featured vocalist Frank Nardiello (Groovie MannofMy Life with the Thrill Kill Kult), drummer Harry Rushakoff (Concrete Blonde) and bassist Marty Sorenson.Following Special Affect's split in 1980, Jourgensen formed a short-lived band called the Silly Carmichaels, which featured members ofthe Importsand played two shows.
In 1981, Jourgensen met Jim Nash and Danny Flesher, co-founders and co-owners of the indie record label and shopWax Trax! Recordswho recommended him as a touring guitarist forDivine.After playing a few concerts with the latter, Jourgensen began to write and record songs in his apartment, using a newly boughtARP Omnisynthesizer, a drum machine, and a reel-to-reel tape recorder.He presented a demo to Jim Nash, who suggested Jourgensen record a single and form a touring band, which Jourgensen decided to call Ministry.
The first line-up of Ministry consisted of keyboardists Robert Roberts and John Davis, bassist Sorenson, and drummerStephen George; Jourgensen auditioned several singers, all of whom were unsatisfactory, so he decided to perform vocals himself.Nash purchased recording sessions at Hedden West studios which resulted in a twelve-inch single featuring "I'm Falling" and instrumental track "Primental" on the A-side, with the song "Cold Life" on the B-side.The record was co-produced by Jay O'Roarke andIain Burgessand released in late 1981 on Wax Trax! in the US.In March 1982, the single was licensed by British labelSituation Two, with "Cold Life" as the A-side.
Ministry performed their debut concert on January 1, 1982 in the Chicago club Misfits,and, in the spring, commenced a tour of theNortheastand theMidwest, supportingMedium Medium,A Flock of Seagulls,Culture Club, andDepeche Mode.Meanwhile, the "I'm Falling / Cold Life" single reached No. 45 in theBillboardHot Dance/Discochart with approximately 10,000 copies as of September 1982,and thus scoring Wax Trax!' first hit.The songwriterAimee Mannplayed with Ministry in the early 80s.
The band's initial success drew the attention ofArista Recordsfounder and chief executiveClive Davis, who offered them a deal, promising to make them "the nextJoy Division"—a promise that Jourgensen later considered to be misleading.Signing a six-figure, two-album deal, the band—with Jourgensen and George comprising the official line-up—moved to record at theSyncro Soundstudios in Boston, with producers Vince Ely (former drummer ofPsychedelic Furs) and Ian Taylor (former assistant ofRoy Thomas Baker), as well as keyboardists Roberts and Davis as session musicians.
Once Jourgensen signed with them, Arista allegedly pressured him to change his image and sound to match that of popularsynth-popacts of the day such asThe Human League,Duran Duran, andDepeche Mode.According to Jourgensen, "[t]he label took me to a stylist, cut my hair, picked out my producer. They even wrote lyrics. We opened forCulture Clubandthe Police. I did it to the best of my ability, but kicking and screaming."
A 12-inch single containing the song "Same Old Madness" was recorded and planned for release, along with its accompanying music video.However, "Same Old Madness"—both the song and video—did not surface until 2014;instead, "Work for Love" was released in January 1983and peaked No. 20 on the Hot Dance/Disco chart. Ministry's debut album, entitledWith Sympathy(also known asWork for Lovein Europe), was finished around this timeand issued in May, reaching No. 94 in theBillboard200. On release, the album was supported by two more singles—"Revenge" (with a music video partially reworked from "Same Old Madness") and "I Wanted to Tell Her" (a reworked version of "Primental"), and a supporting concert tour withthe Policeduring the North American leg of theirSynchronicitytour.During this time, Jourgensen met the members ofSeattle-based bandthe Blackouts—namely bassistPaul Barkerand drummer Bill Rieflin, as well their then-manager Patty Marsh, who later became Jourgensen's wife from 1984 to 1995.
In spite ofWith Sympathy's success, Jourgensen's relations with Arista were acrimonious. Eventually, Jourgensen sent a demo tape featuring a cover version ofRoxy Music's song "Same Old Scene" before parting ways with Arista, suing the latter for violating contractual obligations.Since then, Jourgensen has expressed dislike for theWith Sympathy-era,often providing different (and widely conflicting) explanations for his antipathy. In a 2004 interview, conducted by Mark Prindle, Jourgensen said that after signing with Arista, all artistic control of Ministry was "handed over" to other writers and producers.In his 2013 autobiography, Jourgensen gave a different explanation, saying that he was pressured by Arista management into producing his existing songs in the then-popular synthpop style, as a means of making them more commercially palatable.However, in the 1980s, Jourgensen said that when he discovered hardcore music, his musical direction simply changed;Jourgensen reiterated this point in 2012,and again in 2018.In 2019, he stated that the record was "fine", only that it could have been a lot better without interference from the record company.In 2021, Jourgensen resurrected the story that Arista took full control of the production and songwriting process, made Jourgensen cut his hair and bought him a wardrobe of sharkskin suits, and this time added the label wanted Ministry to sound likeWham!(a band who were not successful in the US until 1984: one year afterWith Sympathyhad been released).Jourgensen assumes a falseEnglish accentfor all of the album's songs, for which he also later expressed great dislike,though Patty Marsh stated in a 2013 interview "...the English accent thing was more an homage to the bands he loved than anything else. He was not trying to come off as British. The Stones used a southern accent and no one crawled up their ass for it.",an explanation Jourgensen himself had also given in a prior, 1983 interview with Richard Skinner.
Departed from Arista, Jourgensen returned with Ministry on Wax Trax! in mid-1984.While working as a cashier in the Wax Trax! store, he continued to record new material.In autumn 1984, Ministry embarked on a new tour with a renewed line-up, supported by Belgian industrial dance actFront 242.During this tour,Sire Recordsco-ownerSeymour Steinattended several gigs, offering the band a new deal; Jourgensen, recalling his negative experience with Arista, repeatedly declined, but eventually agreed to sign on the condition that Sire would provide resources to support the Wax Trax! imprint; as Jourgensen put it, "it was kind of a personal sacrifice to keep that company rolling and allow them to keep signing bands."George left Ministry soon after this tour, disagreeing with Jourgensen over increased use of drum machines,and went on to form the short-lived band Colortone,and, much later, to pursue a record engineering career.Ministry released several singles throughout the summer of 1985—"All Day", "(Every Day Is) Halloween" and "The Nature of Love", as well as a reissue of "Cold Life"—which were cited as marking Jourgensen's first attempt at injecting industrial elements into Ministry's sound.Initially the B-side on "All Day" single, "... Halloween" became viewed as agothanthem similar toBauhaus (band)' "Bela Lugosi's Dead";"The Nature of Love", which came out in June 1985, became Ministry's final single on Wax Trax!;in July 1985, the band was shown as signed to Sire Records.
Ministry's first release with Sire/Warner Bros. was the single "Over the Shoulder" in 1985,preceding the release of the band's second studio album,Twitch, in March 1986.Twitchwas recorded and mixed largely atSouthern Studiosin London andHansa Tonstudioin West Berlin during 1985, with theOn-U Sound RecordsownerAdrian Sherwoodand Jourgensen sharing co-production duties.Despite the contribution of several others (namely Belgian singerLuc van Ackerand Sherwood'sTackheadbandmateKeith LeBlanc), the album material was mainly performed by Jourgensen, listed as the band's sole member.Some material, recorded during theTwitchsessions, was later used for LeBlanc's and Sherwood's other projects, most prominently LeBlanc's solo albumMajor Malfunction.
On release,Twitchhit No. 194 inBillboard200, and was supported by a US and Canadian tour. Jourgensen assembled a new touring line-up, featuring Roland Barker on keyboards, Paul Barker on bass and Bill Rieflin on drums.Twitchreceived mixed reviews, with a music criticRobert Christgaustating, "Chicago's Anglodisco clones meet Anglodisco renegade Adrian Sherwood and promptly improve themselves by trading in wimpy on arty"; nevertheless, the album came to be viewed as a pivotal point in the band's discography, as it signaled ongoing changes in Ministry's sound.In later publications, Jourgensen credited Sherwood with giving his music an aggressive edge and providing production advice, but considered the record "so Adrian Sherwood-influenced."
AfterTwitch, Paul Barker became Jourgensen's primary collaborator in Ministry;until his departure, he was the only person credited as a member of the band other than Jourgensen.Jourgensen then made another significant change to Ministry's sound when he resumed playing electric guitar.With Rieflin on drums, Ministry recordedThe Land of Rape and Honey(1988). The album continued their success in the underground music scene.The Land of Rape and Honeymade use of synthesizers, keyboards, tape loops, jackhammering drum machines, dialogue excerpted from movies, unconventional electronic processing, and, in parts, heavy distorted electric guitar and bass.
The album was supported by a tour in 1988 and the singles and music videos for "Stigmata" and "Flashback". "Stigmata" was also used in a key scene in Richard Stanley's 1990 filmHardware, although the band shown performing the song wasGwar.
The follow-up album,The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste, was released in 1989. Due to the complex nature of the album's drumming, a second drummer,Martin Atkins(formerly ofPublic Image Ltd.andKilling Joke), was hired. In addition to Atkins, a ten piece touring line-up was formed, consisting ofChris Connelly(keyboards and vocals), Skinny Puppy vocalistNivek Ogre(vocals and keyboards), Joe Kelly (vocals and backing vocals) and guitaristsMike Scaccia,Terry Roberts, andWilliam Tucker, with Jourgensen, Paul Barker and Rieflin serving as the group's core members. This tour was documented onIn Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up.Two opening tracks, "Burning Inside" and "Thieves", were released as a commercial single; "Burning Inside" was accompanied by a music video.
After completing the Revolting Cocks tour in early 1991, Jourgensen and his bandmates began work on a follow-up toThe Mind ...at Chicago Trax! studios, amidst problems brought on by growing substance abuse.During these initial sessions,Gibby Haynesof theButthole Surfersrecorded vocals for what became "Jesus Built My Hotrod", which hit No. 19 in the Modern Rock Tracks chart with approximately 128,000 copies as of mid-July 1992; considered Ministry's first and biggest commercial hit, it built significant anticipation for their upcoming album, then titledThe Tapes of Wrath.In an attempt to distance themselves from drugs and find fresh perspective, the band relocated from Chicago toLake Geneva, Wisconsin, to record at Royal Recorders studios for ten weeks.After considering the Wisconsin sessions a "washout", they returned to Chicago to complete the album – now entitledPsalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs, after a chapter fromAleister Crowley'sThe Book of Lies– by early May 1992, with only nine of about thirty songs written being chosen to feature.The album was influenced byspeedandthrash metal, often being described as their fastest record by fans and critics. It was released on July 14, 1992 and peaked at No. 27 on theBillboard200 chart. Soon after, Ministry was invited to headline the secondLollapaloozatour withPearl Jam,Red Hot Chili PeppersandSoundgarden, among others,before commencing a tour of Europe and the US, withHelmetandSepulturaas supporting acts.
In October 1994, Ministry performed at the eighthBridge School Benefitcharity concert, with sets of cover songs (most prominently Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay") and one original song, "Paisley", which was intended to be on their next album.After constructing a studio inAustin, Texasin 1993,the band proceeded to record a new album in July 1994.After refusing to perform drums on "Lay Lady Lay", Rieflin parted ways with Jourgensen midway through the recording process.Along with newly recruitedRey Washam(formerly ofScratch Acid,Didjits, andRapeman) who performed the rest of the album's drum work,Ministry performed as one of the headliners forAustraliaandNew Zealand'sBig Day Outtouring festival in January 1995. In spite of their growing success, Ministry was nearly derailed by drug problems and a series of arrests followed in August 1995.Completed at Chicago Trax Studios,Filth Pigwas released in 1996.Musically,Filth Pigwas more heavy metal than industrial, with synthesizers and samples mostly stripped from a mix that focused on conventional hard rock instrumentation.
The album's songs were played mostly at slower tempos than those on their previous three LPs, giving it an almostdoom metalfeel.Filth Pigwas supported with the singles/videos "Reload", "The Fall", "Lay Lady Lay" and "Brick Windows" and with a tour in 1996 (the live performances were later anthologized on theSphinctouralbum and DVD in 2002). Jourgensen has subsequently said that he was severely depressed during this period, thatFilth Pigreflects this, and that he dislikes performing music fromFilth Pig.
Ministry recorded their final studio album for Warner Bros. Records,Dark Side of the Spoon(1999), which they dedicated toWilliam Tucker, who committed suicide earlier that year. ForDark Side of the Spoon, Ministry tried to diversify their sound by adding some melodic and synthetic touches to their usual electro-metal sound, along with some jazz influences,but the album was not well received, critically or commercially. However, the single "Bad Blood" appeared on thesoundtrack album ofThe Matrixand was nominated for a 2000 Grammy award.During this period, Jourgensen had an infected toe amputated after accidentally stepping on a discarded hypodermic needle.
In the summer of 2000, Ministry was invited to that year'sOzzfest;amidst a management changeover, they were dropped from the bill and replaced bySoulfly.
After Ministry were dropped from Warner Bros. in 2000, the label issued the 2001 collectionGreatest Fits, which featured a new song, "What About Us?". Ministry would later perform the song in a cameo appearance in the Steven Spielberg filmAI: Artificial Intelligence.In 2000–2002, disputes with Warner Bros. Records resulted in the planned live albumsLive Psalm 69,SphinctourandClittourUSonIpecac Recordingsbeing canceled.Sphinctourwas released onSanctuary Records.
Around 2001, Jourgensen almost lost his arm when he was bitten by a venomous spider.By his own admission, Jourgensen was suicidal during this period and decided to call an acquaintance he had met years earlier; the acquaintance, Angelina Lukacin, helped Jourgensen give up his massive substance habit, which included heroin and cocaine "speedballs",crack,LSD, various pharmaceuticals and as many as two full bottles ofBushmillswhiskey per day (Lukacin and Jourgensen married soon after).Jourgensen and Barker, along withMax Brodywho had joined as a saxophone player for the 1999 tour, focused on developing songs for a new record during 2001 and 2002, with the band issuingAnimositisominaon Sanctuary Records in 2003. The sound was strongly heavy metal with voice effects, though it featured an almost-pop cover ofMagazine's "The Light Pours Out Of Me".Animositisomina, compared to previous releases, sold poorly and singles for "Animosity" and "Piss" were canceled before they could be released.
Barker announced his departure from Ministry in January 2004. He stated that the trigger was his father dying while the band was wrapping up a summer tour in Europe, and also stated that his family life was his main focus at that particular time.Lukacin stated in 2013 that Jourgensen fell out with Barker over the band's finances.Jourgensen continued Ministry with Mike Scaccia and various other musicians.
For Ministry's next album, Jourgensen released the song "No W", a song critical of then-U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush; an alternate version of the track was placed on the multi-performer compilationRock Against Bush, Vol. 1. The follow-up LP,Houses of the Molé(2004), contained the most explicitly political lyrics Jourgensen had yet written, with songs played more crudely than on previous recordings, giving the album the most metal-oriented sound of their career. In 2006, the band releasedRio Grande Blood, an LP on Jourgensen's own13th Planet Records. WithProng'sTommy VictorandKilling Joke'sPaul Raven, the album featured an even heavier thrash metal sound drawing comparison toSlayer. The single "Lieslieslies" was nominated for theGrammy Award for Best Metal Performanceat the 49th annual Grammy Awards. It, along with another song on the album, "The Great Satan", is also available as adownloadable contentsong for the 2008 video gameRock Band 2. In July 2007, the band releasedRio Grande Dub, an album featuring remixes from the band's 2006Rio Grande Bloodalbum.
What Jourgensen expected to be Ministry's "final" album,The Last Suckerwas released on September 18, 2007.
Paul Ravendied on October 20, 2007, a month and two-days after the release ofThe Last Sucker, suffering an apparent heart attack shortly after arriving in Europe to commence recording for the French industrial bandTreponem Palnear the Swiss border.
Jourgensen remixed and co-produced Spyder Baby's "Bitter", which was released by Blind Prophecy Records in early 2008.
A song titled "Keys to the City", which became the theme song for theChicago Blackhawks, was released on March 5, 2008. In addition to this single, two albums of covers/remixes,Cover Up(April 1, 2008) andUndercover(December 6, 2010) were released. All of these releases are credited toMinistry and Co-Conspirators, since they featurecollaborationsbetween Jourgensen and other musicians.
Ministry's "farewell" tour, the "C-U-LaTour", started its North American leg on March 26, 2008 withMeshuggahperforming as special guests andHemlockas an opening act. They played their final North American shows in Chicago on May 10 and 12, 2008.The final date on the international leg of the tour was at the Tripod in Dublin, Ireland on July 18, 2008. During the performance, Jourgensen repeatedly reaffirmed it would indeed be the last Ministry show. Due to a large demand for tickets, an extra gig was added at the Tripod on July 19, 2008. The band again played to a full house. Ministry's final song at this show (and ostensibly their last live performance) was a rendition of their cover version of "What a Wonderful World".
Adios ... Puta Madres, a live album featuring material culled from the tour, was released in 2009 on CD and DVD.
Adocumentary filmcalledFix: The Ministry Moviewas planned for release sometime in 2010. However, the release date was pushed back to early 2011. Eventually, it premiered at the Chicago International Movies & Music Festival. Jourgensen sued the filmmaker, Doug Freel, for failing to fulfill a portion of the contract giving Jourgensen approval over the final cut, along with "thousands of dollars".The lawsuit was dropped in July 2011. On July 21, the film was screened privately at the Music Box Theater in Los Angeles.
On August 7, 2011, Ministry announced they would reform and would play at Germany'sWacken Open Airfestival, set to take place on August 2–4, 2012.The reunion lineup featured Al Jourgensen on vocals,Mike ScacciaandTommy Victoron guitars,Aaron Rossion drums, John Bechdel on keyboards, andTony Camposon bass.
Jourgensen toldMetal Hammerin August 2011 that Ministry was working on a new album calledRelapse, which they hoped to release by Christmas. Regarding the sound of the new material, he explained, "We've only got five songs to go. I've been listening to it the last couple of weeks and I wasn't really in the mood, I was just taking it as a joke. Just to pass the time at first but [Mikey's] raving about it. It's like, dude c'mon, this is not about Bush, so ... that part's over. The ulcers are gone and Bush is gone so it's time for something new. I think this is actually gonna wind up being the fastest and heaviest record I've ever done. Just because we did it as anti-therapy therapy against the country music we would just take days off and thrash faster than I've done in a long time, faster than Mikey's done in a long time. He just did aRigor Mortistour and said it was easy compared to this Ministry stuff so it's gonna be brutal and it's gonna freak a lot of people out."
Ministry announced on their website that they entered the studio on September 1, 2011 with engineer Sammy D'Ambruoso to begin recording their new album.During the third webisode featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the making ofRelapse, a release date of March 23, 2012 was announced.
On December 23, 2011, Ministry released "99 Percenters", the first single fromRelapse, and began streaming it on their Facebook page two days later. On February 24, 2012, Ministry released a second single, "Double Tap", which was included in the April 2012 issue of theMetal Hammermagazine. On March 23, 2012,Relapsewas released;it was supported with "Defibrillatour", a concert tour which lasted from that year's June to August.
On December 23, 2012, guitarist Mike Scaccia diedfollowing an on-stage heart attack, while playing with his other band, Rigor Mortis.In an interview withNoiseyin March 2013, Jourgensen announced that Ministry would break up again, explaining that he did not want to carry on without Scaccia. He explained, "Mikey was my best friend in the world and there's no Ministry without him. But I know the music we recorded together during the last weeks of his life had to be released to honor him. So after his funeral, I locked myself in my studio and turned the songs we had recorded into the best and last Ministry record anyone will ever hear. I can't do it without Mikey and I don't want to. So yes, this will be Ministry's last album."The album, titledFrom Beer to Eternity, was released on September 6, 2013. Jourgensen stated that Ministry would tour in support ofFrom Beer to Eternity, but would not record any more albums.
In an April 2016 interview withLoudwire, Jourgensen stated that Ministry would make a follow-up toFrom Beer to Eternity"if the circumstances are right."When asked in July about the possibility of a new album, Jourgensen stated, "When I was asked [before], it was after Mikey passed and the entire media immediately starts asking me what is going to happen to Ministry. He wasn't even buried yet. I thought, 'Fuck you.' I was really pissed and really angry. I said, 'Fuck Ministry and fuck you for asking.' They want to comment on Ministry when my best friend had died. It's been more than two years now, and I got more ideas and I have done albums with Mikey and have done them without him. It's time to get another record out. I have a bunch of songs written in my head. I wanted to have time to mourn before people start asking me about touring dates. It was sick. I was bombarded and email boxes were overloaded with 'what are you going to do now?' It was kind of creepy."
By February 2017, Ministry had begun working on their fourteenth studio album,titledAmeriKKKant.The album, released on March 9, 2018,includes guest appearances fromBurton C. BellofFear Factory, formerN.W.AmemberArabian Prince,DJ Swampand Lord of the Cello.During their performance at the Blackest of the Black Fest inSilverado, Californiain May 2017, Ministry debuted their first song in four years, "Antifa", which, at the time, was expected to appear onAmeriKKKant.
In an October 2018 interview withBillboardmagazine, Jourgensen revealed that he had begun working on new material for Ministry's fifteenth studio album. He explained, "I have to get as many albums as I can done whileTrumpis still president, and then what am I going to do: write those crappy albums that I write while Democrats are president?"A month later, media reports noted that Jourgensen had reconnected with former memberPaul Barkerafter 15 years, hinting that the two might collaborate once again on the upcoming Ministry album.
In a 2019 interview withRevolvermagazine, Jourgensen reaffirmed that he had been working on new material since 2018, and revealed that he had hired Paul D'Amour (formerly ofTool) as the new bassist of Ministry.The band – alongsidePrimusandPhilip H. Anselmo & The Illegals– opened forSlayeron the final North American leg of theirfarewell tour, which took place in November 2019.
In December 2019, the band released a visual history coffee table book,Ministry: Prescripture, with author Aaron Tanner.
In January 2020, Ministry announced the "Industrial Strength Tour" would start in 2020, with drummer London May ofSamhain, which would feature bothKMFDMandFront Line Assemblyas guests. The tour was to begin on 1 July and extend until August.In May 2020, the band announced that they postponed all dates on the Industrial Strength Tour until 2021, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The 25–date tour, with KMFDM and Front Line Assembly, was scheduled to take place in March and April 2021;the trek was once again postponed to the fall of 2021, this time withHelmetreplacing KMFDM, who were unable to partake in the tour because of restrictions caused by the COVID in their native Germany.On September 24, 2021, Ministry announced that The Industrial Strength tour had been postponed once more because of the pandemic, with the tour now scheduled to take place in March and April 2022, and theMelvinsandCorrosion of Conformityreplacing Front Line Assembly and Helmet as special guests.
On January 17, 2020,Billboardreleased an exposé on guitar playerSin Quirin, detailing accounts of Quirin's alleged behavior including sexual relationships with underage females while touring in San Antonio, TX, Portland, OR, and Tacoma, WA, in the early 2000s.In May 2021, Quirin announced viaFacebookthat he was leaving Ministry.
On March 24, 2020, longtime drummer Bill Rieflin died of cancer, which had been kept private. Rieflin had joinedKing Crimsonin 2013, and his death was announced March 25 byRobert Frippvia Facebook.
On April 24, 2020, one month after Rieflin's passing, Ministry released their first song in two-and-a-half years, "Alert Level", which was expected to appear on the band's then-upcoming fifteenth studio album.
In May 2021, the band announced that drummer Roy Mayorga has rejoined the band.
On July 8, 2021, Ministry released "Good Trouble" as the first single from their fifteenth studio albumMoral Hygiene, which was released on October 1.
About two weeks after the release ofMoral Hygiene, Jourgensen revealed that another Ministry album would "be out in 6-8 months."In a March 2022 interview with Metal Edge, Jourgensen said that the album would feature an arena rock-styled sound, and he also hinted at one final Ministry album.He reiterated his idea of disbanding Ministry in 2023, expecting the last Ministry material to be a re-recording of their first albumWith Sympathy.
In early 2023, Ministry announced a tour withGary NumanandFront Line Assembly, which lasted from April 20 to May 13, 2023.The band performed a cover ofRicky's HandbyFad Gadgetwith Numan, on two nights.
In April 2023, the band played a new song live titled "Goddamn White Trash" from their then-upcoming albumHopium for the Masses, which was planned to be released on August 4.However, it was announced that the album (with the new titleHopiumforthemasses) would be released on March 1, 2024.
In the fall of 2023, Ministry, along withFilter, opened the Freaks on Parade tour, headlined byAlice CooperandRob Zombie.The tour spanned one month, lasting from August 24, 2023 until September 24, 2023, visiting 19 venues across the United States and Canada. After the Freaks on Parade tour ended, Ministry announced that they would be touring with Gary Numan and Front Line Assembly again for theHopiumforthemassesTour, which began on February 27 and ended on April 5, 2024.
In February 2024, Jourgensen confirmed in an interview withLoudwirethat Ministry intended to release one final album and then disband, declaring, "I think it's a good time to stop."The band entered the studio in June 2024 to begin work on their seventeenth studio album, and confirmed that same month they were reuniting with multi-instrumentalistPaul Barker21 years after the latter's departure.On October 7, 2024, Ministry announced that they were re-signed toCleopatra Recordsfor the release of their final studio album.
Ministry's next studio project,The Squirrely Years Revisited, will be released on March 28, 2025; it is a collection of re-recorded material from the band's early days (including re-recorded songs off their first two albumsWith SympathyandTwitch) and "comes ahead of the final new studio album from Ministry in 2026, a record that has Jourgensen teaming up with Paul Barker once again."
Ministry's experimentation, stylistic variation and changes during its career cross several genres of popular music. The band is most commonly categorized asindustrial metalandindustrial rock.Other genres includeEBM/industrial dance,techno-rock,thrash metal,andelectro-industrial.Their early output has been variously described asnew wave,synth-pop,dance-pop,electronic dance,anddark wave.In the April 1989 issue ofSpin Magazine, an author Michael Corcoran labelled the band as "industrial disco";in 1994, writer Simon Glickman used this term as well.AllMusic's Steve Huey states that, previous toNine Inch Nails' rise to mainstream popularity, "Ministry did more than any other band to popularize industrial dance music, injecting large doses of punky, over-the-top aggression and roaring heavy metal guitarriffsthat helped their music find favor with metal and alternative audiences outside of industrial's cult fan base." Despite frequent descriptions of the band's music asindustrial,Jourgensen disputed the use of this tag in several publications since the early 1990s, preferring instead to identify his style as "aggro",and, much later "industrious".
Despite Jourgensen's dislike of touring, Ministry is noted for their live performances, featuring extended versions of songs (as evidenced onIn Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up)and disturbing visual imagery.MTValso recognized the band as an influential heavy metal act, highlighting the use of sampling during their heyday.Alternative Pressincluded Ministry in their 1996 list of 100 underground inspirations of the past 20 years, stating that they merged "metal, samples, synths, and the 100-mph sound of urban paranoia, they pretty much created industrial music as we know it."Jourgensen revealed in 2008 that Ministry music is mostly ondrop Dandstandard Etuning.
Jourgensen, with former and current bandmates, has been active in a number of musical projects besides Ministry. Foremost of these was theRevolting Cocks, founded by Jourgensen,Richard 23and Luc van Acker during Ministry and Front 242's tour in 1984.Since its formation, the band has released a number of records, and has gone through several line-up changes.1000 Homo DJs, a project purposed for outtakes fromThe Land of Rape and HoneyandThe Mind ..., has recorded a cover ofBlack Sabbath's "Supernaut", featuringNine Inch Nailsfrontman and one-time Revolting Cocks touring memberTrent Reznor.PTP, a project led by Jourgensen and Barker, included the assistance from Nivek Ogre on one occasion, and Connelly on another, and notably provided the song "Show Me Your Spine" featured inPaul Verhoeven's 1987 filmRoboCop.Other notable projects includePailheadwithIan MacKayeofMinor ThreatandFugazi,Lardwith formerDead Kennedyslead singerJello Biafra, andAcid HorsewithCabaret VoltairemembersRichard H. KirkandStephen Mallinder.Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters, a country project led by Jourgensen, released the sole album,Bikers Welcome Ladies Drink Free, in 2012 through 13th Planet Records.Surgical Meth Machine, a speed metal project originally tributed to guitarist Mike Scaccia
Barker has released several solo recordings under various monikers, includingAge of ReasonandChicks & Speed: FuturismasLead into Goldin 1990,The Perfect Pairas Flowering Blight in 2008,andFix This!!!, an accompanying soundtrack ofFix: The Ministry Movie, under his own name in 2012.Through the 2000s, Barker formedPink Anvilwith Max BrodyandU.S.S.A.withthe Jesus LizardguitaristDuane Denison.Brody and Scaccia have also released materials as Goobersmoochers via Brody's Bandcamp site.