Published on Jan 3, 1999
Blame it on the synth-heavy band, hemmorhage, but for some
reason in the late ’80s, many heavy-metal bands were doing their
best not to include keyboards in their albums. Most were afraid
adding keyboards was a symbol that the band was getting soft.
Anthrax with keyboards? The horror! Metallica? Sure as hell hope
not! Megadeth? No way, they are waaaay to heavy to include
keyboards. Little did a pimple-faced critic of synth realize that
in 1988 a band released an album that re-defined what heavy was to
music.
The band was Ministry, and Al Jourgensen and Paul Barker
released
The Land Of Rape And Honey. It was perhaps one of the
scariest albums released in the ’80s. The relentless beats begin to
bombard the listener as soon as they put this release in. From the
brain hemmorhage beat of “Stigmata” to the closing of “Abortive,”
The Land Of Rape And Honey helped bring industrial music to
the masses before Nine Inch Nails took it to the mainstream.
If you can’t understand the lyrics to ”
The Land of Rape And Honey, don’t bother. Just let the music
bombard you. Guitars are distorted, releasing white squalls of
sound throughout such tracks as “Destruction” and “You Know What
You Are.” But what’s really stunning is the sense of fear a
listener gets while listening to
The Land Of Rape And Honey. In most of the tracks, you can
almost see some unfortunate soul get sucked up in one of the
moshing/mauling pits to one of their concerts. And see them get
clobbered by the raging freaks who mistake this unlucky bastard for
a frat boy.
The highlight of the album would probably have to be the title
track. With a shuffling, computerized beat, Ministry lays an errie
war-march beat alongside a their chaotic white noise. It’s hard to
describe any of Ministry’s music without using the word “white”,
but you’ll understand if you pick up this release or their classic,
The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste.
Be it playing “Goldeneye” in a deathmatch mode on N-64 or just
doing a shitload of dishes,
The Land Of Rape And Honey is all about release. The album
also solidified the career of Jourgensen, who put out two other
quality Ministry works before stumbling on
Filth Pig. He has also been in numerous side projects and
produced an equal number of high-profile releases.
Looking at Jourgensen’s massive size, his grim reaper’s cowboy
hat and his microphone, decorated with carcasses, it’s easy to be
intimidated by the band. Meeting a rabid Ministry fan off the
street is just as scary. But life isn’t supposed to be safe. You
think you’ve tasted heavy with Megadeth’s
Rust In Peace? Well, suck up, take a deep breath and proceed
to the next step in heaviness.