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This Industrial Metal outfit is one of the pioneering projects in the
genre but Ministry started out in 1981 in Chicago, Illinois USA, as Synth-Pop
Disco-Dance act releasing several maxi-singles; Cuban born vocalist+guitarist
Al Jourgenson is the creative force behind the band that initially consisted
of Jourgenson, keyboardist John Davis, bassist Lamont Welton and drummer
Stephen George.
Ministry's debut full-length record, "With Sympathy", came
out in 1983 on Arista Records, it reached the #96 spot on the U.S. Top
200 LPs & Tapes chart cranking out a slew of club hits including "Work
For Love".
After the release of "Twelve Inch Singles 1981-1984", Jourgenson
signed a new deal with Sire Records, opted to shift musical gears and
issue an album of heavier stuff, the second proper Ministry LP, "Twitch",
which made a brief appearance in the lower regions of The Billboard 200
chart, in 1986.
Jourgenson also had a side project called The Revolting Cocks and subsequently
began collaborating with like-minded artists like Skinny Puppy's Kevin
Ogilvie and Nine Inch Nails mentor
Trent Reznor, among others.
In 1988 Ministry resurfaced with a new line-up of Jourgenson, keyboard
player Roland Barker, bassist Paul Barker and drummer William Rieflin
releasing "The Land Of Rape And Honey" in the fall, it stuttered
at #164 on The Billboard Top 200.
The follow-up album, 1989's "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste",
met with similar chart peak but it included "Burning Inside",
the group's first Modern Rock top 30 hit; shortly afterwards guitarist
Mike Scaccia joined.
July 1992 saw the release of Ministry's fifth LP, "Psalm 69",
which climbed into the U.K. top 40 and into the top 30 of The Billboard
200 chart while the first single, "Jesus Built My Hotrod", crashed
into the top 20 of The Modern Rock list and its follow-up, "N.W.O.",
peaked at #11 in the same chart.
Distracted by drugs, arrests and replacing nearly the entire line-up of
the band, Jourgenson took nearly four years to complete Ministry's next
record; the album, titled "Filth Pig", came out in January 1996
on Warner Bros. and became their highest charting LP to date, reaching
#19 on The Billboard 200 and spawning the Hot Dance Music top 20 hit "The
Fall".
In 1999 the band appeared on the soundtrack for the sci-fi movie "The
Matrix" with the song "Bad Blood" and later, in June, was
released their parting shot for Warner, "The Dark Side Of The Spoon",
which barely sneaked into the top 100 of The Billboard 200 Albums list.
In late 2001 Ministry signed for Sanctuary and with 2003's "Animositisomina"
the group delivered their first album of original material in three and
a half years; the band then set out on the road and raided towns with
the likes of Mudvayne and In Flames.
The follow-up CD, "Houses Of The Molé", was released
just a year later, in June 2004, to little notice.
Having finished with major labels, Jourgensen recently formed a new record
label, 13th Planet Records; in May 2006 "Rio Grandé Blood",
Ministry's latest album has shifted 7,000 copies in its first week of
release to debut at #134 on The Billboard 200 Albums chart. As Jourgensen
prepares for a world tour he has assembled an impressive line-up of musicians:
guitarist Tommy Victor, long-time Ministry axe-virtuoso Mike Scaccia,
ex-Fear Factory keyboardist John Bechdel,
Killing Joke bassist Paul Raven and drummer Joey Jordison.
Ministry biography is an exclusive of 100xr.com
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