Tramshed, Cardiff
Tue 16 Aug
The biggest surprise of the announcement of this Cardiff date is that Ministry were even still treading the boards. It’s been a long while since the industrial metal combo’s breakthrough record – 1992’s Psalm 69 – during which time they’ve seen the departure of long-time bassist and songwriter Paul Barker and the death of guitarist Mike Scaccia in 2012.
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Despite seemingly putting Ministry to rest after 2007’s The Last Sucker the band’s frontman and sole mainstay since their formation in 1981, Al Jourgensen, announced their comeback just 4fouryears later; not the most hotly anticipated reunion of a successful 1990s band, but one that had their loyal fans chomping at the bit. In this case these diehards were lucky because it wasn’t just festival appearances that followed, but the eventual recording new music which materialised in the form of 2012’s Relapse and the following year’s From Beer To Eternity – if there’s one thing you can rely on Ministry for, it’s a pun-based album title.
Industrial metal and the bands that played it reached something of a peak in the early 90s and anything recorded by them since then has sounded a little dated, as if they hadn’t updated their equipment since splashing out on the MPC2000 – so expect this tour to be something of a trip down memory lane than a musical plan for the future.
Tickets: £20. Info: 029 2023 5555 (BG)