Hot on the heels of last year’s Squirrely Years deep dive into the early days of industrial superstars MINISTRY, Al Jourgensen’s youthful repertoire resurfaces once more with a supercharged remaster of a song known only from the band’s live show.

Remixed by Die Krupps mastermind Jurgen Engler, “Dancing Alone” originally appeared in the band’s live set in the aftermath of their debut album With Sympathy in 1982. 

Yet it has little in common with the synth tones of that record, as Jourgensen struggled to free himself from the gravitational pull of “Work For Love” etc. 

Instead, it points towards the dancier, heavier sound evinced on the singles that followed the band’s arrival at Wax Trax… in other words, the future starts here, even as the accompanying kaleidoscopic video transports you back to the early 80s club scene from which Ministry arose.

This is not the song’s first release.  A straightforward live version of “Dancing Alone,” recorded in Chicago in 1982, appears on Ministry’s 2015 Trax! box set of rarities and unreleased material, and again on the Chicago/Detroit 1982 compilation.

Here, however, it has been brought solidly into the band’s future, a wild 177bpm electro stomp whose 4 minute running in time is jam-packed with raucous riffs, aggressive rhythms and a sassy Jourgensen vocal that is scarcely reconcilable with the familiar growl of later years.

Yet still it instantly identifiable, a magnificent missing link that recaptures the past, even as it then points you towards Ministry’s unforgettable future.  The Squirrely Years roll on!

SINGLE: https://orcd.co/ministry_dancingalone

Toxic misogyny, violence against women, and incels are the latest target Al Jourgensen takes aim at in the song ´B.D.E.´(aka “Big Dick Energy”) out today, including a spellbinding music video that draws the line on the poisonous behavior seen in both politics and everyday life in 2024. 

Listen to the song on all platforms: https://ministry.bfan.link/b-d-e

The song’s whiplash riffs, barreling drums, punchy keys, and pummeling bass all come to a head in the thrash breakdown mid-song, putting the aggressive talents of Jourgensen and the full band — John Bechdel (keyboards), Monte Pittman and Cesar Soto (guitars), Roy Mayorga (drums) and Paul D’Amour (bass) — on full display.

Says Jourgensen of the track: “The incel subsect and general misogynistic tendencies in our society are dangerous yet seem to fly under the radar so we figured it’s time to shine a light on it. In true MINISTRY fashion we battle it with sarcasm”

´B.D.E.´ hails from MINISTRY’s upcoming 16th studio album 

HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES (out March 1, 2024 on Nuclear Blast Records) and follows the release of earlier singles ´Just Stop Oil´ and ´Goddamn White Trash´ all of which give a preview of the state of mind of creator and band leader Jourgensen who is cantankerous as ever about a f***ed up world ripe for a boot up its ass. Like always, he’s merely looking around at the same dumpster fire we all are, but he’s got a microphone and uses it well to rage on about the state of the world.

Joined by MINISTRY’s current frontline of musicians, HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES also has a slew of special guest contributors including Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hutz, long-time collaborator and Lard companion Jello Biafra and Corrosion of Conformity frontman Pepper Keenan.

Last month, MINISTRY premiered the music video for the new track ‘Search And Destroy’ via Rolling Stone. The song is a unique take on The Stooges’ hit that offers a uniquely slowed down tempo and frontman Al Jourgensen’s guttural howl that amplifies the song’s wartime critique.

In this new video interview, released today, Jourgensen discusses the inspiration for the cover, featuring Billy Morrison (Billy Idol, Royal Machines) who worked closely with Al to hone MINISTRY’s version. It was an idea they came up with after teaming up on the track in a moment of accidental kismet at the Above Ground benefit concert in Los Angeles in 2019.

Hear Al Jourgensen discuss ‘Search And Destroy’ in detail in the new interview video here:

See the music video for ‘Search And Destroy’ (directed by Dean Karr) here:https://youtu.be/psHDeiXRVwQ

‘Search And Destroy’ will appear on MINISTRY’s upcoming 15^th studio album “Moral Hygiene”, which will be released via Nuclear Blast Records on October 1. With some ofMINISTRY’s strongest and most inspired material to date, the 10 tracks are a follow-up to 2018’s lauded “AmeriKKKant” and put forth Jourgensen’s societal manifesto and plea for civilization to get back to a set of standards that lives up to and embraces our humanity.

“Moral Hygiene” also includes the previously released ‘Good Trouble’ (a tribute to late Congressman and Civil Rights icon John Lewis) as well as ‘Alert Level’ that sounded the alarms about our collective dissonance towards the pandemic, climate change and the man formerly in the White House, bolstered by the song’s overarching question posed to listeners: “How concerned are you?”

“Moral Hygiene” was recorded with engineer Michael Rozon (also behind the boards on “AmeriKKKant”) at Scheisse Dog Studio, Jourgensen’s self-built home studio and creative lab. As with all MINISTRY albums, all songs are written and performed by Al Jourgensen. Additional contributions come from Billy Morrison (Billy Idol, Royal Machines), Cesar Soto (Man The Mute), John Bechdel (Killing Joke, Fear Factory), Roy Mayorga (Stonesour, Soulfly, Nausea), Paul D’Amour (Tool, Feersum Ennjin), Arabian Prince (N.W.A.), Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys) and sitar player Flash.

“Moral Hygiene“ track listing:
1. Alert Level
2. Good Trouble
3. Sabotage Is Sex
4. Disinformation
5. Search and Destroy
6. Believe Me
7. Broken System
8. We Shall Resist
9. Death Toll
10. TV Song #6 (Right Around The Corner Mix)

“Moral Hygiene”will be available in CD, vinyl and digital download formats. Pre-orders are available at: www.nuclearblast.com/ministry-moralhygiene  
Pre-Save the album here: http://www.nblast.de/MinistryMoralHygiene