NewzNEW YORK (AP) — Before there was Nine Inch Nails or Marilyn Manson or Fear Factory or Rammstein, before the term industrial rock was being used to describe music that combines electro-collages of avant-garde mechanical sounds with that of rock ‘n’ roll and metal: There was Ministry. And after 45 years, the pioneering band is calling it quits. Founder Al Jourgensen, the group’s mastermind and sole consistent member, wants you to know he really means it’s over — done, finished, goodbye — after the release of their 17th album “Hate To Go — Take Out Or Delivery” on Oct.
“It’s time to go,” he told The Associated Press from his home outside Los Angeles. “Everyone says it’s their last tour and they’re back the next year. Or they say it’s the last tour and they’re back for the next 20 years.
It’s The Rolling Stones playing into their 90s. How much, like, adoration?” For his band, this really is the end. The music industry has changed, for one, and Jourgensen and his band do not see Ministry progressing within its algorithmic framework.
And there are sociological and political grounds for the decision: “We’ve been yabbering about the same stuff for 45 years. “It has gotten worse, and so it’s time for a new generation to carry the torch because they’re not listening to our message.” The band has long released songs with strong anti-authoritarian and anti-fascist sentiments, and that continues everywhere on “Hate to Go,” from the heavy-as-heck “Voices of Hate” to the propulsive “Delete,” which takes aim at the ways in which endless scrolling and social media erode attention and reinforce negativity. The issue with speaking truth to power, of course, is that at some point “every canary in a coal mine dies,” Jourgensen says with a smile.
“We’re quite happy with our decision” to call it quits, he adds. “We are quite happy with our career.” Planning the end of Ministry When a band takes ownership over their own end, something interesting happens: A final album can become a statement, not a funeral — a bow on the end of a spectacular career. For Jourgensen, there were a few things that just needed to happen on “Hate to Go.” Bassist Paul “Ion” Barker, Jourgensen’s bandmate in Ministry and Revolting Cocks from 1986 to 2004, was welcomed back into the fold for t…
And after 45 years, the pioneering band is calling it quits.Founder Al Jourgensen, the group's mastermind and sole consistent member, wants you to know he really means it's over — done, finished, goodbye — after the release of their 17th album “Hate To Go — Take Out Or Delivery” on Oct. 30 and a tour to follow.“It's time to go,” he told The Associated Press from his home outside Los Angeles. There are a few reasons for that.The music industry has changed, for one, and Jourgensen and his band do not see Ministry progressing within its algorithmic framework.
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