MINISTRY ‘Hate to Go (Take Out Or Delivery)’

MINISTRY
Hate to Go (Take Out Or Delivery)
Cleopatra Record

MINISTRY is an industrial band that formed in 1981 in Chicago, led by Al Jourgensen. His current bandmates consist of guitarists Monte Pittman and Cesar Soto, bassist Paul D’Amour, synth player John Bechdel, and drummer Pepe Clarke Magaña. ‘Hate to Go (Take Out Or Delivery)’ is MINISTRY’S farewell album, after seventeen studio albums, and will be available for streaming on October 30th with Cleopatra Records.

Track #1: “Crickets”

“Crickets” opens with a few seconds of quiet crickets before fully diving into a hardcore industrial sound that Ministry is known for. For those who are like me and have difficulty understanding song lyrics, there is part of this song that clearly outlines what the album is about. There are a couple different vaguely political spoken statements about halfway through the song. Then, it quickly goes back into the industrial style. This song isn’t my favorite on the album, but it’s still a great opener that you can’t help but groove to.

Track #2: “Voices of Hate”

“Voices of Hate” opens with heavy guitar, followed by distorted vocals. It’s difficult to understand what’s being said, but it’s a song that fills you with so much energy that it doesn’t even matter. There is another spoken section midway through the song that leads into an instrumental break that reminds me of 80s metal. This song helps to continue the political message of the album while still maintaining the hardcore industrial sound MINISTRY is known for.

Track #3: “Clown Car”

This song mixes metalcore and industrial rock even more than the previous two tracks, while still maintaining the political message through spoken sections. The guitar in this track sounds especially trashy, along with the quick beat and pounding drums. The instrumental section further proves this, leading into a vocal chorus with another spoken political section. While this song does still have a serious message with the speeches, I think it’s one of the less serious songs on this records as of right now, due to the repeated title throughout the song.

Track #4: “We Hate”

Official Video: https://youtu.be/5Q5X-PZDdak?si=O6F2KW439INW6JnF

“We Hate” has electric instrumentals that carry throughout the entire song, along with screamed lyrics and ensemble sections. This track has a great beat, and I enjoy the ensemble sections, but it’s another song on this album that I think is less serious, due to the overly repeated lyrics. It’s still a great song, and as soon as I”m able, I’m going to add it to several of my playlists. It’s actually one of the tracks I’d recommend listening to first when talking about this album.

Track #5: “Delete”

This song has an extremely anti-capitalistic and anti-phone message that is very important, but it could’ve been done differently. I was not a fan of the sampled sections of this song, but I liked every other aspect of it, especially the chorus. I likely will not revisit the song due to the samples, but it’s worth at least one initial listen.

Track #6: “Grifter”

“Grifter” opens with synths and a sampled speech, which is a great way to start a song. Heavier instrumentals follow, accompanied by gritty vocals at a slower tempo. It has a good vibe, but I likely won’t listen to it super often. With its dark atmosphere, “Grifter” would be a great addition to any Halloween playlist. I would definitely recommend giving it at least one listen.

Track #7: “The White Man Lied”

“The White Man Lied” consists mostly of samples, with the few vocal sections featuring the gritty sound that I tend to appreciate in music. It’s a fun, upbeat song while still maintaining the dark vibe that MINISTRY brings to each track. This would be another good party song, with a beat that people can easily dance to. It’s also one of my favorite songs on the album.

Track #8: “Singularity”

Official Video: https://youtu.be/ZczRl9va6CU?si=v9ocfM4Y7dX0FZ3A

“Singularity” opens with a robotic-sounding female sample before leading into the familiar MINISTRY style present throughout the album. With its heavier instrumentals and vocals, I can see this becoming one of MINISTRY’s most popular songs. I really enjoy it, and I’m sure many others will as well. I could be biased as someone who has always enjoyed robotic samples in music, but this is definitely a song worth listening to.

Track #9: “Burned Out”

Official Video: https://youtu.be/UEOkt8U6GKc?si=ZmT1LV3MmHXnT9oD

“Burned Out” features layered vocals, which makes me think it’ll become a staple at the band’s performances. I’m hoping they’ll announce a Houston show for their North American tour so I can see this song live. Midway through the track, samples from news sources cover different current political events. I can appreciate that approach, especially since I know it takes guts to tackle these topics so directly. Despite the heavy subject matter in the samples, this song is a lot of fun, and it’s impossible not to dance to it.

Track #10: “We’re Still Here”

“We’re Still Here” stands out from the other songs on the album because both the vocals and instrumentals are less gritty and heavy. It still sounds like a MINISTRY song, but it has a different feel compared to the rest of the record. The track maintains a darker atmosphere, but its lyrics and samples give it a more hopeful message about the future of humanity. Midway through the song, a choir comes in, which is another thing I love in music. It makes the track feel like an epic of sorts, almost like something you’d hear in a movie.

Overall, this album feels extremely relevant right now, especially through its use of samples and lyrics. Although it isn’t my favorite MINISTRY album, I think it’s a good one to end on. The style of the tracks, paired with their powerful lyrics and samples, makes this an album worth listening to. I was hoping to catch MINISTRY at Sick New World so I could potentially hear one of these songs performed ahead of the official release, but unfortunately, I missed their set due to scheduling conflicts. If you don’t want to be like me, you can catch them on their European tour in 2027, with stops in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. A full North American tour is expected to follow.

3.6 Out Of 5.0

Website: www.ministryband.com
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