Ministry - From Beer to Eternity

Ministry is one of those bands, I followed religiously, during the late 80's through the mid 90's, but for some reason, they fell off my radar.  I feel like they peaked on Psalm 69 and then after that, I became disinterested.  I checked things out, from time to time, but for some reason it didn't grasp me like the earlier material.  It wasn't until the release of their documentary Fix, a few years back, that my interest peaked again.  Fast forward a few years, and the band has just released their 13th studio album From Beer to Eternity.  Al Jorgensen, contends that this is the band's swansong, but this isn't the first time he has uttered those words.  He has been threatening to shut the band down, since 2011.  This may be it though, with the recent passing of guitarist Mike Scaccia.  The guitarist died shortly after the CD was recorded and was not only an integral part of the band, but also a very close friend of Jorgensen.

From Beer to Eternity may be the most complete Ministry CD, of their career.  It encompasses all that the band has been about, musically, into one solid release. There are also some surprises on the CD, like the reggae tinged Thanx but, No Thanx, which is classic Ministry with a island vibe to it.  I also dug the funky/soul inspired Lesson Unlearned.  There is a lot of variety on this CD, which kept me hooked throughout.  It has all of the heavy elements, of the band from the early 90's, with a couple of twists.  If this, indeed, ends up being the last Ministry album, at least they went out on a high note.

Bottom Line: Ministry sounding better that they have in years.  A solid album from start to finish.  Classic elements of Ministry mixed with some new ideas.  Essential for all Ministry fans.

Standout Tracks: Lesson Unlearned, Change of Luck, Punch in the Face and Change of Luck

- Ragman enjoyed this one much more than he initially thought he would and that is a good thing!