Aug. 17 — Veteran industrial metal outfit Ministry will tentatively release its next album early next year.
HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES is scheduled for release March 1 through Nuclear Blast Records. The new album will be the band’s 16th and will come more than two years after the release of its then latest album, Moral Hygiene, which was released in October 2021. It will feature guest appearances from the likes of Jello Biafra, Corrosion of Conformity’s Pepper Keenan and Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hutz.
In anticipation of the album’s release, Ministry unveiled the record’s lead single, ‘***damn White Trash‘ and its video Thursday. The song’s musical arrangement is everything that audiences have come to expect from Ministry throughout the course of its 15 existing albums. That includes the up-tempo, keyboard driven approach and the use of the electronics and adjusted vocals.
The song’s lyrical theme is a sociopolitical commentary about the extremist, alt-right hate groups that have risen to prominence across America during the Trump presidency. The video illustrates the message through a spoof of one of those groups, the Proud Boys. In the case of the video the group is just called the White Boys, and there is a reference to the events of Jan. 6, 2021 in the video as part of the damning of that racist, close-minded organization.
The matter addressed here follows an overarching pattern of commentary that fills the album, according to front man Al Jourgensen.
“Just like you or anybody else, I’m simply a passenger in this lifetime,” says Jourgensen. “I’m watching social changes, political changes, and economic changes, and I comment on them because I do have a First Amendment right. A lot of people say artists and athletes should shut up and play ball. No, I’m on this trip too. If I see something, I say something. That reflects on where each album goes. Instead of staying sedentary and singing about broken relationships, inner turmoil, or whatever is hurting this week, I comment on what’s going on from the perspective of a fellow passenger.”
The track listing for Ministry’s new album is noted below:
Tracklist for HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES:
- B.D.E.
- Goddamn White Trash***
- Just Stop Oil
- Aryan Embarrassment**
- TV Song 1/6 Edition
- New Religion
- It’s Not Pretty
- Cult of Suffering*
- Ricky’s Hand
*Featuring Eugene Hütz (Gogol Bordello)
**Featuring Jello Biafra
***Featuring Pepper Keenan
In other news, Ministry will launch its run with Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper on the upcoming “Freaks On Parade Tour” Aug. 24 in Dallas, TX. The month-long tour is scheduled to run through Sept. 24 in Phoenix, AZ and features stops in cities nationwide, such as Cincinnati, OH; Raleigh, NC and Ridgefield, WA.
The tour’s schedule is noted below. Tickets are available here.
August 2023
24 Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
26 Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
27 West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
29 Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
30 Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
September 2023
1 Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
2 Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena
5 Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
6 Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
8 Scranton, PA @ The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
9 Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
10 Hartford, CT @ XFINITY Theatre
12 Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
13 Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
15 Bonner Springs, KS @ Azura Amphitheater
16 Englewood, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
19 Ridgefield, WA @ RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
20 Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
22 Concord, CA @ Concord Pavillion
23 Anaheim, CA @ HONDA Center
24 Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
More information on Ministry’s new album, single, video and tour dates is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Website: https://www.ministryband.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreMinistry
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeAreMinistry
