ALBUM REVIEW: AmeriKKKant – Ministry

Heavy music has always come across as being a perfect pairing for politically-conscious statement and critique, with bands like MEGADETH finding catharsis in taking the world to task over a variety of subjects. The latest act to once again tackle such societal issues are industrial metal band MINISTRY, who, on their 14th studio album, are set to take aim at the age of fake news and the ever-more turbulent political climate of their native USA in a timely statement of disillusionment and anger.

Opener I Know Words sets out the band’s direction in a fairly interesting manner, with filmic string arrangements and distorted vocal samples of Donald Trump calling to mind some kind of dystopian nightmare, as turntable scratches and the aforementioned sampling helps to build a fairly foreboding atmosphere in what can only be described as a fever dream combination of Ennio Morricone and Hans Zimmer.

Unfortunately, things don’t stay that interesting for too long after this though, and AmeriKKKant gradually begins to devolve into a bit of a mess of a release. Whilst the actual subject matter tackled by Jourgensen and MINISTRY on AmeriKKKant is undoubtedly important in this day and age, it’s sadly hamstrung somewhat by being attached to an album comprised of songs that are either overly-long or at worst, simply dull. Comprising just nine tracks and clocking in at nearly 50 minutes (though often feeling much longer), there’s no doubt that AmeriKKKant can feel like a hell of a slog to even sit through in-full at times and probably could have benefited greatly from the input of an editor. Jourgensen is evidently passionate about the topics he tackles on this record, but when his sentiments are stretched thin across multiple eight+ minute tracks of fairly repetitive material, it becomes a bit of a task to listen to. The likes of Twilight Zone, Victims of a Clown, and the record’s title track all definitely have the potential to be great, but they’re simply let down by being far too long and in need of trimming down to slightly less sprawling lengths.

That’s not to say AmeriKKKant is totally without merit though, of course. The sub-three-minute blast of searing noise and rage that is We’re Tired Of It proves a definite highlight as the mid-point of the album arrives, taking what appear to be a few pointers from both punk rock and SLAYER-like thrash for short but impactful blast of anger that feels like it probably should have been the direction of the entire record instead. Elsewhere, the relentless rhythmic pounding of Antifa and the electronic-tinged stomp of Wargasm do prove stronger moments for the band, but these remain few and far between, as lengthier pieces and soundscape interludes (including the utterly pointless TV 5-4 Chan) seem to be far more the order of the day.

On the whole, it’s still entirely possible that hardcore MINISTRY fans will still find something to love in the lumbering mess that is AmeriKKKant, but for the rest of us, it’s likely to be a different story. In putting together another politically-minded MINISTRY album, it seems that this time, the band forgot to make a record that could also function as an enjoyable standalone piece and as such, are unlikely to gain much more attention than internet vitriol from those that disagree with the record’s overall themes.

Rating: 3/10

AmeriKKKant is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.

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