Ministry — Rio Grande Blood

It's no surprise that Ministry's Al Jourgensen getting his groove back directly coincided with George Bush Jr. going to war in Iraq. After all, George Sr. was the muse for Ministry's best record back in '92, the blistering Psalm 69. On Rio Grande Blood, however, Jourgensen's righteous anger is less than perfectly distilled. Coy songs like the boot camp send-up "Gangreen" would have been better left for joke side-project The Revolting Cocks. Even the best moment, "Assclown," is sullied by the presence of Jello Biafra. Sure, the high bpm industrio beats and relentless guitar attacks are still there, but the increasing mono-mania of Ministry's violent rock shares the same sad turf as late night conspiracy radio show hosts and apocalypse-obsessed street prophets.

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