{"id":9207,"date":"2024-10-12T13:09:29","date_gmt":"2024-10-12T18:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=9207"},"modified":"2024-10-12T13:09:31","modified_gmt":"2024-10-12T18:09:31","slug":"al-jourgensen-and-paul-barker-sign-with-cleopatra-records-for-final-ministry-studio-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=9207","title":{"rendered":"AL JOURGENSEN And PAUL BARKER Sign With CLEOPATRA RECORDS For Final MINISTRY Studio Album"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cleopatra Records<\/strong> has announced the signing of the legendary industrial band MINISTRY<\/strong>, featuring key members Al Jourgensen<\/strong> and Paul Barker<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brian Perera<\/strong>, president of Cleopatra Records<\/strong>, shared his excitement about the reunion: “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome MINISTRY<\/strong> back home to Cleopatra<\/strong>. We’ve always taken great care of their classic Wax Trax!<\/strong> recordings, and now, as we reunite with Paul<\/strong> and Al<\/strong>, we’re ready to continue honoring and expanding their iconic legacy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al<\/strong>\u00a0says: “Looking forward to how this new and FINAL\u00a0MINISTRY<\/strong>\u00a0record comes out. Turns out working with\u00a0Paul<\/strong>\u00a0is like riding a bike; you never forget how. Buckle up, this is going to be a good one. It seems that everything has come full circle, with the re-inclusion of\u00a0Paul<\/strong>\u00a0for the FINAL record, it’s like wrapping a bow on a 40-plus-year career.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul<\/strong> adds: “After a couple years apart, these new recording sessions started in our tried-and-true manner: we started going in opposite directions that circled around which inevitably forced us to meet in the middle, much like a particle accelerator!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MINISTRY<\/strong>‘s return to Cleopatra Records<\/strong> marks a new chapter for the band and their fans, with their highly anticipated last-ever album due in 2025. This release promises to capture the essence of MINISTRY<\/strong>‘s groundbreaking sound while delivering fresh, innovative tracks that will resonate with both longtime followers and new listeners alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The news follows MINISTRY<\/strong>‘s whirlwind summer as a featured guest on the “Freaks On Parade”<\/strong> tour headlined by ROB ZOMBIE<\/strong> and ALICE COOPER<\/strong>. MINISTRY<\/strong> has one more concert date left for 2024, with an appearance at California’s Aftershock<\/strong> festival on October 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MINISTRY<\/strong>‘s 16th studio album, “Hopiumforthemasses”<\/strong>, is also out now via Nuclear Blast Records<\/strong> and streaming on all networks, featuring single “Goddamn White Trash”<\/strong>, plus “Just Stop Oil”<\/strong>, as well as “B.D.E.”<\/strong> and “New Religion”<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joined by MINISTRY<\/strong>‘s current frontline of musicians \u2014 creator and mastermind Al Jourgensen<\/strong>, John Bechdel<\/strong> (keyboards),Monte Pittman<\/strong> and Cesar Soto<\/strong> (guitars),Roy Mayorga<\/strong> (drums) and Paul D’Amour<\/strong> (bass) \u2014 “Hopiumforthemasses”<\/strong> also has a slew of special guest contributors including GOGOL BORDELLO<\/strong>‘s Eugene Hutz<\/strong>, longtime collaborator and LARD<\/strong> companion Jello Biafra<\/strong> and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY<\/strong> frontman Pepper Keenan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born in 1981 in Chicago, MINISTRY<\/strong> has been the lifetime passion project of founder Al Jourgensen<\/strong>, considered to be the pioneer of industrial music. In its early days, MINISTRY<\/strong> was identifiable by its heavy synth-pop material in line with the new sounds and technology that were being developed in the 1980s. MINISTRY<\/strong>‘s output began with four 12-inch singles on Wax Trax! Records<\/strong> in 1981 before the first LP “With Sympathy”<\/strong> in 1983 via Arista Records<\/strong>. As time progressed however, so did MINISTRY<\/strong>, quickly developing a harsher, and more stylized sound that the band soon became infamous for on seminal albums “Twitch”<\/strong> (1986),“The Land Of Rape And Honey”<\/strong> (1988) and “The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste”<\/strong> (1989). With the release of “Psalm 69: The Way To Succeed And The Way To Suck Eggs”<\/strong> (1992),MINISTRY<\/strong> hit an all-time high in the mainstream musical realm and received its first Grammy<\/strong> nomination. In total, MINISTRY<\/strong> has been nominated for a Grammy Award<\/strong> six times. Eight more albums would follow before an indefinite break in 2013, only to be unearthed again in 2018 with “AmeriKKKant”<\/strong>, continuing to reflect Jourgensen<\/strong>‘s views on the frightening state of society and politics. The 2021 album “Moral Hygiene”<\/strong> marked a new creative era of Jourgensen<\/strong> and the band. MINISTRY<\/strong>‘s 16th studio album, “Hopiumforthemasses”<\/strong>, was released March 1, 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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