AmeriKKKant proved a divisive album for Ministry (despite the fact that Al Jourgensen’s political proclivities are well documented), with more than a few supposed fans unable to appreciate the laser-guided scorn employed in the lyrics. The record was far more than just a polemical project, however, for all that it was written as a direct response to the election of Trump. Bold and brash, it contained ambitious songs, bold production, and it ranked among SonicAbuse’s albums of the year. With a democrat in the Whitehouse, you might be forgiven for believing Al’s ire might have been drawn. Yet, with insurrection on the streets of Washington, endless swirling conspiracy theories casting shade on the ascendancy of Joe Biden and an emboldened right continuing to agitate across America, there’s no shortage of ammunition, and Moral Hygiene arrives at a turbulent time for the West as a whole and not just the United States of America.
As with its predecessor, Moral Hygiene opens on an eerie sample, but the track builds far more quickly, a sample repeatedly asking: “how concerned are you?” before giving way to chrome-plated beats and huge droning chords. Reminiscent of Killing Joke at their heaviest, Alert Level (feat. Arabian Prince) is Ministry at their streamlined best, carving savage anthems out of dire social circumstances (and even including snippets of Grete Thunberg). Next up, the svelte Good Trouble throbs with digitally damaged samples only for thunderous beat to nail it firmly to the floor. Yet, for all the fire and fury of the introductory gambit, the main body of the song is surprisingly restrained, slipping into a distorted post-punk sound that edges into Fields of the Nephilim territory (a feeling enhanced by Al’s bone-dry harmonica passages). Sabotage Is Sex sees good friend Jello Biafra pop up to deliver his instantly recognisable vocals over a stripped-down backdrop that sits closer to RevCo than Ministry. An album highlight, the pairing of Al and Jello is always irresistible, and it does not disappoint here. Built around myriad samples, Disinformation does much to capture the paranoia of the current “post-truth” era, with stabbing guitars and echoing synth. Then, there’s the Iggy and The Stooges cover Search And Destroy (feat. Billy Morrison), which is the first cover Al’s included on a Ministry album since Relapse. Interestingly, it’s a complete reworking that sits closer to 3Teeth’s take on Pumped Up Kicks and, while Iggy’s own mix may eclipse it in terms of abrasiveness, it’s a powerful and surprisingly melodic version that effectively gets under the skin the more you listen.
Sticking with a subtly gothic, post-punk sound, Believe Me throws in acoustic guitars and string samples. It’s not by any means a soft track, but there’s a melodicism and sweeping sense of gothic melodrama that proves utterly irresistible, recalling the extended Sisters of Mercy remixes that kept that band on the dancefloors of rock and metal clubs for over three decades. Things take a darker turn as a voice announces “life will never be the same” over a backdrop of Eastern instrumentation on Broken System. Hazy and brilliantly executed, Broken System once again recalls the innovative excursions of Killing Joke (circa Pandemonium), resulting in a cinematic piece of music that does as much to trigger the imagination as it does move the body. Despite a confrontational title, We Shall Resist dwells in the shadows, whispering sedition rather than screaming out hatred, and it’s all the more effective for it. Reminiscent of the subtle machine music found on NIN’s Year Zero, with which this album shares conceptual landscape, it’s a potent brew that worms its way deep into your subconscious. The track segues directly into the patchworked nightmare of Death Toll, which features excerpts of preachers declaring their opposition to vaccination. Very much on the nose, it’s rather a political skit that works in the context of the album than a song in its own right, but it feeds effectively into the mechanistic hell of TV Song #6 (Right Around The Corner Mix). A brutally efficient finale that harks back to the bruising Psalm 69, TV Song #6 is both a logical continuation to the blistering sound clash of AmeriKKKant and a searing conclusion to Moral Hygiene.
While Moral Hygiene matches AmeriKKKant in production terms, the songs here are more carefully plotted, as if Al’s utter outrage at Trump’s election blinded him to some of that album’s (admittedly glorious) excesses. As such, Moral Hygiene is a tighter album (at least until the final two tracks), with a greater number of songs designed to instantly hook the listener. Very much an album, designed to be heard in one relentless blast, Moral Hygiene is, for the most part ruthlessly effective. While the politics will undoubtedly alienate many, that is surely Al’s intent and, for those willing to embrace Al’s dystopic vision of the world, Moral Hygiene is another excellent album from the reinvigorated Ministry. 9/10
