Relapse

Ministry | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 26, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: AFM Records
• ASIN: B006UISVBQ
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,482 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Deep in the heart of Hell Paso, Texas, Ministry s Al Jourgensen re-opened the doors of his industrial compound studio in Fall 2011 and invited his favorite co-conspirators, Mike Scaccia (Rigor Mortis), Tony Campos (Static X), Tommy Victor (Prong) and Casey Orr (Rigor Mortis/Gwar) to climb on board the Ministry pirate ship and de-construct and re-construct Jourgensen s monsterpiece, Relapse. Thirty years and 12 albums later, as well as a near-death experience in 2010, Jourgensen rises as a phoenix from the ashes with Relapse - still angry, still political and very, very pizzed off.

Relapsing back into the music industry after a four-year hiatus, Jourgensen launches his audio assault with Ghouldiggers, a no-holds-barred Metal bullet aimed directly at the pitfalls of the industry he has survived. Everything Jourgensen predicted on Houses of the Molé, Rio Grande Blood and The Last Sucker has transpired and as we approach the Mayan calendar of the End of Days in 2012, Jourgensen, re-invigorated by the global 99 Percenters and Occupy Wall Street movement, navigates through Relapse once again as a reluctant prophet accusing, dissecting, cajoling and exhorting greed, corruption and lies. Reaching back to his Punk roots, Jourgensen and his Ministry pirates cover S.O.D s United Forces a track written 20 years ago still relevant today as a call to arms for the unrighteous and to those who feel disenfranchised by the system as it stands today.

Sited as the driving force behind a cross-section of Metal genres, from Industrial to Thrash and Nu Metal and receiving six Grammy Nominations, Jourgensen returns with his greatest achievement to date with Relapse. Leave it to Jourgensen to make a comeback with a Relapse!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing...but not a total loss. March 31, 2012

By B. Harper

Format:Audio CD

It is always problematic to rate Ministry albums of late. To be more precise, let's just say every album since the release of 2003's Animositisomina. The underrated long player that was the last involving Al Jourgensen's partner in crime, Paul Barker, before he reached his limit with Uncle Al and left. Barker joined Jourgensen in the mid 80's and was integral in co-creating the band's best and most defining work including The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste and the vastly influential, Psalm 69 from 1992. Guitarists Mike Scaccia and Tommy Victor remain the only consistent members alongside Al since the split with the void filled by a handful of session and tour musicians that varies from almost album to album. Four long players have been put out without Barker and in his contributing absence, the first three ranged from average (The Last Sucker) to good (Houses of the Mole), but essentially inconsistent and certainly don't reach the heights of the legacy that Jourgensen and Barker shaped and are now forever judged against by long-time fans. Unfortunately, but perhaps not surprisingly, Relapse is no different.

All these albums - including Relapse - have redeeming features and some great songs, and Houses of the Mole even had fans handing the band "return to form" status, but primarily, without Barker's input, there is no denying the change in Ministry's sound and while Al has successfully reeled in a new core fan base with these releases (namely young metal fans), he's alienated his older ones to a degree by moving away from what made the band unique. Long-time fans (myself since 1994), will always be very critical, but then you generally are towards things you love. I understand Al is older now, sober and change is inevitable but to not acknowledge that since Barker left, Ministry became a much more `metal' orientated band as opposed to an `industrial' band with metal elements is naivety. The news is that while Relapse is not any better than the previous three discs, there are moments, just as in The Last Sucker, that suggest Al is shifting back and allowing some more industrial elements back into his songs. But let's not go too overboard either; nothing Al has done in the last ten years or in the future will ever match the band's heyday.

Opening tracks have tended to become somewhat of an instant classic in the past for the band; think `Stigmata', `Thieves', `N.W.O' or even `Reload'. First off the bat here however, is the intriguing, `Ghouldiggers', an obvious attack on ex-management as Al humorously inserts a spoken word diatribe and telephone exchange into the seven minute juggernaut. The chorus reminding everyone that, "I'm not dead, yet!" It's a chugging, catchy opener that may overstay its welcome a bit, but things start positively and it gives us some idea of what to expect. Or does it? `Double Tap', a clear companion to Rio Grande Blood's `Fear is Big Business' in style explodes with punishing drum work and a `TV Song' type stab chorus easily making it the heaviest tune on the disc. The unrelenting drum programming is one thing that is fairly constant all the way through Relapse with the guitars sounding slightly lower in the mix than other albums. The riffs are there though, and no matter what there is no mistaking that distinctive Ministry sound embodying each new release - even if they are starting to all blur into one singular vibe.

Jourgensen's humour is definitely on show for the first time in a while here at least and after a brief intro by him introducing us to new designer drug, "croak", `Freefall' bolts out of the gate like a runaway train, drawing comparisons to `Hero' with it's breakneck structure (no, really). Unfortunately, `Kleptocrypsy' follows and is the first indicator that maybe Relapse is more of an inspired flop than something special. A song that could have worked but the execution that includes an extremely flat melodic chorus doesn't deliver. A cover of Stormtroopers of Death's `United Forces' perks things back up and is one of the album highlights easily - which says a lot when one of your top three tracks is a cover. But I digress, and moving on, "99% Percenters" suffers a similar fate with its chorus, but does contain one of the more inspired verses and riffs of the album. By the mid section is when the record starts to feel a bit lazy. I had high hopes for the title track but it is actually just a bit of an oddity; and feels like half of it was left in the mixing desk. Even a decent toe tapping riff can't rightly save this minimal experiment as Al wails about "While I relapse...you laaaaugh". The shabby lyrics are possibly the most disappointing aspect of the record, especially when you consider what tracks like `Land of Rape and Honey' or `Burning Inside' consisted of. It is refreshing to hear Al get so personal like never before as he does here, but it also feels just so uncreative lyrically too often. Perhaps sobriety does that too you.

The remainder of the songs are decent pieces of filler but that is not really the issue. Long-time fans will probably not get much out of Relapse after the first few tracks/listens, but there will be many others where this is enough Ministry for their buck. It's only slightly more unsatisfying as it was the first record after Al hung up his spurs four years ago. Coming out of "retirement", I thought he might have something a little more memorable up his sleeve. But just like the "final" Ministry album, The Last Sucker, the key thing about Relapse is consistency, in that both albums don't really have it. The former to me was the better record, but when it comes down to it nowadays with this band, you just have to accept what you get. That Ministry "sound" I referred to is retained here of course, but they still remain a band with two discographies; pre and post Paul Barker. If you enjoyed the last three albums, Relapse should be worth picking up, and for everyone else, you can cling onto the tad bit of hope it offers in terms of Uncle Al's direction, but he's still a long shot off producing another classic befitting the legacy.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Hey...what did you expect? This ain't bad... March 28, 2012

By Nathan Grigos

Format:Audio CD

OK, so some of the lyrics are full of cheese. I know some of you long for the old days, but honestly, looking back there was plenty of cheese to find there too. Just because you are nostalgic about being younger and listening to Ministry doesn't mean you should count this new album out. Al has been through a lot of changes over time, but some things remain consistant. He has always had left leaning political views, a hard edge even when it was just new wave, and then there's the drugs. All of that remains true on this album. Quite frankly considering the drug use Al has survived it's a wonder he can do anything. He is the true warrior. Sure, it's a lot easier to have our favorite rockstars die young and pure to the original image. However, to survive a career such as Al has, and still have ambition to come up with something new: can't be easy. So take this for what it is. The production is great, the guitar solos shred, and it's Ministry!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I really like this album. March 26, 2012

By Concerned One

Format:Audio CD

I ordered this album directly from 13th Planet and recieved it three days ago (today is the day before the official US release date), so I have had plenty of time listen to this album several times and really digest it. I must say I really like this album. It has a healthy dose of political rehash like the last few albums (99 percenters and Double Tap (about Bin Laden) and get up get out n vote), but also has some self reflective elements to it (since Al's been doing music and drugs since the early 80's). The song Free Fall talks about his most recent battles with drugs and serious infections/complications from that, along with relapse being about his drug use. I really like the songs Double Tap (Ministry sound circa Psalm 69 era), Ghould Diggers, and Free Fall. As another reviewer said, in general the first five tracks are just blistering with energy. My absolute favorite track is the cover of United Forces originally done by S.O.D. It is just plain well done with a splash of MILK on the end. S.O.D. covered the Ministry songs Thieves and Stigmata on their "Live at Budakon" Album, so this is a nod back to S.O.D.

The version of the album I have is the Digipack version with Relapse (Defibrillator Mix) as a bonus 11th track, and I tunes is set to have a 11th track bonus of Bloodlust (Lust for Blood Remix). For serious collectors, the Japanese edition includes the Relapse (Defibrillator Mix) as well as the Double Tap (Dottkom & SY4E Trash Electro Remix)and Double Tap (Dottkom & SY4E Industrial Filth Remix), both available on the Double Tap single available as a download only in the US.
I really do like this album, and think most fans will not be dissapointed with it.