Ive rolled through the album at least 10 times thus far so I think its time for a review.
‘The Perfect Pair’: Epic. The brief sample of part 2 of this track was the only thing we had to go by until the album was out and it was quite enticing. The 3 parts roll into each other perfectly. Part 1 is a moody couple of minutes featuring samples and Barker’s vox and bass setting us up for part 2, which kicks with that cool bass riff that works even better in this segueway than it does on its own. Part 3 continues the energy of part 2 but with more scratching guitar in the background as Barker gets worked up, the song becoming more “emotional”. 12 and half minutes of quality progressive Barker. The highlight of the album and a song I would kill to see live. 8
‘A Blinding’: This kicks in with an ominous clanging that sets the tone of dread that permeates the rest of the album. Barker briefly gives us his version of a Blixa Bargeld howl before talking his way through a humorous line. After 1 and a half minutes it kicks into the main rhythym of the song. Similar in structure to ‘Useless’ but still sounding different and with more energy. 7
‘Angel’s Code’: Starts with delicate piano then blends into a bass driven number. The chorus kicks up a notch while Barker’s vocals reach high. A solid number thats only weakness is Barker’s at times too whiney vox. 6.5
‘Lover’s Leap’: This song reminds me of a speeded up ‘Vex and Siolence’, Barker’s vox are more likeable in this number; he doesn’t go too high. But the best part of the song is the excellent chorus. It changes the mood just enough to produce an almost celebratory effect. An ugly, unconventional love song. Probably the second best track on the album. 7.5
‘Even This Day’: Male/Female duets usually make me nauseous and while this song doesn’t quite cause the same effect it is markedly the weakest number on the album. Nothing much happens in it and the “He said… She said” lyrics are a tad irritating. 4.5
‘Holy Sugarwater’: Arguably the darkest track. The ‘Vex and Siolence’ of The Perfect Pair. Barker’s bass drives the song while he provides creepy vox. The fuzzy guitars for the chorus are a great accompaniment. However at the mid point I think the song loses a bit of direction and misses out on what could have been a great song. 6
‘Flowering Blight’: This is probably the most energetic song and it is quality. The lyrics are cool (“The march of progress has no conscience; only friends.”) At the half way point the keyboards come into the fold and are wonderfully creepy. This song seems quite short, it could have been expanded to twice its size but that doesn’t take from its form here, and that form is very good. 7
‘The Waste Land’: I would treat this song as the closer for the album as 9, 10 & 11 is just ‘The Perfect Pair’ split up into segements. And as a closer its great. Similar to ‘Flowering Blight’ in that around the halfway point it kicks into a different area and gets quite melodic. A great end to a solid album. 7
In terms of its similarity to previous Ministry output I’d say it’s closer to ‘Animositisomina’ than anything else, particularly ‘Shove’, which the structure of some of the songs sound very similar to. The album, though unconventional, is still quite accessible (a lot moreso than say Pink Anvil). ‘The Perfect Pair’, ‘Lover’s Leap’, ‘Flowering Blight’ & ‘The Waste Land’ are the picks of the litter and are worthy of Ministry (1988-2003). Or to put it another way, it mops the floor with post-Barker Ministry. The only weak inclusion would be ‘Even This Day’ but its not atrocious by any means. The various instruments seem to blend through the same fine channel, giving it a very consistent feel but causes some of the instruments, particularly drums, to be a bit unpronounced. Maybe this was the intention, I don’t know, but I would love to hear live versions of the songs to give them more of a punch.
I’d give the album a successful and enjoyable 7. I am eager to hear what else can be done with this project and would love to see it live. Fair play Paul, you’ve done well. Keep it coming.
I’d like to hear/read other reviews from prongers to see what the consensus is. I posted this as a new topic to provide reviews under the one thread.