Ministry

Rio Grande Blood

[4/5] Though he’s been at it for 25 years and admittedly had a few dry spells, somehow Ministry czar Al Jourgensen manages to keep coming up with new ways to molest guitars and tape loops, and Rio Grande Blood finds Jourgensen & Co. sounding even more creatively amped and full of piss and vinegar than 2004’s critically lauded Houses Of The Molé. In fact, this may be Ministry’s most inspired work since 1992’s Psalm 69. Continuing the theme he began on Houses, Uncle Al continues his trenchant indictment of the imbroglio surrounding President Bush’s domestic and international policies, underpinning it with breakneck machine-gun beats and lashing guitars (including full-on solos!) that sound more like something off of Slayer’s 1986 opus Reign In Blood than Ministry’s typical chunky industrial fare. Considering Jourgensen’s obvious vilification of all things right-wing, we’re beginning to wonder if Jesus really built his hotrod.
(13TH PLANET/MEGAFORE) Casey Lynch