Ministry’s follow up album to 2018’s AmeriKKKant is Moral Hygiene, due to be released on October 1, 2021. The sophomoric release on Nuclear Blast records is Ministry’s 15th release is Ministry through and through. Easing us into this testimonial of life in Coronavirus times is the question, “How concerned are you?”. Both angry and profound, Al Jourgensen (with the help of Jello Biafra on “Sabotage is sex”) guides the listener through a pandemic retrospect of angst, fear and divisiveness that is reflective of the world today.
The first single off of Moral Hygiene was issued one year before the album release. “Alert level” echoes the fear and uncertainty of the looming pandemic and begs the question, how concerned are you? Alert Level features former NWA member Arabian Prince scratching on the turntables.
The second single, “Good Trouble” sums up the summer of 2020 with the utmost accuracy. Focusing on the Black Lives Matter protests, this song encapsulates the feelings of many of the American people and is sure to become an anthem to the anti-fascist movement.
The third single off of Moral Hygiene is “Search and Destroy”. Al performed this remake of the Iggy and the Stooges classic at the 2019 Above Ground benefit and later said he wasn’t happy with the performance. He then decided to record it to do it the justice it deserves. This version features Billy Morrison (Billy Idol, The Cult) on guitar and is a great tribute to the 1973 original.
Moral Hygiene is one of those albums that doesn’t have a bad track on it. Seriously, every single song stands on it’s own which makes the entire album a great listening experience. This album is destined to be one of the great Ministry albums of all time. In my opinion, this album ranks right up there with Psalm 69 as one of my favorites. The only thing that could have made my first listen though better, would have been blasting down the highway at mind shearing speeds while listening to it. This is an album that makes you want to get out there and do something. This undertaking solidifies Ministry’s well deserved dominance in the Industrial/metal genre, Truly, this is a soundtrack to an era and for that, I give this album a rating of 8/10.
Photos by Derick Smith
Ministry is:
Al Jourgensen – samplers, keyboards, harmonica, guitars, vocals, backing vocals
John Bechdel – keyboards
Cesar Soto – guitars
Paul D’Amour – bass
Roy Mayorga – drums
Moral Hygiene:
1.) Alert Level
2.) Good Trouble
3.) Sabotage is Sex
4.) Disinformation
5.) Search and Destroy
6.) Believe Me
7.) Broken System
8.) We Shall Resist
9.) Death Toll
10.) TV Song (Right Around The Corner Mix)
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Photographer of about 10 years, I have been shooting concerts for about 8 of those years. I started to get serious about concert photography about 6 or 7 years ago and now try to shoot as many as I can. I shoot mostly rock but, have done some country and big band stuff. I love music and since I am nowhere close to being a musician, this is a way I can be a small part of what, in the words of Henry Rollins, “gets me through the highs, the lows and everything in between”.
