Album brings mind-dazzling noise
Industrial metal band Ministry are known for creating music that relates to what is going in our society. With the release of Moral Hygiene, the band shares their feelings toward the ongoing issues of the pandemic and politics. Al Jourgensen’s vocals remain strong through each track while Cesar Soto’s, Paul D’Amour’s and Monte Pittman’s guitar playing light the atmosphere with vein-shaking riffs. Roy Mayorga’s drumbeat fills the atmosphere with heart-pounding sound, and John Bechdel’s keyboard playing contributes to the lingering madness.
The opening song, “Alert Level,” kicks things off with a punch of narration. Right off the bat, a recording of a woman’s voice emerges from the background repeatedly asking, “How concerned are you?” and the style of her voice captures attention because of the serious social issues that are happening around us. The lyrics “This is a shame/ There is immortal/ There’s no one to blame but ourselves” give an insight into how other people’s actions caused a negative reaction toward hard topics such as the BLM movement and more. “Alert Level ” is a classic example of how the band is worried about the future of our nation.
All mighty “Sabotage Is Sex” has an amazing vocal performance from Jourgensen. The way he wails and shouts out the lyrics brings excitement to this piece because it contributes to the non-stop madness felt through Jourgensen’s strong vocals. “Sabotage Is Sex” will cause listeners to headbang while Jourgensen continues to shake people’s souls with his vocals.
“Search And Destroy” is a wild composition that surges with vein-shaking guitar riffs from Soto and Pittman. In metal music, it is important to have guitarists who can create powerful notes capable of keeping a tune together, and within the track, Soto and Pittman keep the music going with their blazing skills. “Search And Destroy” is righteous due to the powerful guitar playing by Soto and Pittman.
The booming track “Broken System” has heart-pounding drum playing from Mayorga. In the middle of the song, Mayorga smacking the drum heads and cymbals fills the air with authority, and the beats are being played on a basic musical tempo which switches to a faster pace. “Broken System” is simply dynamic due to Mayorga’s catchy drum beats.
The rumbling “Death Toll” is a piece that has killer bass guitar playing from D’Amour. Right away, deep vibrating rumbles are heard in the background, and the way D’Amour plays his bass guitar shows what kind of a musician he is. “Death Toll” angrily highlights the view of people losing their lives due to their actions against the pandemic, and through D’Amour’s bass guitar playing, the feeling of rage can be felt through the deep vibrations.
Ministry has hit a home run with Moral Hygiene, and the instrumentation and vocals bring insight into how dark humanity has become.
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