Ministry
Rio Grande Blood

THE REVIEW

Starting this discussion, I want to first say that I feel compelled to talk about this album because, although it has already been reviewed, it seems to me that the aforementioned review gave too much weight to the political meaning of this album rather than the actual songs (the same can be said for "Houses Of The Molé"). I partially disagree with this: it's undeniable that "Rio Grande Blood" is yet another attack on the entire Bush lineage, but I believe that by listening to each song and "forgetting" for a moment about Ministry's career in the Industrial realm, one can appreciate this album, to some extent.

Let me explain. This album, much like the previous one, is characterized by a decisive shift towards a more heavy sound from Al and the gang, and this is evident in the explosive title-track that opens the album. It begins with a modified presidential speech leading to the infamous lines like "I'm a dangerous, dangerous man with dangerous, dangerous weapons" but then expresses all its destructive potential, which continues with the following "Señor Peligro," with evident thrash influences. Other notable tracks are "Fear (Is Big Business)," which after a minute and a half of nothing, accelerates fearfully, and "Lieslieslies." "Khyber Pass" is somewhat heavy (7 and a half minutes) but still good.

In summary, in this review, I tried to explain that an album can be great even if, compared to the band's other works, it presents many, too many differences. But why condemn a Ministry album outright just because it has a different style than usual? After all, Al loves to experiment with new influences for his albums, and in my opinion, this time it resulted in a record by no means contemptible, even if, I agree, not on the levels of "Psalm 69" or "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste," just to name two. At least this is my point of view, and I already know that many will disagree: so all that's left is for you to come find me to change my mind.