856 Ministry - ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (Psalm 69) (1992)

 856 Ministry - ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (Psalm 69) (1992)

Studio Album - Industrial Metal




About the Act:

Ministry are an American band from Chicago. They stated out in 1981 as a synth-pop band but turned to metal as their hair grew out. They are considered to be pioneers of industrial metal. The one constant member has bee Al Jourgensen. They had a gap between 2008 and 2011, but are back in business. They have created 14 studio albums.


About the Album:

This album's official title is ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ, but it is often known as Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs. The album is probably named after chapter 69 in Alistair Crowley's book "The Book of Lies" which has the same title. It was their most successful album commercially. Because of the success of their previous studio album, the label gave the band an outrageous advance. By the time they had spent it all (mostly on drugs) they had produced one song, and demanded more money. The recording was beset with fighting between two factions in the band.


My History with this Album:

None


Review:

I am definitely variable in my application of objections to albums, I'm sorry about that dear listener. I am not rock-solid the same in my attitudes all the way through, I guess. There is plenty to do with this band and this album that I might object to. It has references to drugs, the religious stuff is quite strongly anti-Christian and designed to shock, and the lifestyle of the band while making the album was objectionable. Despite these things, I enjoyed the album.

I'm not opposed to metal, in fact I like a good bit of metal. A lot of the metal I listen to is prog metal, which leans towards the complicated. This is a lot simpler than a lot of that. The thing that I like about it is the energy, and the feel of it. Mostly, it's kind of crossed-over with sampling/electronica, almost dance metal. There is a lot of use of little samples of speech and noises done in a way that is reminiscent of early 90s stuff, like rave music, or if you remember Sigue Sigue Sputnik or Paul Hardcastle. Lots of studio work. It has the driving feel of ZZ Top, but is definitely in the metal genre. This makes it some of the most accessible metal I have heard in many ways, it's head-bobbing music (not quite head-banging from me) - good driving music. There are different grooves thrown in, and the last track is more industrial and dark and sound-effecty, the successful single from it (Jesus Built My Hot-Rod) is like metal and Rockabilly mixed. Elsewhere there is the harmonic content that is now typical in metal, with strange leaps and semitones. A lot of it is quite fast, some of it is very fast.

The lyrics are sometimes just the vox samples, sometimes there is throaty shouting that has been distorted, and at least one track has the distinctive grunting that makes death metal these days. Some of it is pretty hard to understand, and some of it is possibly just as well.

The whole thing is somehow a blend of bouncy and dark, and while it is definitely metal, and therefore of limited public interest, it's that dance-like energy that actually makes is a good listen. It doesn't feel like an album beset with difficulties, it feels very well-produced (and the production really is the star here) and I guess the fact that they got to choose the best 9 out of the 30 tracks they recorded didn't hurt.


8/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2wz3P1w89gQd3iXdmF1IA5

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=747xyHsIU_E

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalm_69:_The_Way_to_Succeed_and_the_Way_to_Suck_Eggs



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