Ministry - Enjoy The Quiet: Live At Wacken (Album Review)
Thursday, 08 August 2013
Written by Alec Chillingworth
For a man who's been pronounced dead three times over, Al Jourgensen seems to be doing alright. Since resurrecting his industrial hellchild Ministry in 2011, he has spent the majority of his time touring in support of the ravenous 'Relapse' record. A stop at Wacken 2012 served as one of the final shows of the trek. The gig, captured here in glorious high-definition and 5:1 stereo sound, also proved to be one of guitarist Mike Scaccia's last with the band before his tragic death.
Given the circumstances, this DVD could have been a morbid affair. But it isn't. It's a celebration. Opening with a video of Jourgensen bitching and moaning about the music industry, the band set about decimating Wacken with the neo-thrash rumble of Ghouldiggers.
Al is on fine form, looking like Jack Sparrow's drug-addled cousin while spurting out lyrics in his signature bark. Casey Orr and Sin Quirin prove themselves to be entertainers in their own right; the former resembling a brick shithouse on bass guitar while the latter tears it up on six-string duties, blasting his way through industrial classics such as N.W.O and Thieves. The band are a ridiculously tight unit and if you close your eyes, you could easily mistake this for a studio album.
When dealing with a band as influential and prolific as Ministry, it seems nigh-on impossible to handpick a perfect setlist. Concentrating heavily on material released in the last 15 years, ‘Enjoy The Quiet’ is enough to provoke wonder as to why the band's latest LPs get so much stick. It sounds MASSIVE.
Tunes such as 99 Percenters and Rio Grande Blood are utterly punishing, even rivalling the classic material that's aired during the show. The only niggle is the omission of songs from the grossly underrated 'Filth Pig' and 'Dark Side Of The Spoon' albums - Supermanic Soul or Reload would've been lapped up by the Wacken crowd.
That's another thing, the crowd. The appropriate response to a Ministry set is to jump up and down, scream your head off and make a an absolute arse of yourself, just because this band has played such an important role in the history of metal. Here, the band are greeted by a lacklustre crowd of muddy festival-goers. Jourgensen is obviously hoping for a little more movement but the circular movements with his fingers are ignored.
Despite this major visual niggle, the band still manages to put in a fine performance. This isn't the definitive live Ministry release, but it does serve one poignant purpose. When watching the footage back, anyone can see just how much Scaccia loved this band. Grinning as he chugs out riff after riff, this just goes to show how much of an integral part of Ministry he actually was. Enjoy the quiet, Mike.
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