Psalm 69 by Ministry

 

 

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I'm a recently converted Ministry fan. I got Houses of the Mole a few weeks ago, and ever since then, I couldn't wait to get another Ministry record. So this is what I got.
I'm glad I did buy this because it rocks. Every song rocks. It's something I can listen to from start to finish. Here are some of my favorite parts:

"Just One Fix"-- I like the sample they used: "never trust a junkie". It sort of reminds me of Courtney Love.

"TV II"--- It's 2nd most intense song on the record. "CONNECT THE GOD DAMN DOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Corrosion"--The most intense song on the record. It's like hardcore techno. Atari Teenage Riot stuff. That's the only way I can describe it.

And of course "Jesus Built My Hotrod" is great. Makes you feel like going for a drive.

I think the weakest track would be "Scarecrow", it's an okay song that goes on too long. But it still rocks better than a lot of stuff on the radio.

If you aren't sure whether you want to buy this record or not, then you have to ask your self, "What would Jesus do?"

I'm sorry but I have to dissagree with all hype surroundind this album. It's definately a let down from their previous two. Don't get me wrong, half of the songs on here are very good, but there are some songs on here that just sound like repetttttative noise. TVII makes me reach for the fast forward button faster than a starving Nigerian reaches for a sandwich. Not to mention the ridiculous "Jesus built my hotrod", which definately does not show the sinister edge that most of their songs,(especially the earlier ones)did so well. This album proves that the worst thing that can happen to a band is become mainstream. I do like the first track, N.W.O. and "Just One Fix",which is repetative, but in a good way. "Scarecrow", probably being my favorite. But, as far as the rest of the songs, I could probably do without. The classic "Land of Rape and Honey" is still their best, even after all these years.

Released in 1992, just as the 1980's thrash metal scene was winding down, "Psalm 69" is a bridge-building album whose importance in shaping the history of extremity shouldn't be underestimated. While bands like Meshuggah, Pig Destroyer, and Burnt by the Sun continue redefining what it means to be extreme, Ministry's industrial thrash sound still holds up extremely well as an example of sonic carnage in its most malevolent form. Indeed, many of the songs on "Psalm 69" see Ministry expanding on traditional metal sounds to take heavy music into increasingly more visceral and nihilistic territory. The guitars don't play riffs so much as churn out strangulated chunks of distortion, and they're backed by drum patterns heavy enough to scramble brains. Practically making the likes of James Hetfield and Tom Araya sound like lounge singers, Al Jorgensen's abrasive vocals foreshadowed the ever-harsher intonations that would grace the metal genre in the '90's (and beyond). But perhaps most importantly, the band's obvious destructive intentions are tempered by some of the most wildly infectious grooves in heavy-music history. Yes, there's a lot of madness and mayhem to be found here, but weirdly enough there's a lot of fun as well, an element that's sadly missing in the nu-metal scene that has filled the airwaves over the past several years. Sometimes, the album even manages to be a bit danceable. The powerhouse opener "New World Order" is literally alarming, as the sound of sirens going off and George Bush's predictions of a new order provide the backdrop for the song's astringent guitar work and disgruntled vocals. "TV II" was grindcore before it had a name, with high-speed flurries of instrumental fury alternating with Jorgensen's angry proclamations. After a brief and rather cryptic intro, the surprisingly lighthearted "Jesus Built My Hotrod" takes off at a breakneck tempo, guest vocalist Gibby Haynes spitting out gibberish over a beat that will have you banging your head until your neck is stiff. The title track is a rather disturbing mood piece that effectively mixes religious imagery, eerie atmospherics, and a few well-placed moments of hard-hitting aggression. "Corrosion" could work very well as the soundtrack to a nightmare, layering Al's heavily distorted vocals over rhythms so thunderous they could make a house shake. Closing things out is the ominous "Grace," a three-minute piece of ambience that is much more subdued than most of the album but still manages to be genuinely creepy, due in no small part to the intimations of Armageddon that are sprinkled throughout. You can still hear the influence of Ministry in some of the bands that have come after them: think White Zombie, Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory, Static-X. But you should never forget that Ministry were doing it first, loudest, and quite possibly best.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Industrial-metal at it's best
Psalm 69 was the first Ministry album I ever bought, and it's a great album to start out with. After listening to it, I was so amazed by the muscicianship by these guys, they sure... Read more

Published on Jun 28 2004 by Jeremy Brackeen

4.0 out of 5 stars And suddenly I was in love with the world
This is quite possibly the essential Ministry record. Mainly because Jesus Built My Hotrod is on it. But this is grinding, powerful and mechanic. Read more

Published on Mar 15 2004 by filterite

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the Pillars of Early Nineties Metal
My title says it all! This album is the peak of Ministry, it's dark, disturbed, and intense. If you want to know THE songs to know, they're NWO, Just One Fix, Hero, Jesus Built... Read more

Published on Mar 11 2004 by Davey

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential industrial-metal record
This album got me acquainted to Ministry and to the vast realm of industrial music. I got it from a friend of mine, the one that I least expected to be tinkering with such violent... Read more

Published on Feb 12 2004 by Ilya Malafeyev

4.0 out of 5 stars 2 Things Should Have Been Fixed
I noticed a moajority of these tracks were quite repetetive. The first track being 3 minutes of the pure same beat. It's a good beat. Read more

Published on Dec 29 2003 by Gun-Ryo

5.0 out of 5 stars MINISTRY'S BEST ALBUM EVER
.......just go buy it and you can thank me later, deal??

Published on Oct 30 2003 by Matt

5.0 out of 5 stars Industrial Thrash Done Right
Ministry's most commercially popular album "Psalm 69" is a classic Industrial Thrash record and this is one of the strangest yet coolest(not cool as in the trend) albums... Read more

Published on Oct 22 2003 by Diluted Acid

5.0 out of 5 stars madness...
ok, this CD is pure chaos. when you play this CD at full blast, it comes to life. this album spawned ministrys biggest hit single "jesus built my hot rod". Read more

Published on Oct 4 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Ministry at their most brutal and best
Darker, edgier, and more accessible than their previous "The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste"; Ministry found themselves at their peak with "Psalm 69"... Read more

Published on Sep 10 2003 by N. Durham

5.0 out of 5 stars A heavy metal masterpiece
Psalm 69 is the summation of almost every major theme in heavy metal for the last 20 years. Ministry took speed metal and mechanized it, giving it a permanent edge. Read more

Published on Sep 6 2003 by SPM

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