Psalm 69 - 21 years on

Discussion
1

Has it really been 21 years?!?! Time flies doesn’t it.

To mark this “occasion” I was wondering if you guys were willing to share your thoughts on the album.

For instance - how old were you when you first heard Psalm 69? Were you into Ministry before you heard it? Did you hear it when it first came out? Did it open your eyes to this kind of music? What do you think of it now? Has your opinion changed much over the years? Has it aged well for you? Do you compare it to what Al is doing these days?

I wasn’t into Ministry at the time. Not even sure I was aware of them, having only just turned 14 at the time. I think I was mostly into pop music like INXS. Didn’t get into Ministry until a good four years later. But I remember it made a massive impact on me when I first had the chance to listen to at a mate’s house.

2

I think I was 15 when I first heard it back in '96 or so. I was heavily into NIN around this time (still am) and Trent Reznor wouldn’t shut up about how Ministry is one of the greatest bands of all time (he was right). I was familiar with Reload, because it was playing on the radio quite a bit. I checked out Filth Pig, but didn’t really get into at the time.

A friend let me borrow LORAH and Psalm 69, both of which I immediately loved. NWO and Just One Fix were pretty catchy. I wasn’t into a lot of metal back then, but there was enough electronica to hold my attention. I think between Ministry and NIN’s Broken, I really acquired the taste for aggressive and guitar based music.

I think the album still holds up, it doesn’t sound dated. I do think stylistically it is an inferior version of “Mind” and in that sense it is the only Ministry album of the 80s and 90s that wasn’t a brand new direction for the band.

I really like the album, but it is my least favorite from the first 20 years. I do however like it better than anything after Dark Side of the Spoon.

3

first i heard bits of it in late 2000 or early 2001, so i was 18 at the time. i was at the friend’s house and i heard a couple of songs from Psalm and probably full duration of In Case.

naturally, being fond of metallica, marilyn manson, then nine inch nails (sort of ‘discovered’ them in that order), it was interesting, i mean it had the necessary elements to it, so naturally it kinda captivated me.

listening to Psalm 69 now, it’s still a very good album. yes, you can see that it was just sort of built on the Mind, and that guitars were now really at the front, but it trumps everything Al has done after Animositisomina - only simply because he did this in 1991-1992, not 20 years later trying to recapture the glory with Houses/RGB/TLS/etc.

on the other hand, sometimes i think the album got carried just by 3 singles and videos to be honest - and they appeared just at the right time and moment, when it was ‘fashionable’ i guess, but if i’m not mistaken, JBMHR was the video that got them the most exposure. other tracks range from ok to great, and Corrosion and Grace were the last remains of what is now called ‘classic’ Ministry (think LORAH/Mind).

overall you can notice electronic stuff already disappearing on Psalm album - but it’s the last Ministry record to have the good use of samples and various noises or whatever in the background. because from the next album on, they would almost disappear completely.

this album also is a precursor of the ‘too bright’ production style that Al is known for - meaning very very crisp high frequencies and not a whole lot of bass; drums are a bit on the thin side as well, however this is the last album to have overall a pleasant sound and production as well, because starting from the next album, the loundess war was very apparent.

anyway, that was a bit long. fuckin’ good album! it’s just that over the years, things that i appreciate it for have changed. after i heard it first couple of times, sort of “through” ministry i started listening to it’s associated acts - side projects, Skinny Puppy, etc…

and something i just thought of, Psalm served something to the likes of With Sympathy - after both albums band didn’t wanna release the same style and substance album, in both cases got exposure (to a different degree though), and in both cases changed it’s style and direction a lot on the following albums. weird.

4

It’s certainly the best sounding, in terms of quality. The production on that album is amazing to say the least. I’m thinking Paul had a lo to do with that. Or should I say I’d imagine Paul had a lot to do with that.

I was 18 when it came out - I think I bought it during the first week or so. August 1992 I believe - if memory serves. I got a free poster with it too.

21 years on it still holds up well. Very well. I don’t think there’s a single track I dislike. Corrosion and Psalm 69 in particular are immense. Nothing like it at the time. I literally had never heard that kind of sound back in 92. The closest was probably Streetcleaner by the mighty Godflesh.

But damn if 1992 wasn’t altogether a great year for music full stop!!!

6

‘Psalm 69’ is concise and solid. It’s the most easily digestible and immediate Ministry record.

It’s not my favorite album but it’s definitely the go-to if I’m trying to turn someone new on to Ministry.

As with pretty much all Ministry music, it suffers from overlong song lengths and excessive repetition which can be hypnotic and entrancing or just frustrating depending on the state of mind.

I think it’s well produced but it definitely sounds dated…

7

they actually edited JBMHR down for the album. why the album itself doesn’t have NWO actual ‘album edit’ version, we will probably never know. so as far as song length goes, Psalm is pretty much OK, it clocks in at 44 minutes, which is neat. i’ve read somewhere that some ‘research’ resulted in 45 minutes max being the optimal time for the album (as well as being the amount of time human can concentrate best on something aaand being ‘academic’ hour).

filth pig, while also being slower tempo overall, is also 10 minutes longer, which only makes the album drag even more.

8

First heard it in 2006 as a 20 year old.

Had bought Rio Grande Blood after reading that Paul Raven from Killing Joke was on it (and how influenced Al was by KJ). RGB tore my face off and blew me away. I still love it.

So I needed more.

In the summer of that year, HMV were doing a sale on albums that were included in the “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.” Out of that, I got:

Psalm 69
Scum - Napalm Death
The Pleasure Principle - Gary Numan
First Issue - PiL

Psalm 69 sounded great, especially numbers like Corrosion and Grace. I loved the warmth of the production (as compared to RGB).

Today, I still love it but would listen to Twitch and TLORAH more often these days.

9

Waiting patiently for the release:

The JBMHR single was a big tease and I remember waiting forever for the cd to come out. I was in my early 20’s…my first Ministry concert at Jones Beach in 92’. [tongue]

10

As with pretty much all Ministry music, it suffers from overlong song lengths and excessive repetition which can be hypnotic and entrancing or just frustrating depending on the state of mind.

I think it’s well produced but it definitely sounds dated…

Dated? Overlong songs?

The fuck?

When did you first hear it? Were you into that kind of thing at the time?

11

[reply]

As with pretty much all Ministry music, it suffers from overlong song lengths and excessive repetition which can be hypnotic and entrancing or just frustrating depending on the state of mind.

I think it’s well produced but it definitely sounds dated…

Dated? Overlong songs?

The fuck?

When did you first hear it? Were you into that kind of thing at the time?[/reply]

I first discovered Ministry by seeing “What About Us” music video on MuchMusic. I then got Greatest Fits and from there worked my way randomly through their catalog. I remember buying Animositisomina when it first came

rior to that my exposure to industrial metal was NIN and Marilyn Manson so yes Ministry sounded a bit dated in comparison to, say, The Fragile.

I think overall the production is good but what dates the album are the industrial samples which seemed clunky in a digital age.

To me Filth Pig, Dark Side of the Spoon and Animositisomina are more “timeless” because they don’t have those mechanical industrial samples.

When I say dated it’s not necessarily a negative judgement by the way.

Also yes much of Ministry music is repetitive…“Lava” is one of my favorite songs by any band but I need to be in the right mood to sit through the whole song.

12

one of the first times I heard ministry was because an ex-gf had Mind… on the other side of a Type O Negative mix tape, but it didn’t really register at the time. First heard Psalm 69 when I swapped a copy of Babyteeth by Therapy? for it on tape, cos I’d heard that Ministry were kind of like Therapy?, which they were, kinda. I must have been 16 as it was 1992. I thought it was an amazing album, and still do. how things have changed [:|]

13

I was 18/19 and working at Sam Goody Music/Video when it came out, it was the first Ministry album I bought on Day 1. I got introduced to the band a year before by an older co-worker there who pretty much pushed me into the deep end of discovering “industrial music”, my point of entry was him telling me to check this band out as they had two drummers (“A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste”. I leaned more towards being a metal head at the time, so it sounded weird at first, but I started to dig it.

Anyway, I remember hearing that Ministry took forever to make their albums and that “Psalm 69” was overdue and nobody knew when it would come out exactly. They released the “Jesus Built My Hotrod” max-single about year earlier and that was already old news. Finally it had a release date, and I bought it the Monday night before it was released since I worked the closing shift. At the time it was pretty intense and heavy as shit. My industrial co-worker actually didn’t like it, he said they went metal or it was just OK. As we all know, it was what pushed them into the mainstream, even as harsh as the album was. It was all over MTV, it was being played at record shops, on the radio… alternative and rock/metal.

I remember reading about Jonny “Z” Zazula warning some venue in N.Y. when Ministry came to down that if you thought Slayer was bad, Ministry was 10 times worse (in as far as craziness and mosh pits, not quality of music). I got to see them on that tour, Sepultura and Helmet opened for them at the Universal Amphitheater in Studio City/Los Angeles. The only time I’ve seen them with their classic line-up (Al/Paul/Chris/Bill/etc.)

I still love the album today, I’d like to think that the fans that thought it was too metal probably softened on it now, especially compared to these “solo Al” days…

14

As with pretty much all Ministry music, it suffers from overlong song lengths and excessive repetition which can be hypnotic and entrancing or just frustrating depending on the state of mind.

You should listen to the 12" mixes that came on “Box”. About a minute of noise and ambience before the song kicks in, ha.

15

I was 21 when the album was released. Ministry was already one of my favorite bands at the time (became a fan in '87), so I was excited to hear what would follow the Mind album (I was floored the first time I put that CD on and heard the opening of Thieves).

My biggest problem with Psalm 69 has always been track 1. I have never been a fan of NWO, I think it’s one of the most boring songs Ministry has produced. Never liked Al’s vocals (his first cookie monster vox?), the Bush samples, and the non-existent melody (the repetitive riffs work for other Ministry songs, just not this one). I almost always skip to track 2 when I put this album on.

Just One Fix is my favorite track on the album, followed by Hero, JBMHR, and Corrosion. The weak tracks for me are the title track, Grace, and NWO. Overall, I still enjoy this album, but have always seen it as a bit of a letdown after Mind.

1002

17

I think I had just started getting into Ministry at the time, so the whole thing with the new release and all was exciting. I was a huge Butthole Surfers fan too, so a Gibby Haynes collab was like a marriage made in heaven for me.

I think I played the damn thing to death for the next six months or so.

18

16 at the time. My formative years discovering music were paved with sampling some of the biggest industrial names with a few of the lesser known. My formal introduction to Ministry was picking up TMIATTTT at a yardsale a year prior. Having no income at this time I’d savor every album I bought, listening in depth on my CD walkman. The Mind quickly became a favorite, blowing me away with the menace, precision and fury of the rhythms. Absolute love at first listen. I remember wanting to play “Burning Inside” to my drummer friend and have him replicate that beat. I acquired LORAH next. Equally impressed.

Psalm 69 was next. I had an online friend who mailed me it + Filth Pig and I was far more enamored with the latter for its more difficult charms. Psalm didn’t catch me at first but I recognized its quality immediately.

I love this era of Ministry where they’d drag out riffs for minutes with minor variations - usually additions of samples, and Psalm 69 falls within that mode of song construction. What’s tedious for some is a monolith of heavy for the daydreamer like myself. Years later I think this fueled my appreciation for kraut.

The emphasis on downpicked metal guitar riffs CAN get tiresome and I remember for years wishing they’d included some more obvious electronic programming/synth. Now I appreciate the rigid aesthetic of it more and think if they worked in a “Cannibal Song” or “The Land of Rape and Honey” it might sound shoehorned. Psalm 69 is industrial metal de-facto. Growing up I always believed Ministry created groundbreaking works and didn’t retread old ground. I respected them so much for this and exploring their back catalog was and still is one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had as a music listener.

P.S. It’s bar none the #1 Ministry CD I’ll grab for working out. Almost all of the songs fit well into a running session and the repetition that many of you seem to dislike is ideal when ramping up intensity for lifting weights.

19

I scored this not long after getting into Ministry around 92-93. My first Ministry album was ICYDFLSU. I had heard a promo cassette that featured NWO, Just 1 Fix and TV II around late 91 which was my first intro to Ministry …so I knew I loved them immediately. After hearing In Case… I was hooked.

Psalm blew me away right off the bat. Al’s vocal in NWO is kind of wack however the drum and bass rhythm is minimal brilliance. The guitar in it is nothing special but man…when they played the song live the guitars were kick ass and obviously they were a lot more in your face and all over the rhythm. The studio version is skeletal compared to Psalm live. When I first caught Ministry live in a small nightclub in Jan 1994 I’ll never forget them opening with NWO…except the intro of the drum and bass rhythm went forever before it dropped. That was friggin awesome!!!

Just One Fix…that riff to me is still one of the all-time jump up and party greats. Just totally blow the roof off shit. The rest of the album has its moments but Just 1 Fix, Psalm 69, Scarecrow and NWO are where it’s at for me. Ideally I’d prefer if they got rid of the last few songs…have Psalm 69 as the last tune and have Red Lines White Lines version of JBMHR.

The album has aged well…Filth Pig still kicks its ass though and has aged best out of all of them.

P.S. mad props for INXS…some of their stuff is brilliant and my go to 12"s at parties.

20

I first became aware of Ministry through hearing Everyday is Halloween, when it came out. I also remember hearing the song in the beer commercial too on Chicago television. Soon after that I got ahold of With Sympathy and would try to give it a fair shot and put it on every once in awhile.

The next time I saw a release by Ministry I was in Germany in 1990, and was shopping for cds and came across the Land of Rape and Honey. I looked at the cd: Ministry. Album Title: The Land of Rape and Honey. Easy sale right there without even knowing about change in direction.

Psalm 69 is a great album, I was surprised it took off like it did at the time, and surprised at the sound of the album that it wasn’t more like what had come before.

Ive always given Ministry a fair shot on its releases. Maybe not so much on the first release after Paul Barker left, but that is a great album. Really liked RGB. Not so much Last Sucker but that does have some good moments for me.

Favorite Ministry memories: waiting near the front of the line to see Ministry in Chicago for Dark Side of the Spoon show, and Paul Barker and Rey Washam stroll down the sidewalk into the front doors of the venue and nobody notices or they did too late. The other is purchasing LARD: The Power of Lard in a mall in Merrillville, IN and the two girls taking my money being totally disgusted by the cover. I was thinking “Hey I’m just buying it. You’re the one selling it.”

21

Nothing better to drown out the neighbors.

22

I had just graduated high school, and two days before the end, my friend Jason told me the new Ministry was “psychotic” and “terrifying.” So I bought it on a whim and listened to it on the walk home from the mall. I remember being able to shrug off everything as “just techno” (even though it’s so NOT techno) except “Scarecrow,” which scared the piss outta me.