Al Jourgensen is back with the legendary industrial band, Ministry, and has released their 13th and final studio album, “From Beer To Eternity.” The record is a tribute to the late guitarist Mike Scaccia who died of a heart attack three days after the rough tracks for the album were finished. With the help of producer Samy D’Ambruoso, Jourgensen was left with the task of finishing the album in Mike’s honor.
“From Beer To Eternity” has everything you would expect to hear on a Ministry album, tons of samples and effects, heavy guitars, and Al’s unmistakeable screams. Things kick off with the sarcastic “Hail To His Majesty (Peasants)” before launching into the brutality of “Punch In The Face” and “Perfect Storm.” Jourgensen’s political views can be heard on the first single “PermaWar” and “Fairly Unbalanced” which takes a stab at Fox news. The masterful guitars of Mike Scaccia are front and center especially on “Side FX Include Mikey’s Middle Finger/TV4,” an attack on pharmaceutical companies. A surprise track is “Change of Luck” which was written by Al for Mike Scaccia and is a quieter, subtler song. The album closes appropriately with the sampled static of “Enjoy the Quiet.”
If all good things must come to an end, then “From Beer To Eternity” is a fitting farewell for the baddest industrial band on the planet, the incredible guitarist Mike Scaccia, and His Majesty himself, Al Jourgensen.
