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For today’s Blast From Past, let’s travel to the depths of industrial hell to discover ‘Ministry – ‘ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ‘ or ‘Psalm 69: The Way To Succeed And The Way To Suck Eggs‘ or just ‘Psalm 69‘, by Ministry. ‘Psalm 69‘ was the band’s 5th studio album, released in 1992 via Sire/Warner Bros. Records. Ministry formed in 1982, and has had a long list of releases since then. The band even had some live shows in recent, and has worked with several record companies in the past. Their newest works have been self-released.

Psalm 69‘ contains 9 tracks, and after hearing them no one is the same. Some seem to love the work, while others say it’s just noise. It’s definitely a matter of preference here, as the work can be misunderstood. ‘Psalm 69‘ was my first experience with Ministry, and left a mark on a my musical soul. The whole album experience left my palms sweaty, heart rate racing, and wanting more Ministry.

N.W.O‘ sets the stage, welcoming the listener with distorted growls and that signature metal-industrial sound, leading right into ‘Just One Fix‘, which clearly isn’t enough. ‘TV II‘ has the tempo of an automatic weapon, waking you up enough to get to the fourth track, ‘Hero‘. After journeying through into the middle of the album, are my personal favorite three tracks of the album. The three tracks were a personal sort of “dark triad” of sorts, wearing out my cassette tape at the time (Hey, this was the 90’s).

Jesus Built My Hotrod‘, ‘Scarecrow‘, and ‘Psalm 69‘ are the songs in question. ‘Scarecrow‘ is the longest song on the album, and personal highlight of the album. ‘Psalm 69‘ seems to illustrate in the mind a metaphorical musical apocalypse of sorts, in an operatic fashion with a sonic boom. ‘Corrosion‘ leads us to the tail end of the work, ending in ‘Grace‘. The latter track to me is like a soundtrack to hell; it leaves desolation, decimation in the world after the atom-bomb of ministry, and one can never be satisfied with just one fix.

Malinda Mansfield