Since there were threads for Psalm 69’s 21st anniversary, and With Sympathy’s 30th, I figured it’s time to talk about LORAH. My biggest memory involving this album was waiting in line to get into the parking lot for Coachella '07. We were in line so long that we put on Flashback full blast. Luckily the line started moving once Stigmata came on.
The highlights of the album are Flashback, the title track and Golden Dawn. I’ve grown to think Stigmata, The Missing and Deity are better live than on album. Too bad the first 3 tracks I mentioned aren’t as good live. Destruction and Hizbollah are also cool when I’m in the mood. Never liked I Prefer and Abortive.
This album has taken backseat over the years. I’ve always preferred DSOTS and Animosity over all the rest. The only version of the album I have is the Wounded Bird reissue. It sounds a little polished compared to the original, but I’m hoping for a true remaster some time down the road. The 2 tracks that make up the Stigmata 12" would be good as a bonus.
Great album, well, mostly. On some of their albums there’s tracks i just don’t like. Abortive is a prime example, i really hate that track. I think it might be the first Ministry studio album i ever heard. I heard ICYDFLSU first, then looked for the studio versions of the tracks in my friend’s Ministry albums. The opening three tracks are some of the best songs i’ve ever heard.
there is no need for “remaster” of that album. original version is out of print though, and sounds fine just the way it is. because if it would be remastered nowadays, it would just be compressed to brickwall shit.
fucking awesome album, nothing more to say about it XD
took me a long time to ‘get’ it, as well as Twich, because
i was more into guitarish music at that time (Ministry as well).
It’s a good album. Better than “Mind…”, in my opinion. But I could toss out both of them and just keep ICYDFLSU.
Definitely, and if i can watch the video of the album instead of just hearing the cd, all the better. What a show. The drum intro alone’s worth the cost
I bought the CD at Wherehouse Records sometime in 1992, it was packaged in one those old long boxes.
Today, it stands consistently as my favorite Ministry album although Filth Pig and Dark Side of the Spoon are up there as well and sometimes take that spot for a bit.
Stigmata - The Missing - Deity, a great start to the album. They blend nicely. That guitar riff in The Missing with that cool little bridge around 1:30 (watch yourself, The Missing…). Deity, the “resurrection coming in stereo” part, whatever that synth/guitar noise is in the background, dig that.
It drops off into a nice, slower groove with Golden Dawn, slips into the chaos of Destruction, and then fucking Hizbollah, enough said. The Land of Rape and Honey and You Know What You Are compliment each other well. The last three tracks feel a little out of place but I still dig them. Abortive sounds dated, very 80s, nice lil’ jam though.
My third favourite after Filth Pig and DSOTS. This album stands up really well. I still listen to it.
At the risk of crossing threads, I thre Psalm 69 on in the car yesterday… it’s been a long time since I listened to that one. I thought it had held up better than I remembered.
[reply]It’s a good album. Better than “Mind…”, in my opinion. But I could toss out both of them and just keep ICYDFLSU.
Definitely, and if i can watch the video of the album instead of just hearing the cd, all the better. What a show. The drum intro alone’s worth the cost[/reply]
Yes, and yes.
I can’t listen to either “Mind” or “Land” because they sound so weak and sterile by comparison. ICYDFLSU is ALMOST a perfect album . . . . . it just needs to have “Breathe” and “Land of Rape and Honey” put on it.
Flashback is an underrated star, I like it as much as Sigmata. It’s just so fucking angry!
Honestly I haven’t listened to LORAH in years, but its always been one of my favorites. Though I prefer the album version without “Hizbollah” and “I Prefer”, both good tracks but I think the album flows better without them.
Filth Pig was the first one I heard, but this is the one that really got me into Ministry. To this day, it remains my favorite.
I’m more of synth guy than a guitar guy, and this album really pushed electronic music to the extreme. It has the aggression of later Ministry as well as the electronica/dance of early Ministry.
There’s so many great moments here-the beat to The Missing, the funky solo in Diety, the mindblowing sampling in Flashback, movie samples as choruses, etc. etc. etc.
Honestly, if it’s a CD I would love to hear a remastered version. There is so much bass in there that sounds really flat to todays standards. Golden Dawn for instance has such an awesome bassline but it’s really buried in the mix.
^Then get the Wounded Bird reissue because that’s as close to a remaster as you’re gonna get. I actually decided to keep mine for such reason, and the fact that it’s probably more rare than the original Sire release.
thats how the bass is supposed to sound on LORAH and Twitch - they both were made on Fairlight by people who didn’t really know how to operate it to full capacity, so most stuff on those two albums is electronic and uses kind of low-quality samples by today’s standards. i think the most bass heavy track there is You Know What You Are actually.
as for golden dawn bassline, i wouldn’t be surprised if it’s actually all synth. ok, maybe barker played like 2 bars of it, it’s actually one riff (alternating Eb - F# interval), which just goes on and on and on and on, but a bit chopped up here and there.
remaster won’t help with the bass or whatever. if a “remastering” engineer would just do the EQ on the whole thing - you can do it as well, right?
but to make the bass more prominent (as in, lets say, EQ or adjust volume of the bass synths, EQ only the ‘drums’ for more low-end punch, etc) that would require re-mixing the entire thing from the multitrack.
but something tells me everyone (or most) knows that already. and something else tells me nobody is gonna make such remixes for any album.
as for twitch sounding nicer and having more low end - eh, yea, i guess that’s true, but i think whole point of lorah was to be more ‘abrasive’ than twitch. i mean, lorah is, in essence basically continuation of twitch, as it turned out some tracks on it date back from 1984 (hizbollah) to 1987.
good point. still, imagine lorah with sherwood on board. would have been very interesting.
All of Ministry’s “guitar” based records would’ve been miles ahead if Adrian was onboard…regardless I’m happy with Ministry’s productions from 88-2003.
All of Ministry’s lame Dub and remix albums should’ve been passed on to Sherwood’s On-U Sound for deconstruction instead if the lame ducks they went to…if they had’ve we would’ve got legitimate not to mention KICK-ASS Dub and remix albums that would stand the test of time. In order to do that Al would’ve had to pay Sherwood though.
Most definitely…look what he was able to do with Vanishing Point by Primal Scream…I love Echo Dek way more than the initial source material even though Vanishing Point is one of their better offerings…
[reply]good point. still, imagine lorah with sherwood on board. would have been very interesting.
All of Ministry’s “guitar” based records would’ve been miles ahead if Adrian was onboard…regardless I’m happy with Ministry’s productions from 88-2003.
All of Ministry’s lame Dub and remix albums should’ve been passed on to Sherwood’s On-U Sound for deconstruction instead if the lame ducks they went to…if they had’ve we would’ve got legitimate not to mention KICK-ASS Dub and remix albums that would stand the test of time. In order to do that Al would’ve had to pay Sherwood though.[/reply]
last sentence hits the nail on the head fucking beautifully