AmeriKKKant
Studio album by
Ministry
ReleasedMarch 9, 2018
Recorded2016–2017
GenreIndustrial metal
Length47:59
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerAl Jourgensen[1]
Ministry chronology
From Beer to Eternity
(2013)		 AmeriKKKant
(2018)		 Moral Hygiene
(2021)
Singles from AmeriKKKant
  1. "Antifa"
    Released: December 18, 2017[1]
  2. "Twilight Zone"
    Released: February 21, 2018[2]

AmeriKKKant is the fourteenth studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, which was released on March 9, 2018.[3][4][5] It is their first release on Nuclear Blast, and marked the longest gap between studio albums in the group's entire career; at five years, following From Beer to Eternity (2013). AmeriKKKant is also the first Ministry album without guitarist Mike Scaccia since The Last Sucker (2007); Scaccia died in 2012 but appeared posthumously on From Beer to Eternity.

Much like the band's previous Anti-George W. Bush Trilogy (Houses of the Molé, Rio Grande Blood, and The Last Sucker), AmeriKKKant is a concept album about then-US President Donald Trump.[6][7] Many of the tracks contain vocal samples of Trump like "I Know Words," "Twilight Zone," and "Victims of a Clown."

Background

Frontman Al Jourgensen had previously stated that From Beer to Eternity would be Ministry's final studio album, following the death of longtime guitarist Mike Scaccia, who appears posthumously on the aforementioned album. However, in an April 2016 interview with Loudwire, he stated that they would make a follow-up album "if the circumstances are right."[8]

When asked in July 2016 whether Ministry was going to release another album after From Beer to Eternity, Jourgensen stated, "When I was asked, it was after Mikey passed and the entire media immediately starts asking me what is going to happen to Ministry. He wasn't even buried yet. I thought, 'Fuck you.' I was really pissed and really angry. I said, 'Fuck Ministry and fuck you for asking.' They want to comment on Ministry when my best friend had died. It's been more than two years now, and I got more ideas and I have done albums with Mikey and have done them without him. It's time to get another record out. I have a bunch of songs written in my head. I wanted to have time to mourn before people start asking me about touring dates. It was sick. I was bombarded and email boxes were overloaded with 'what are you going to do now?' It was kind of creepy."[9]

By February 2017, Ministry had begun working on their fourteenth studio album,[10] titled AmeriKKKant.[11] It was later revealed that the album would include guest appearances from Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory, former N.W.A member Arabian Prince, DJ Swamp and Lord of the Cello.[11] During their performance at the Blackest of the Black Fest in Silverado, California in May 2017, Ministry debuted their first song in four years, "Antifa", which, at the time, was expected to appear on AmeriKKKant.[12]

In September 2017, it was announced that Ministry had signed to Nuclear Blast,[4][5] and that the album's planned late 2017 release date had been pushed back to March 2018, due to "promotional plans and manufacturing deadlines."[4] The album's release date, artwork and track listing were revealed on December 11, 2017.[13]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic64/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
The A.V. ClubC[16]
Classic Rock[17]
Crack Magazine3/10[18]
Exclaim!6/10[19]
Kerrang![20]
Metal Hammer7/10[21]
PopMatters6/10[22]
Sputnikmusic2.4/5[23]

In a review for Loudwire, Jon Wiederhorn declared that, "In an age when albums have turned into disposable containers for singles, Jourgensen is still fighting for the integrity of the full-length record, and Amerikkkant, while not exactly a concept album, plays out like a complete piece of art."[24][25] The Spill Magazine rated the album 4 of 5 stars, lauding the album's ability to "paint a bleak portrait of an America that is on the brink of implosion. This is a record that sounds like a dystopia."[26] Conversely, AllMusic's Paul Simpson gave the album 2/5 stars and stated that "AmeriKKKant finds the industrial metal juggernauts railing against the alt-right, racist Internet trolls, fake news, and everything else to do with the aftermath of the 2016 election. While some of the Bush-era albums found the group reinvigorated after the lackluster Filth Pig and Dark Side of the Spoon, AmeriKKKant is just a depressing slog through and through, perfectly summed up by its Statue of Liberty facepalm cover art."[15] The album received an average score of 64/100 from 11 subscriber reviews on Metacritic.[14]

Track listing

All words and music by Al Jourgensen[27][28]

No.TitleLength
1."I Know Words"3:15
2."Twilight Zone"8:03
3."Victims of a Clown"8:18
4."TV 5/4 Chan"0:49
5."We're Tired of It"2:48
6."Wargasm"6:19
7."Antifa"4:56
8."Game Over"5:01
9."AmeriKKKa"8:30

Personnel

Ministry

  • Al Jourgensen – samplers (1, 2, 4–6, 8, 9), keyboards (1, 2, 5–7, 9), harmonica (2), guitars (2, 3, 5–7), vocals (2, 5–9), slide guitars (3, 5), backing vocals (3, 5, 6, 9), 2nd solo guitar (9)
  • Sin Quirin – guitars (2, 3, 5–8), 1st solo guitar (9)
  • Jason Christopher – bass (2, 3, 5, 8, 9)
  • DJ Swamp – turntables (1, 2, 5, 6)
  • John Bechdel – keyboards (2, 3, 9)
  • Roy Mayorga – drums (3, 8, 9)
  • Tony Campos – bass (6, 7)
  • Cesar Soto – guitar riffs (6), siren (6), sequencer (6)

Additional personnel

  • Lord of the Cello – strings (1–3)
  • Burton C. Bell – backing vocals (2, 3), vocals (5), spoken words (6)
  • Michael Rozon – drum programming (2, 3, 5–7, 9), backing vocals (3, 5, 6, 9), nord lead keyboards (8)
  • Liz Walton – samples (2, 3, 6–9), backing vocals (3, 5, 6, 9)
  • Arabian Prince – scratching (3)
  • Sam Shearon - album artwork

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[29] 73
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30] 117
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] 141
French Albums (SNEP)[32] 189
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[33] 57
Scottish Albums (OCC)[34] 67
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] 65
US Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[36] 15
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[37] 7
US Rock Albums (Billboard)[38] 50
US Tastemakers Albums (Billboard)[39] 7

References

  1. 1 2 "MINISTRY's AL JOURGENSEN Discusses New Song 'Antifa' (Video)". Blabbermouth. December 18, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  2. ↑ Rosenberg, Axl (February 21, 2018). "Ministry Release Eight-Minute-Long Song "Twilight Zone"". MetalSucks. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Ministry Detail New Album "AmeriKKKant", Debut "Antifa" Video". theprp.com. December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Ministry Sign With Nuclear Blast, Delay New Album "AmeriKKKant"". theprp.com. September 21, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Ministry Signs With Nuclear Blast; 'AmeriKKKant' Album Due In Early 2018". Blabbermouth.net. September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  6. ↑ Wolgamott, L. Kent. "Ministry's 'AmeriKKKant,' singer make views crystal clear on Trump, America". Spokesman. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  7. ↑ Kaufman, Spencer (November 12, 2018). "Ministry's Al Jourgensen on AmeriKKKant, Donald Trump, Antifa, 2020 Election, and Kanye West". Consequence. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Al Jourgensen Talks Surgical Meth Machine, Hating Facebook + New Ministry Album Possibility". Loudwire.com. April 14, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Al Jourgensen Planning New Ministry Album, Slams Republicans & Trump Supporters". theprp.com. July 13, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Ministry Working On New Material". theprp.com. February 22, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Ministry Tap Fear Factory, Ex-N.W.A., Etc. Members For New Album "AmeriKKKant"". theprp.com. May 29, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Watch Ministry Debut New Track "Antifa" Live". theprp.com. May 29, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  13. ↑ "MINISTRY: 'AmeriKKKant' Cover Artwork Unveiled; 'Antifa' Music Video Released". blabbermouth.net. Blabbermouth. December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  14. 1 2 "AmeriKKKant by Ministry Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  15. 1 2 Simpson, Paul. "AmeriKKKant – Ministry". AllMusic. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  16. ↑ O’Neal, Sean (March 9, 2018). "Ministry, AmeriKKKant [Nuclear Blast]". Ministry, Of Montreal, and more albums to know about this week. Retrieved April 29, 2018. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |website= ignored (help)
  17. ↑ Stubbs, David (March 7, 2018). "Ministry – AmeriKKKant album review". Classic Rock. Louder (Future plc). Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  18. ↑ Watson, Tom. "Ministry – 'AmeriKKKant' review". Crack Magazine. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  19. ↑ Morin, Max (March 5, 2018). "Ministry: AmeriKKKant". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  20. ↑ Brannigan, Paul (March 10, 2018). "Ministry: AmeriKKKant (Nuclear Blast)". Reviews. Kerrang!. No. 1712. p. 55. ISSN 0262-6624.
  21. ↑ Gordon, Connie (April 2018). "Ministry AmeriKKKant Nuclear Blast". Metal Hammer (307): 83. ISSN 0955-1190. OCLC 775087096.
  22. ↑ Schiller, Mike (March 9, 2018). "Ministry's 'AmeriKKKant' Isn't Exactly Subtle [Ministry: AmeriKKKant (album review)]". PopMatters. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  23. ↑ insomniac15 (March 8, 2018). "Review: Ministry – AmeriKKKant". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved March 9, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ↑ Wiederhorn, Jon (March 8, 2018). "Ministryy's AmeriKKKant: Al Jourgensen's State of the Union". Loudwire. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  25. ↑ Harrison, David (March 2005). The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles & Albums (3rd edition)2005102Neil Warwick, Jon Kutner and Tony Brown. The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles & Albums (3rd edition). London: Omnibus Press 2004. xi+1522 pp., £19.95 $29.95. Vol. 19. p. 43. doi:10.1108/09504120510580370. ISBN 1-84449-058-0. ISSN 0950-4125. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  26. ↑ "SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MINISTRY - AMERIKKKANT". The Spill Magazine. March 9, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  27. ↑ HERFitz PR. "AmeriKKKant: Lyrics and Credits". HERFitz PR. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  28. ↑ BMI. "BMI Repertoire - Ministry". BMI. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Ministry – AmeriKKKant" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Ministry – AmeriKKKant" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Ministry – AmeriKKKant" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Ministry – AmeriKKKant". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Ministry – AmeriKKKant" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Ministry – AmeriKKKant". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Ministry Chart History (Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  37. ↑ "Ministry Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  38. ↑ "Ministry Chart History (Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  39. ↑ "Ministry Chart History (Tastemakers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
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