Back in 2007, Al Jourgensen said that ‘The Last Sucker’ would be the final Ministry album. Eleven years later we’ve had two more albums and the release of album number fourteen, ‘Amerikkkant,’ is looming. The album was created as a response to band mastermind Al Jourgensen’s anger at the current state of the U.S.
The album starts with three minutes of Trump speeches over backing music, which is frankly too much for me even if the songs aim is to ridicule his lack of vocabulary. “Twilight Zone” and “Victims Of A Clown” are standard Ministry mid-paced affairs which you’ll likely be familiar with if you’ve heard any Ministry album from the past couple of decades. At over eight minutes each, however, they wear out their welcome and their repetitive nature made me want to skip them on repeated listens.
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Some albums grow on you as you listen to them more, especially ones with longer songs. ‘Amerikkkant’ had the opposite effect on me, the more I listened to it the less I wanted to hear it again. Despite this, there are a couple of moments of enjoyable music. “We’re Tired Of It” is a welcome shot of adrenaline after the plodding pace of previous songs and manages to convey the anger and bitterness which Jourgensen claims fueled the album. Unfortunately, it’s followed by “Wargasm” which even Burton C Bell can’t save from its weak guitar and lack of power. The song contains more speech samples than vocals and is more annoying than entertaining.
Up next is “Antifa” which, despite its rather questionable political viewpoint and incredibly bad music video, is one of the better songs on the album (yes, really). That may just be because it has some semblance of speed and doesn’t drag on for five minutes too long like many of the other songs on the album. The final two songs on the album are completely forgettable, and it’s a struggle to find words to describe just how boring they are.
‘Amerikkkant’ has a couple of worthwhile songs but as an album, it’s a disappointment. A bloated first half, repetitive segments and uneven pacing are deal breakers on repeated listens, and you’ll likely find yourself reaching for the skip button. It’s a shame as Ministry continue to put on incredible live shows and songs such as “We’re Tired of It” show the band can do better.
