Ministry - Animositisomina

After years of paying dues, Ministry had their bigtime moment back in the early 90s. Main-stage on Lollapalooza II, creepy-ass video on regular MTV rotation, and - most importantly in this rawkenrool world we live in - iconic t-shirts on mall racks and stoner backs nationwide. And what's wrong with that? The music Al Jourgensen and Paul Barker were making was a then-fresh blend of metal guitar riffery, electronic beats, and pissed-at-the-world lyrical darkness. A hungry Alternative Nation was fiending for that stuff. Yet a decade later, the formula isn't quite as novel. Nine Inch Nails perfected the mix by adding in an incredible ear for hooks. Slipnot upped the angst-o-meter to near immesurable heights. And, lets face it, a goateed, cowboy-hat-and-skull-necklace wearing 40something is still a 40something. Ministry are still as angry as ever - "Piss," "Animosity," "Leper," et al certainly don't hide that fact - but angry has been done to death already. With each track clocking in at an average of 5 minutes each, being (literally and figuratively) stuck in a groove tends to lose whatever appeal it may have once had. I certainly give Ministry their props as originators who could certainly have just packed it in and rested on their laurels by now, instead of soldiering on. But they could have also attempted to mature their sound - especially in the world of electronic music, whose fans are far more accepting of musical growth and experimentation. This album won't dissappoint hardcore fans, but the fact remains that this has been done way better... ...by Ministry themselves. [www.darkspoon.com]