Anything done by the provocative Al Jourgensen catches my eye and requires a listen. Nominated half
a dozen times for Grammy Awards and having produced 12 studio albums with five top 20 Singles,
songs featured on many well-known soundtracks including The Matrix, Saw, and Escape from LA as well
as TV series NCIS, the band has had some measure of success without being considered mainstream.
Since 1981 Ministry have been creating raunchy dirty sub genres of music, while founder and vocalist Al
Jourgensen, often called the Godfather of Industrial Metal, has continually challenged the stereotype.
Larger than life the man is a talented songwriter, producer and musician and also the author of his raw
autobiography Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen and is said to be the nefarious star
of a new comic book series, Ministry: The Devil’s Chord – The Chronicles of Alien F. Jourgensen.
Filmed in Chicago the package was executively produced by Angelina Lukacin Jourgensen and directed
by Zach Passero; with all art work created by Sam Shearon. Released in June this year Ministry’s Last
Tangle In Paris – Live 2012 DeFiBrilLaTouR is the full package, complete with classic artwork and a
whopping 3 disc offering consisting of live DVD/Blu-ray footage from tour and 2 retrospective audio
discs. The DVD sheds light on the true story that is the disbanding of Ministry. It offers up behind the
scenes, live and backstage footage peppered with studio, rehearsal and the day to day life of touring
within the band and a realistic stripped down interview style that highlights each character.
Filmed at the Vic Theatre in Chicago, the main set list focuses on the last decade but offers a selection
of songs that encompass the bands most notorious years. For an encore they head farther back to
1992 with songs like “Psalm 69,” “New World Order,” “Just One Fix” and “Thieves” from The Mind is a
Terrible Thing to Taste which was released in 1990. I thought it was a carefully plotted set list but would
have liked to see it include some of the more industrial heavy songs that show what a huge impact this
band has made on Industrial Speed Metal. They are considered by many as the sub genres pioneers.
Another standout of the DVD is the highlighting of the bands live experience and crowd participation,
from crazy frantic stage lighting and a moving video screen adding to the overall effect. It opens with the
man himself, Alien F. Jourgensen rising above the darkened stage with a diatribe about dead rock stars.
After the intro, the stage suddenly lights up red filtered haze as the band slams right into their track
“Ghouldiggers,” a nearly eight minute angry anthem aptly titled about the perils of the industry.
Kicking in with the familiar catchy fast riffage and punk rock choruses, I find myself getting lost In
the history of this band. The songs tells attention-grabbing stories, some all too familiar for those
of us who’ve been in the game for any length of time. The rest of the DVD includes some interesting
stories and anecdotes about the bands infamous history as hard partying rockers and a ton of raw and
humorous footage that will give some insight into the inner workings of Ministry’s players. Particularly
fallen guitarist Mike Scaccia’s who’s untimely death of a heart attack while onstage with his other
project Rigor Mortis took an obvious toll on the band. In early 2014 Jourgensen underwent addiction
treatment and is starting a sober chapter of his life in music. This offering which is the last live effort
from Ministry was a living tribute to Mike Scaccias life.

With controversial songs that encompass politics, industry call outs, and nods to dead rock stars
everything’s included here for the Anarchist at heart. The production is so good I nearly forgot it was
a live recording, but this is a dirty band and even with all the engineering they managed to keep that
grit intact. Furious pounding drums, rapid tempo changes and unique elements have made Ministry an
industry staple in a crossover mish mash of muddy genres. Visually and aurally appealing, this is worth
watching and keeping. ‘Last Tangle in Paris’ will be the final live Ministry release ever.

TRACK LISTING DVD / BLURAY:

01. Ghouldiggers
02. No W
03. Senor Peligro
04. Lieslieslies
05. 99%ers
06. Life Is Good
07. Relapse
08. The Last Sucker
09. Psalm 69
10. New World Order
11. Just One Fix
12. Thieves

MINISTRY “Retroperspective” – MP3 Audio CD 1

01 Ghouldiggers
02 No “W“
03 Senor Peligro
04 Rio Grande Blood (Rio Grande Blood – 2006)
05 Lies lies lies
06 99 %ers
07 Life Is Good
08 Relapse
09 The Last Sucker

MINISTRY “Retroperspective” – MP3 Audio CD 2

01 Psalm 69
02 New World Order
03 Just One Fix
04 Thieves
05 Khyber Pass
06 Fear Is Big Business
07 Let’s Go
08 Watch Yourself
09 So What