Taking back the decision to retire that was made four years ago was hurtful for the reliability and legacy of Ministry. Also, since Paul Barker’s departure a part of the identity of the influential group was gone. On the other hand, it’s good to hear Jourgensen’s always relevant voice. While he was writing anthems for the working class of Texas with his country side project Buck Satan, since he finally stopped coughing blood, he decided he had one last thing to offer. The result might not be a “Psalm 69” type of masterpiece, but it’s worthy of the name Ministry.
“Relapse” is a brilliant thrash record infused with electro – industrial elements that only uncle Al could have written. He makes good use of Mike Scaccia (Rigor Mortis) and Tommy Victor who play their guitars at blinding speed, while lyrically, in absence of the smiling idiot American ex-president, he focuses on the music industry and the bank system. The first half of “Relapse” is truly amazing, especially ‘Double Tap’, one of the heaviest tracks ever to appear on a Ministry album. “Cleptocracy” and the remix of the title track also deserve honorable mentions. This is a similar record to the Bush trilogy but with less filler in comparison.
