I’m starting this thread, even though I’ve yet to hear the album (too scared to based on early word of mouth), for all those who want to post their reviews of the Last Sucker and include spoilers.
Some track by track reviews would be nice if anyone’s game.
Man…I’m hoping this leak is a ‘fake’ album - created to put the fan’s off the scent and give Al one last laugh!
Otherwise…[:/]
i’m too lazy to do a track-by-track, besides, i only listened to it twice. the production is better than rio grande blood, not so much screeching high frequency noise, more bass, but 50-70% of the guitar riffs are just like rio grande blood. sometimes it just feels like you’re listening to outtakes/b-sides from that album. the dick song is exactly lieslieslies remade with different lyrics and some different sections here and there, but the main riff is just the same, and the vocal rhytm is identical. even the background vox. roadhouse blues is sorta fast rocker that would fit on cocked and loaded and sounds just like you know, like a try to get another jbmhr/warp city type track. roadhouse has some harmonica on it too…
no glory is just like the song named rio grande blood, i.e. it has distinct features of that one - the “insane” double bass drumming while al sings the verse lines, you know. die in crash sounds like a punk song, i can’t exactly describe it, the sologuitar tone from it sounds like oldschool ministry by which i mean of course supernaut cover. someone asked about the synths - the drums are all synthetic and programmed; as for the synths they are in there a bit but not like lorah/mind, more like in the song “world” or better yet like the intro to no w redux from rantology, these fucking annoying "aah ooh aah ooh"s… just like that.
but the riffs, god fucking damn it, they sound all the same and just like whole rio grande album. the burton vocals on end of days are nothing special. the end of days part two is super-annoying, just as was “revcolution medley”. in short about the whole lp: loud guitars yes, fast drums here and there yes, sounds like previous record yes, bad lyrics yes, bad album cover yes, mrsjay’s quote “the fans of the old stuff will love it” no.
wouldn’t it be nice if instead of putting three samey anti-bush albums al would instead make just one in, say, 2005 which would have the strongest tracks from all three and call it quits?
Well, I haven’t heard the album yet but if the Piss Army forum is anything to go by you’d think it was the single most important world event in history since Jesus decided to throw a farewell party.
“Awesome dude…this is awesome…”
“So heavy…so gnarly…”
“Whoah, this kicks some ASS…!”
yes, even something like “the best and hardest ministry album ever”.
Hello everyone…
Not sure if anyone remembers me but I’ve been an active poster/lurker on this board off and on over the past several years.
Not being a fan of the direction Ministry has taken musically in the most recent years I decided to lay off from posting as to not contribute negativity towards this board, hence my absence.
Unfortunately hearing the abomination that is “the last sucker” has brought me back to this board to vent my thoughts and feelings…
Oh dear lord I wish I had a hard copy of this CD so I could have the satisfaction of throwing it out the window against a brick wall!!!
It’s truly that bad folks, this stinking pile makes HOTM and RGB sound like masterpieces by comparison! Bad lyrics, cheesy guitars, disastrous attempts at adding electronic beats and keyboards, predictable voice samples, lazy production. Cliche is the word that sticks out the most in my mind. If Weird Al or Mad Magazine were to parody Ministry this would be what it would sound like.
I really can’t express how sad I am now that it had to end this way… Makes me thing of the classic timeless logic implied in the chorus of Kenny Roger’s classic “The Gambler”.
Sigh. [:|]
Well, they’re not exactly a difficult bunch to please over there. A bunch of yes men. A bunch of ass kissers. Throw 'em a bone, any old bone, and watch them salivate.
All Al has to do is open his mouth and there’s a veritable round of applause from the Piss Army clones.
Well, they’re not exactly a difficult bunch to please over there. A bunch of yes men. A bunch of ass kissers. Throw 'em a bone, any old bone, and watch them salivate.
All Al has to do is open his mouth and there’s a veritable round of applause from the Piss Army clones.
I agree with you 100% but come on! Such an easy target they make!
Some of them are just silly teenagers though and you can’t fault them, “the last sucker” seems to fit the mentality and maturity level of a 14-16 year old teen in one of their little rebellious stages, don’t you think?
(To those of you who think I’m being condescending to the Piss Army kids I’m not, I’m being condescending towards the fetid crock that is TLS!)
someone asked about the synths - the drums are all synthetic and programmed; as for the synths they are in there a bit but not like lorah/mind, more like in the song “world” or better yet like the intro to no w redux from rantology, these fucking annoying "aah ooh aah ooh"s… just like that.
Oh no…
the burton vocals on end of days are nothing special.
But were they ever going to be? I mean, c’mon people, Fear Factory!?!? Even the name itself makes me cringe. It’s like the kind of thing a 15 year old would stencil on their schoolbag to look ‘tough’.
Sorry Fear Factory fans - no offence intended - but your band is just laughable.
bad album cover yes
Oh yeah, I hear ya.
mrsjay’s quote “the fans of the old stuff will love it” no.
The more I hear about Mrs Jay, the less impressed I am. As stubborn as he is, she seems for all the world to have no other purpose than to endlessly blow Al’s trumpet to anyone dumb enough to listen. She’ll swallow any old shit he spits out and gladly proclaim it as gospel. Is it just me or has Ministry gone downhill since the two hooked up? Ever since then Ministry seem to be catering, as someone else said, to the 14 - 16 yar old ‘rebellious youth’ demographic.
The Blink 182 of industrial metal? Is this what it’s all come down to. A mere cartoon parody of someone once so great.
wouldn’t it be nice if instead of putting three samey anti-bush albums al would instead make just one in, say, 2005 which would have the strongest tracks from all three and call it quits?
In a perfect world…yes.
haven’t heard it yet but man…it seems that Ministry’s last album is just as, or maybe even more embarassing than his first…and that’s the album he’s embarassed about!!
I had posted this last night, but pulled it for some paranoid reason or other. Now I see that it’s being reviewed on Piss Army, so I guess it’s not a big deal…shit gets leaked, and people are gonna hear it.
In my opinion, it’s not as bad as some will say. I think it has a leg up on RGB, because it’s less anti-Bush on the surface (less Bush soundbytes, lyrics not in-your-face), and the programmed drums are a positive (though a little insane at times). Anyway, here’s my track-by-track, after two listens last night:
Keep in mind, I’m being as objective as possible…
Let’s Go
Like most…if not all of Minstry’s albums, TLS starts strong. The tempo is about the speed of I Prefer. Al’s vocals are like a screaming whisper, which masks the lyrics. No Bush samples in this one, and the bass and guitar melody is actually reminiscent to “The Land of Rape and Honey”, but faster (you won’t hear it right away, but the change is there). This song and the next are the two I’ll listen to the most.
Watch Yourself
Musically, my favorite song on the album. I like the drums on this one. Starts off with Thieves-like vox from Al and a building tempo, then goes into a mid-tempo metal rhythm of double-bassed drums, and some weird sample or percussion sound that repeats throughout (pretty cool). The chorus takes off flying with some grand chord changes (nothing new, but works for the song) and a double-timed tempo. Al sings low during the verses, then yells in the choruses. Very mechanized feel with the programmed percussion. Lyrics aren’t in your face, which is another bonus. Cool ending, too.
Life Is Good
Up-tempo, dark metal song. Speed-wise, probably Burning Inside-ish. The chorus is insane double-bass drums with some grunting minimal chord changes. This one hangs around E a lot, so there’s not a whole lot of character to this song. There is a cool droney synth/sample in the background between verses. Again, Al goes with the low Cookie Monster vox to disguise the lyrics. I just listened to this again and liked it better the second time. There were some samples, but I don’t think it was Bush (maybe). Doesn’t feel like an in-your-face Bush album so far.
The Dick Song
sigh I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by this one. Low, below-E chunky chords, lots of political samples, vocally, the beginning sounds a lot like Rio Grande Blood. The verses are sung like Hero (though the tempo is slower). It’s a moderately-uptempo rock beat with quarter-note hi-hats and 8th-note ride cymbals. The “Cheney’s got a gun” dialogue is sort of in the background, with a megaphone effect. This one chunks along for about six minutes with Cookie Monster yelling at Cheney. Ok, this actually isn’t the worst song on the album, but it’s far from the best.
The Last Sucker
Ok, who put the Priest album on?! Seriously, the guitars remind me of JP. Anyway, mid-tempo butt rock song, Al’s vocals are more upfront and dry, so the lyrics are right there, unfortunately! The chorus is hard to explain, it’s just a chunky mess of hammer-ons, drum fills, and Al growling. I like that the guitar solos are somewhat in the background, but the choruses are too disposable to make this song worth repeated listens. Unless you’re in the mood for some Megadeth-does-Priest! C is for COOKIE!
No Glory
The beginning initially made me think of “Step”, but on the second listen, not so much. Samples of “greed”, “power”, and “corruption” are present throughout. Musically, fast like Diety, and the guitar changes at times are reminiscent of “Wrong” and maybe something off of RGB. This tune should have been sequenced as track 3. It has the dark overtones of the first two songs, and would fit well after “Watch Yourself”. I kinda like this song, the drum programming keeps this from sounding like just another noisy thrashfest (there is a cleaner overall mix on much of the album, reminiscent to Houses’ mix).
Death and Destruction
Uh, oh, Bush samples! I hate that fucker. The samples highlight his stupidity with lots of “uhhh” and “uhmm”, which is sort of funny. The very beginning reminded me of the KJ song “Hosannas…” (not after repeated listens). This song takes off in a hurry, and is the fastest on the album. Lots of open hi-hats and short crash cymbals, and some rides…but keep in mind that they’re sampled percussion, so the mix is easy on the ears. I would like to see a real drummer play this one live, seriously. Freaking fast. Some unfortunate lyrics, and Bush rears his sampled head throughout, but I like the balls-to-the-wall speedfest tempo. Chord changes are minimal. Clocks in at 3-1/2 minutes, so it’s over seemingly quick.
Roadhouse Blues
Oh, boy…time for the Doors cover! This really should’ve been saved for some sort of heavy metal Doors tribute album. It’s double-bass drums almost the entire song, and is fast like “Warp City”. At least it’s not a slow-grinder like “Lay Lady Lay” (which I never really liked), but this song is just too familiar to enjoy as a Ministry song. It’s straight-up Ministry-does-Doors super fast. Harmonica comes in in the second half of the song. This might be a good one to play if you want to shake the speakers for a few minutes. Cool change-up in the middle of the song is the best part.
Die In A Crash
I’m trying to make heads or tails of this song. It’s so out of place on this album. I don’t know if I like it or hate it. Upbeat punk rock tempo with some weird vocals, and guitars that sound like Tones On Tail during the verses. The vox during the verses remind me of “Test” for some odd reason, though the guy’s not rapping. The chorus is a big, grandiose change-up with what sounds like church bells or synth bells (might be horns, after listening again). This sounds like it could’ve come from one of three different eras: the late 70’s, the Mind era (sort-of a “Never Believe” tempo, but faster), or the Cocked and Loaded sessions. It’s that different/weird. I think it’s more good than bad, because it’s so different from the typical speed-metal fest that’s taken over this album and RGB. Someone on this forum is going to love this song, and someone else is going to hate it with a passion. I think it’s good, and it feels like a grower. It’s certainly the ‘brightest’ song on the album. Very interesting.
End Of Days (Parts I and II)
These can be reviewed together, as it’s basically one big song. Part I starts off similar to “Scarecrow”, and maintains a slow, pounding rhythm throughout. The guitars are heavier on this part, and the vox are standard Al and (the other guy?), with some weird harmonizing vocals (fx?) during the chorus. It’s a trudging heavy metal song, basially, complete with guitar solo. Doesn’t do much for me, personally. Part II changes a bit musically (same tempo), and is more instrumental, with what sounds like a girls/boys choir singing “It’s just the end of days”. I like the dissonant high-end guitars. Don’t care at all for the low, story-telling style lyrics, and Al chanting “It’s just the end of days”. The bass slowly climbs as the melody repeats in a short loop through the whole 10 minutes. There’s a long tv/radio soundbyte about the ‘welfare of the nation’ in the second half. Sounds like an old clip from the 50’s or 60’s, but that might just be the fx. I notice the gawky snare drum is not too unlike the snare drum from Tears For Fears’ “Shout” (I’m sure it’s not the exact one, but it’s similar). I don’t like the children’s choir, a little cheesy (sort of like he’s going for the big ending to Ministry’s career). The instruments just come to an eventual stop. Someone says something at the very end, but it’s hard to make out (might be Al or someone talking). End of Album.
The Good: There are songs to like on this album. I think that “Let’s Go” and “Watch Yourself” are the highlights. I like that all the drums (to my knowledge) are programmed. It returns that sort-of controlled, mechanized feel to Ministry’s sound. There’s a lot more low end on this album (better mix on the bass), except for “Die In A Crash”, probably because of the fx on the bass. This album feels less anti-Bush than RGB. He’s scaled back on the Bush samples, and there are a few samples that come from unfamiliar sources, which I find to be a good thing. There are a couple of songs that could grow on me with time, but there are a couple that might become skippers (the Doors cover, End of Days). There are moments where the guitars aren’t always in-your-face, and reminiscent of the guitars on Animositisomina (here and there, can’t put a finger on one particular song). I littered my reviews with references to several old songs, but don’t be mislead, it’s not a return to old, those songs just made for good examples. The last positive I can think of, is this album is better than I expected, and just may be better than RGB (time will tell). I need to listen to RGB again, to be honest. I’m just glad there isn’t another “Gangreen” on here.
The Bad: Lyrics first and foremost. Fortunately, they are disguised or indistinguishable for half the album, but when they’re in the front of the mix, they really knock the songs down a tier or two. Some of the lyrics sound like re-hased RGB/Houses lyrics - same metre, vocal styles, etc. The Cookie Monster vox always bore me, and sometimes seem silly (maybe it’s my age). The Doors cover - too popular a song, and that’s what bothers me the most. A more obscure tune might be more appreciated. Actually, one more ORIGINAL Ministry song would’ve been nice, seeing that this is the end of the road, but it’s not the first time a cover showed up, so whatever. Tribute album-level material with that one. Die In A Crash seems to be winning me over, but it’s so out of place on this album. Don’t know where else he could’ve put this one. It would’ve worked better on Animositisomina, right after “Light”, I guess. My biggest disappointment comes at the end. I was hoping for some sort of big, noisy ending…the musical equivalent of a July 4th finale. Something along the lines of Corrosion-meets-Where-You-At-Now-in-Hell.Wishful thinking, but if “End Of Days” are truly the last notes Ministry plays, then it is far from a memorable outro. They should’ve just put Worm and Leper on again! Hey, why not…no rules!
Quck final thoughts: potentially better than RGB…RGB fans will love it…I need more time with a few of the songs, a lot of same-old-same-old, but then a couple of interesting change-ups. On a scale of 1-10, if RGB is a 5, then this is a 6. Top 3 at the moment: Watch Yourself, Let’s Go, No Glory. Bottom 3 at the moment: The Last Sucker, The Dick Song, End of Days.
1002
After two listens, TLS is more listenable than RGB. Watch Yourself is a favorite of mine so far and Roadhouse Blues is my least favorite. More to come…
Well… I do like it, although that is no big surprise considering I always enjoyed the metallic/thumping side of Ministry a lot. Its much less thrash metal than RGB and like 1002 said, the drums make it sound mechanical and industrial - not a bad thing. The tempos tend to be slower than RGB, with the band often focusing on grooves, rather than speedfests.
Yeah, the lyrics are atrocious but I always found it easy to ignore bad lyrics if I need to, so its not a huge turnoff for me.
In the end, I would say Last Sucker is a pretty decent collection of unusual metal songs, putting Ministry in the same category as other unorthodox metal mongers, such as Meshuggah or Neurosis and Isis (yeah, those bands all sound different but I actually noticed some similarities to their styles on this album - End Of Days II is definitely similar to any given Isis song).
I need to listen to this album more to make a more informed statement about it.
I’m more of a lurker here and only recently signed up, but I’ll throw in my 2 cents.
First off, I don’t get the bashing of HOTM. That album was a little bland to me at first but over time, and especially after hearing RGB, that album really sticks out to me and may be the last truly great Ministry album. Every song on there is distinguishable and more memorable overall.
I think RGB is okay, but very weak for a Ministry album. At first I loved it, but I dislike it more over time as there is too many boring songs on there for the 5 or so I like. I really like Khyber Pass though.
Overall I think this album is better than RGB. It’s a little more atmospheric and ambient with the background sound effects throughout the songs, which is a good thing and helps it from being a RGB rehash.
Only listened to it twice so far, so these are kind of first impressions.
Ministry albums to me are known to have strong openers. Lets Go is pretty good but I don’t know if it can hold with songs like Stigmata or Supermanic Soul, so it’s not as good as most Ministry openers. Overall it sets the tone of the album slower and more thought out than RGB though.
I really liked Watch Yourself on second listen. Stands out as one of the best on the album.
The Dick Song. I’m guessing most of you will hate this one. On first listen I was really frustrated by it, it’s almost an exact clone of Lies Lies Lies but not as good. Exact same formula and riffs. But then the samples come in the middle of the song and are kind of funny. I find myself drawn in by the end and not hating it as much.
I dig The Last Sucker. The riff sounds similar to Exodus’ And Then There Were None. Kind of slower more classical metal feel to this song. I like how the chorus subtly plays on it being the last album. After watching that youtube PSA with the samples from this song so many times I found it to sound kickass when he kicks in with the last sucker vocal part. Nice speed change.
Roadhouse Blues cover is almost dissapointing. I’m a huge fan of Filth Pig so I was hoping this would be softer and slower like Lay Lady Lay, but it’s all fast and typical Ministry. Its decent but had so much more potential. I think the main dissapointing part is Al’s harmonica use, it doesn’t last nearly as long as it should! I love the other two ministry songs with the harmonica and live versions even more, so I was psyched to hear this for its return for the final time but it was just a short harmonica solo and then repeats in the background. I could really go for a long harmonica session here ala Worm. I wish Al would have done this song acoustic style and just went balls out on the harmonica.
Like tenohtwo said, Die In A Crash stands out as weird and out of place, which I like. Something about it is just odd, in a cool unpredictable type way. I’m drawn to this type of stuff so it has a nice place on the album for me.
Upon looking at the tracklisting and times for this album, I had high expectations for End of Days part II. It’s at least on the same bill of what I was expecting, a slower long bass-driven song. I’ll have to listen to it a few more times, but I like it overall. It FEELS like the end of something and does a good job at conjuring that. The long speech is pretty cool but might wreck repeated listens, not sure yet. I like it but I think Khyber Pass was a cooler ending.
The album as a whole has more samples than RGB so that’s a plus, and it’s not just a bunch of Bush samples either. So far I think it stands in the middle of the triology, beating out RGB. I think it will only get better with repeated listens. Just don’t go into the album expecting a new epic experiment like Filth Pig. Wish there were a couple slow heavy songs though, and about 5 more minutes of harmonica.
Looks like the TLS thread on Piss Army was removed…
1002
This latest album is for younger/newer fans. (i.e. - this grunting shit has got to go.) When I hear that shit I always imagine some blonde haired kid with a crew cut, who loves wrestling, cranking it up on his jam box that sits on top of his dresser. Mouthing the words into his mirror watching himself sing as he holds up hand signals.
But I digress… back to my opinion. Its not for the “old-schoolers”. Its stands up on its own - but in relation to all the work that has his name on, it isn’t what I’d hoped for.
_s
I’ve only listened to it once so far so i don’t really know which songs go with which titles but as a whole review upon my first (and Only listening) I’d say tenotwo was pretty accurate. I remember hearing one song that was so punk-ish I was like WTF??? although as I’ve already said before I THink death and destruction is probably the best song on their at the moment even though teh vocals sound very BS+Q (YOU WANT IT? YOU NEED It!! STICK A BOTTLE UP YOUR ASS or whatever the lyrics are!)! but Agree with all of the posters that wrote Road house sounds like JBMH, and the dick song sounds like Lieslieslies. TLS song sounds very Megadeth-ish well until the chorus
Late,
grmpysmrf
The last Sucker song is just awfull… I hear the Megadethish riff… it’s just so… so… I don’t know… the verse is just torture for me, as well as the solo.
I don’t know who made a link between No glory and HOTM, but it should be the reason I dislike the song for now
Songs I like from The Last Sucker:
Die In A Crash
Besides the WTF factor of having a punk tune on an album that is otherwise very much metal, I really like that they made Burton sing in a style that is completely different than what he does in Fear Factory.
Death And Destruction
Another weird song, starts like something from LORAH/Mind era and later becomes somewhat similar to KMFDM (speed metal riffs over a danceable beat). Catchy as hell.
No Glory
This might be the most derivative metal song on the album, using super-fast percussion etc; however, it also happens that it does what it does really well… The drum machine makes this song sound really mechanical and menacing.
End Of Days II
So yeah, the spoken-word part is somewhat annoying but I simply cant get that looped guitar melody out of my mind. Reminds me of Isis.
Watch Yourself
Has the same weird bell sample as Fear Factory’s “Body Hammer” but uses it much better. I can definitely see ferocious mosh pits forming to this tune.
Let’s Go
Good opener in that it sets the pace for the whole record - not too fast and not very catchy, but full of grooves and general heaviness.
So-so tracks:
Life Is Good
Not a bad song per say but seems somewhat uninspired. The beat is definitely industrial and not metal, which is a nice thing. I’d say this is a pretty old school song played in a modern way.
Roadhouse Blues
As many people said, this is not really a very innovative cover of the Doors’ song, simply using Ministry cliches to play the original. Im not a Doors fan so this doesnt help matters either.
End Of Days I
To met his is just an overlong intro to the great second part. Should have been 2 minutes shorter and fused with part 2.
Songs I dont like:
The Dick Song
Besides the juvenile lyrics, its also annoying that the track once again reuses the vocal melody from NWO and LiesLiesLies and has a riff that is particularly similar to the latter.
The Last Sucker
Indeed, this is basically a traditional heavy/thrash metal song and with pretty atrocious lyrics. I find the verses to be simply too monotonous (and they dont have any interesting samples or production tricks to cover up the monotony) but the chorus is fine. Still, a sub-par song.
Well, they’re not exactly a difficult bunch to please over there. A bunch of yes men. A bunch of ass kissers. Throw 'em a bone, any old bone, and watch them salivate.
All Al has to do is open his mouth and there’s a veritable round of applause from the Piss Army clones.
if you hate the PA so much, than why even bother looking? so you have more ammo to bitch about? please. get over it.
there are going to be people who love and hate every single fucking record that comes out. the fact that every time the PA is mentioned on here in a derogatory manner is childish and makes me think i’m in high school again. opinions differ. message boards differ. to my knowledge, prongs comes up rarely if ever on the PA, and i swear that you’d be hard pressed to find someone bashing it as “a place for crotchety old timers who do nothing but piss and moan about how al should release TWITCH for the 11th time…”
it’s usually only brought up when someone needs some facts, discog info, song of the week, etc.
i am not usually one to rise to the evils of “teh intarwebs” or “flamebating” but i always liked/respected your posts because you always backed your shit up with coherent and mostly thought provoking arguments. however, i find you constant belittling of the PA and elitist attitude annoying and immature. just leave the fanboys alone, their not harming anyone by liking/disliking the new record.
for fucks sake.
EDIT
oh yeah, the roadhouse blues cover is actually pretty damn good. and die in a crash doesn’t sound like any of the recent ministry at all.
Alrighty here’s my track by track review for whatever it’s worth…
Let’s Go - One of my favorite tracks on the album. Yes it indeed does have many of the cliché Ministry elements I’ve come to loathe but overall it’s a fun catchy song. One of my favorite aspects of the song is that the vocals are very distorted which means I tended not to notice the cheesy lyrics as much.
Watch Yourself - This one is starting to grow on me. Has some cool electronic elements that are certainly not groundbreaking, but kind of fun. The lyrics seem to kind of resonate a post-cold war paranoid mentality that aren’t just spouting the “bush is evil” mantra that so many of us have grown so tired of.
Life is Good - Reminds me of the Revco song “something wonderful” that’s been castrated and infused with lazy political commentary. In fact everything about this song just reeks of laziness, from the samples to the guitar to the vocals, it just lacks balls IMHO.
The Dick Song - Sounds like another lazy mish-mash of any given post Psalm 69 Ministry song with guttural vocals and crunchy guitars. Chorus sounds virtually identical to “lies lies lies” as others have pointed out. Boring and predictable.
the Last Sucker - First thing I noticed was that it contains a riff that sounds virtually identical to Pantera’s “Fucking Hostile” as heard on the opening song to the original headbangers ball (God I’m old!). Again boring and predictable and totally lacks balls.
No Glory - Kind of sounds like one of the TV songs except not as creative and with a horribly cheesy chorus and more political drivel. Another weak effort.
Death and Destruction - I LOVE the beginning! Despite having the Bush Samples the production kind of reminds me of twitch. The Bush samples are actually kind of fun on this one. After the beginning though it quickly digresses into a weaker version of “Hero” with even more of the cliché anti-Bush lyrics we’ve come to expect. The verse lyrics really bring this song down but sonically this is one of the best tracks on the album.
Roadhouse Blues - Absolute total filler SHITE. From the cringe inducing juvenile metal stoner intro to end this song is utterly shameful. It sounds like a cross between “roadhouse blues” and an emasculated "Jesus built…"I really didn’t like “lay lady lay” when it first came out but it is genius compared to this and at least offered a fresh interesting take on the song. Seriously one of the worst cover songs ever and I don’t even like the original.
Die in a Crash - You know I can’t quite make up my mind about this one. I really like the bassline (reminds me of Paul and P.I.L.) and the vocals are a kind of Twitch Ministry meets thrash Ministry meets melodic punk chanting. I guess I’ll need a few more spins on this one before I make up my mind but perhaps that is a testament that at least this song is daring in that it’s not half as formulaic as anything else on the album and that Al was perhaps really taking a chance when he put this out. This one has the potential to grow on me for sure…
End of days 1 - The song isn’t THAT horrible (except for maybe the vocals and the lyrics) but it isn’t great either. With a title like “end of days” you kind of expect something very apocalyptic sounding like “grace” or “corrosion” which this doesn’t to me. Meh, pretty boring.
End of Days 2 - Bwah ha ha! The verse of this song totally reminds me of the verse of “blood sugar sex magick” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. That is kind of laughable and then comes in this children’s chorus that sounds like it would be cool in concept but doesn’t really seem to work. The song ends with a monologue sample that I can’t seem to listen all the way through, but it seems to say something in the vein of “eternal peace requires eternal vigilance in a democratic society” sorta deal. I guess this is a good thing for the 14-18 year old crowd to hear and think about, but in terms of song composition it is rather trite and boring to all us old fart Ministry fans.
So there you go, I guess it the album wasn’t AS bad as I initially thought and I tried to point out some of the positive aspects. I think the horror of my initial review was partially knowing that it is the last Ministry album, and I was especially hoping to hear some brutal apocalyptic sounding carnage that was a little more creative than the thrash sound Al’s been cranking out. I’m disappointed I’ve had to use so many adjectives like boring, cliché, immature etc to describe what once was one of the most innovative bands out there.
but oh well… I wish Al well and hope to god he does indeed put Ministry to bed before it further digresses…
Over and out…
=pw=