Ministry Return To The Scene Of The Crime In Boston

It would be impossible to write the book on industrial metal without mentioning Ministry; some would say they should be on the cover. Formed in Chicago in 1981, the band has been a touchstone of the genre for over 40 years. But before they paved the way for bands like Nine Inch Nails and Rob Zombie, they were cutting their teeth as a new wave synth pop band. Ministry’s debut studio album, With Sympathy, was recorded in Boston at a place called Syncro Sound Recording Studio. Owned by The Cars, the studio was in a small apartment in a nondescript building on Newbury Street. On their current tour, the group are celebrating that era of the band; frontman Al Jourgensen is the only member remaining from that time. Their entire setlist on this tour is made up of either songs that were on the group’s first two records, or were written during that time and released years later as b-sides.

Opening up the night was German industrial metal band Die Krupps, formed in the 80s. The group doesn’t make their way to North America very often. This tour with Ministry marks their first time on US soil since 2018 and their first time in Boston since the 1990s. Vocalist Jürgen Engler and keyboardist Ralf Dörper are the only remaining original members of the band; they’re joined by Paul Keller on drums, who joined in 2018, and Dylan Smith on guitar, whom they added last year.

They play a mix of songs, some in German and some in English. For their Boston appearance, they played songs such as “Fatherland,” “Metal Machine Music,” and “Robo Sapien.” Jürgen Engler maintains a strong stage presence, performing to the 3,500 capacity Boston venue as if it were a festival of 40,000.

-Second to the stage was Chicago-based industrial rock outfit My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult. Like Die Krupps and Ministry, they too were formed in the 1980s. The band’s singer, Franke Nardiello, and keyboardist, Marston Daley, took on the stage names Groovie Mann and Buzz McCoy, respectively, when they formed the group in 1987. They’ve put out a large catalog of releases, the most recent of which is a demo compilation album titled Sinister Whisperz: the Wax Trax! The album comprises reworked versions of songs from 1987-1988.

Keeping with the theme of the night, they performed only songs from a specific era of their history, playing only songs recorded while they were on the independent label Wax Trax! Records. “The Days of Swine and Roses” and “Sex on Wheelz” were particular highlights that drew strong reactions from the crowd.

Earlier that day, the group had learned that former member Jacky Blaque had passed away. Blaque was a backup singer for the band, often performing live with them with other female backup singers collectively dubbed The Bomb Gang Girlz. The group would go on and dedicate a performance of the song “A Continental Touch” to Blaque.

After a lengthy set change to prepare their production, Ministry took the stage. “We’re returning to the scene of the crime, Boston!” were the first words out of Al Jourgensen’s mouth as he referenced the recording sessions for their album With Sympathy. Throughout the night, Jourgensen continued to introduce each song, mentioning the title and the album it was originally from.

He did a commendable job acknowledging that the crowd consisted of both hardcore Ministry fans who came specifically to hear the older material and casual listeners experiencing them for the first time. The band’s stage attire and visual production were designed to reflect the era of music they were performing. Members wore sequin jackets, while Jourgensen sported a fuzzy top hat and plastic sunglasses.

It took a few songs, but eventually, multiple circle pits erupted in the crowd, much to Jourgensen’s delight. Tracks like “Just Like You” and “Effigy (I’m Not An)” heightened the energy in the room, especially in the mosh pit.

The song that elicited the most significant reaction was “(Everyday Is) Halloween,” a classic tune often heard on Halloween playlists every October. Much of the show’s production was handled via a projector at the soundboard, which displayed specific visuals for each song.

After a twelve-song set of original material, Ministry chose to encore with two covers. One was “Ricky’s Hand” by the lesser-known British artist Fad Gadget, and the other was the Rod Stewart classic “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” which they performed in their distinct style. In a recent interview with Louder Sound, Jourgensen expressed his desire to bring Ministry to an end. He mentioned plans to record one final album and tour after completing their current series of dates.