Ministry: Chicago’s Most Popular and Most Controversial Industrial Band
Aside from popularizing industrial music in the United States, Ministry is also known for politically provocative and controversial music, videos, and album art.
History
The band was first formed in 1981 in Chicago, IL by Al Jourgensen. The original lineup consisted of Jourgensen, who, at the time, was responsible for all of the lead vocals, guitar, programming and production, along with Stephen George on drums, Robert Roberts on keyboards and background vocals and, finally, John Davis also on keyboards and vocals.
Ministry took advantage of the technological boom of the 1980s and fused it with edgy sounds characteristic of the dark wave era.
During the early years of the band, Ministry had created a unique fusion of catchy synth-pop, dark wave, and metal; catching the attention of music critics across the United States. The band introduced this new sound by releasing four 12" singles through Wax Track! Records in 1981 and their first LP “With Sympathy” in 1983 via Arista Records.
However, as time progressed, Ministry’s sound grew heavier, harsher, louder, and even more industrially stylized — the sound Ministry is credited for popularizing. The band gained a growing audience as they released album after album: Twitch in 1986, The Land of Rape and Honey in 1988 and The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste in 1989.
With time Ministry’s popularity grew and so did their adversaries.
Politics
As the band gained notoriety in the alternative music scene, Ministry took advantage of the fluid nature of industrial music and incorporated samples, archival footage, and politically charged lyrics to promote their own political stances.
Al Jourgensen and the rest of the band have long been outspoken about political and social issues in America through their music; however, with the recent election of Donald Trump, Ministry has become more driven than ever before to make a statement with their music.
You see, Al Jourgensen is angry, really angry about what’s going on in America — sexual abuse and the disrespect of women in our society, the waning respect for the U.S. Constitution, the growing acceptance of one’s opinions replacing facts, the decline of the our leaders’ sense of morals, ethics and personal responsibility to the country and to their constituents, and the mad man in the White House. Yeah, Al is angry, and that takes us straight to Ministry’s upcoming album AmeriKKKant.
Whether it be interviews, videos, or their new album AmeriKKKant, Al Jourgensen is determined to use the band’s popular platform to talk about his aversion to the Trump administration, racism, sexism and fascism going on in America.
Riot Fest 2017
Last September, I was walking across Douglas Park in the center of the West Side of Chicago on my way to take a break from the hot sun and let my legs rest from standing all morning.
I walked past the two main stages and was stopped in my tracks by the sound of Donald Trump. I looked over to my left and saw President Trump’s face plastered on the glitching screen. It was like a seen straight out of the Hunger Games.
I stopped for a bit intrigued as the heavy guitar riffs interrupted Trump’s warped speech. The band marched out and started playing this dark anthem. I was confused at first as people in all black, faces covered with black masks, marched across the stage waving black and red flags.
The crowed started chanting along: “We are the ANTIFA”.
ANTIFA
Ministry has always had deep ties to the anarchy movement; however, in their most recent album, AmeriKKKant, Ministry made statement about their ties to ANTIFA.
When I saw Ministry at Riot Fest, I had no idea what ANTIFA was or what it meant.
Antifa is short for anti-fascists. The term is used to define a broad group of people whose political beliefs lean toward the left — often the far left — but do not conform with the Democratic Party platform. The group doesn’t have an official leader or headquarters, although groups in certain states hold regular meetings.
Upon research, I discovered that ANTIFA is an anti-facists group that has a stereotype for being ‘violent’ and ‘destructive’. However, the group also aims to protect oppressed groups from police brutality at protests and extreme right-winged groups (i.e. white supremacists, the KKK and Nazis) that often become hostile and violent at protests.
Many people who are involved in ANTIFA hide their identities as protection from police and dangerous right-winged extremists.
Ministry, on the other hand, made a point to make their associations to ANTIFA known. The all black uniform and masks also act as a form of shock rhetoric. Ministry placed people on stage in the ANTIFA uniform to make a statement and to draw attention to their anti-fascists messages.
Additionally, the blatant political messages in the new AmeriKKKant album address the band’s opposition to the Trump administration as well as his accusations of ANTIFA being a terrorist organization.
In the song “Twilight Zone” from the AmeriKKKant album, the band includes samples and archival footage of Trump’s campaigns to express the disassociation, confusion, sense of division and anger many American’s felt after the recent election.
The outspoken and uncensored band, has a credible musical influence on the history of protest music and an extensive discography collection.
It has been thirty years since Ministry was born and it does not appear that ‘Uncle Al’ will quiet down any time soon.
Connect with Ministry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreMinistry
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weareministry/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6fUVAHqV7lpvK9L4PB4yw
