The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste
On The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste, Ministry make guitars and electronics seem to push each other further at every turn. The riffs have a clear thrash-metal edge, while rhythms, samples and repetition keep the music firmly connected to industrial. This is a heavy album with an unusually good sense of organisation.
Thieves demonstrates the immediate force of that combination. Voice fragments and sharp guitars work together in a song that directs its energy carefully. So What takes more time to develop. Its tension comes as much from what the band hold back as from what they eventually push forward. That control gives the heavy sound an additional impact.
Al Jourgensen's shouted delivery suits the pressure. The singing has little need to be friendly or smooth; its aggression contributes to the rhythm and atmosphere. Yet this is more than a collection of identical attacks. The emphasis shifts between guitar, electronics and percussion, and hip-hop influences also have a place. Ministry are clearly looking beyond simply playing harder.
Those changes keep the songs interesting, although the sound remains rough and demanding. Listeners who mainly want melodic singing may find it difficult to connect with. The attraction lies elsewhere: in the way the layers work together, the rhythmic tension and the moment a riff breaks through everything around it.
The album's strength is its ability to give those different styles one clear band identity. The electronic foundation remains present as the guitars grow heavier. The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste reveals how much space exists within that combination, and how powerful a carefully organised whole can become.
