Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen has been working on the legendary industrial act’s final album with returning classic member Paul Barker. Now, the band has inked a deal with Cleopatra Records for the upcoming release.
“Looking forward to how this new and FINAL Ministry record comes out,” stated Jourgensen. “Turns out working with Paul is like riding a bike; you never forget how. Buckle up, this is going to be a good one. It seems that everything has come full circle, with the re-inclusion of Paul for the FINAL record, it’s like wrapping a bow on a 40-plus-year career.”
Barker was a key and consistent member of Ministry from 1986 through 2003, playing bass, handling production and programming, and co-writing most songs on such classic albums as The Land of Rape and Honey, The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste, and Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs, among others.
Remarked Barker, “After a couple years apart, these new recording sessions started in our tried-and-true manner: we started going in opposite directions that circled around which inevitably forced us to meet in the middle, much like a particle accelerator!”
Ministry’s last three studio albums were released via Nuclear Blast Records. However, the band’s recent live albums and compilations have been distributed through Cleopatra Records.
Brian Perera, president of Cleopatra Records, stated, “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Ministry back home to Cleopatra. We’ve always taken great care of their classic Wax Trax! recordings, and now, as we reunite with Paul and Al, we’re ready to continue honoring and expanding their iconic legacy.”
Back in March, Jourgensen told Metal Hammer of Barker’s return, “He’s coming back into the fold to get us over that final hump of doing something that you haven’t heard from Ministry in 20 or 30 years. We had a really good writing relationship in the ’90s and we work well in the studio together. I think it’s the perfect way to go out, wrapping a bow on the entire Ministry career, doing one final world tour and we’re done.”
While Barker has rejoined Jourgensen in the studio, current Ministry bassist Paul D’Amour (formerly of Tool) will continue to tour with the industrial band.
Ministry released their most recent album, HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES, in March of this year. Jourgensen and company just wrapped up a summer tour supporting Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper, and will play their last scheduled show of 2024 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California, this weekend.
See photos of Al Jourgensen and Paul Barker in the studio from June of this year in the social media post below.
In the studio…🍄👽🎃🤘
photos: Derick Smith#MinistryBand #AlJourgensen #PaulBarker #HypoLuxa #HermesPan #Ministry #MinistryHistory #inthestudio pic.twitter.com/ItJUJRlHSt
— Ministry (@WeAreMinistry) June 26, 2024