Rio Grande Blood | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 2, 2006 | |||
Recorded | 2005 at 13th Planet Studios, El Paso, Texas | |||
Genre | Industrial metal, thrash metal | |||
Length | 51:18 | |||
Label | 13th Planet, Megaforce | |||
Producer | Al Jourgensen | |||
Ministry chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10 [2] |
Pitchfork | 6.4/10 [3] |
PopMatters | 8/10 [4] |
Sputnikmusic | [5] |
Stylus | B− [6] |
Rio Grande Blood is the tenth studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released in 2006. It is their first release through 13th Planet and Megaforce Records.
The album is the second installment in the band's anti-George W. Bush trilogy, preceded by 2004's Houses of the Molé and followed by 2007's The Last Sucker .
The title of the album is a parody of the 1972 ZZ Top album Rio Grande Mud . [7] [8]
Just like Houses of the Molé, Rio Grande Blood contains very political lyrics, making frequent allusions to the George W. Bush administration. The second track makes an explicit reference to Bush as Señor Peligro, which translates to "Mr. Danger" in Spanish. Some of the issues raised include the then-current Iraq War, U.S. immigration policy and U.S. military policy (particularly the United States Marine Corps in the song "Gangreen"). The Halliburton corporation is also quoted and linked to the Bush administration.
The album also contains allegations of the Bush administration complicity in the September 11 attacks in the track "Lieslieslies," which contains audio samples from the conspiracy documentary series Loose Change . [7] The song received a nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 49th Grammy Awards. [9] [7]
A remix of the song "The Great Satan" from Rantology appears on this album. Along with "LiesLiesLies", "The Great Satan" was also nominated for a Grammy. [9] [7]
Samples of genuine Bush soundbites are cut-and-pasted together at various points to satirical effect: for example, the title track begins with Bush stating "I have adopted sophisticated terrorist tactics and I'm a dangerous, dangerous man with dangerous, dangerous weapons."
The album was re-released in remixed form as Rio Grande Dub on July 10, 2007.
Jourgensen ranks Rio Grande Blood as his second favorite Ministry album saying that not only he liked the songs but he had a good time working with Paul Raven and Tommy Victor. He was also proud that some of the songs were used in the 2008 Academy Award winning film The Hurt Locker . [10]
All tracks are written by Al Jourgensen and Tommy Victor, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Rio Grande Blood" | Jourgensen | 4:24 |
2. | "Señor Peligro" | 3:38 | |
3. | "Gangreen" (feat. Sgt. Major) | 6:00 | |
4. | "Fear (Is Big Business)" | 4:51 | |
5. | "LiesLiesLies" | 5:16 | |
6. | "The Great Satan" (Remix) | Jourgensen | 3:09 |
7. | "Yellow Cake" | Jourgensen, Paul Raven | 4:35 |
8. | "Palestina" | 3:18 | |
9. | "Ass Clown" (feat. Jello Biafra) | Jourgensen, Raven | 6:42 |
10. | "Khyber Pass" (feat. Liz Constantine) | Jourgensen, Raven, Victor | 7:31 |
11. | Untitled (silent track) | 0:04 | |
12. | Untitled (silent track) | 0:06 | |
13. | "Sgt. Major Redux" (feat. Sgt. Major) | 1:45 | |
Total length: | 51:18 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "LiesLiesLies" (Jungle Remixxx) | 9:34 |
Chart (2006) | Peak position |
---|---|
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [14] | 60 |
US Billboard 200 [15] | 134 |
US Independent Albums ( Billboard ) [16] | 11 |
US Tastemakers Albums (Billboard) [17] | 12 |
US Top Internet Albums [18] | 134 |
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1981 by producer, singer, and instrumentalist Al Jourgensen. Originally a synth-pop outfit, Ministry evolved into one of the pioneers of industrial rock and industrial metal in the late 1980s. The band's lineup has changed frequently, leaving Jourgensen as the sole original member. Musicians who have contributed to the band's studio or live activities include vocalists Nivek Ogre, Chris Connelly, Gibby Haynes, Burton C. Bell and Jello Biafra, guitarists Mike Scaccia and Tommy Victor, guitarist Cesar Soto, bassists Paul Barker, Paul Raven, Jason Christopher, Tony Campos and Paul D'Amour, drummers Jimmy DeGrasso, Bill Rieflin, Martin Atkins, Rey Washam, Max Brody, Joey Jordison and Roy Mayorga, keyboardist John Bechdel, and rappers and producers DJ Swamp and Arabian Prince.
The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste is the fourth studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on November 14, 1989 by Sire Records. The music took a more hardcore, aggressively guitar-driven direction, with Jourgensen inspired by Stormtroopers of Death and Rigor Mortis to add thrash metal guitars to the album and subsequent Ministry releases. As with most of Ministry's work, the album's lyrics deal mainly with political corruption, cultural violence, environmental degradation, nuclear war, drug addiction, and insanity.
ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ is the fifth studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on July 14, 1992, by Sire Records. It was produced by frontman Al Jourgensen and bassist Paul Barker, and was recorded from March 1991 to May 1992 in Chicago, Illinois and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The album's title, initially intended to be The Tapes of Wrath, ended up being derived from Aleister Crowley's The Book of Lies.
Dark Side of the Spoon is the seventh studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on June 8, 1999, by Warner Bros. Records. "Bad Blood" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2000.
The Land of Rape and Honey is the third studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on October 11, 1988, by Sire Records. This is the first Ministry album to include bassist Paul Barker and marks a departure from the band's previous two synthpop and EBM records. It incorporates heavy metal guitars and industrial music influences, and Al Jourgensen uses distorted vocals in his natural accent, rather than the faux British accent of previous albums. The resulting sound was influential in the industrial metal genre and is Jourgensen's favorite Ministry album. The album was certified gold by the RIAA in January 1996.
Animositisomina is the eighth studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on February 18, 2003 by Sanctuary Records.
Filth Pig is the sixth studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on January 30, 1996, by Warner Bros. Records. The title was allegedly derived from a statement made in the British Houses of Parliament, in which the band's leader Al Jourgensen was described as a "filthy pig" for his onstage theatrics by MP Teddy Taylor.
With Sympathy is the debut studio album by American industrial band Ministry, released on May 10, 1983 by Arista Records. The group was formed in 1981 by lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Al Jourgensen, with drummer Stephen George being the most notable member of its initial lineup. The album was briefly re-released overseas as Work for Love.
Houses of the Molé is the ninth studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on June 21, 2004 by Sanctuary Records. It is noteworthy for being the first Ministry album not to feature bassist and longtime collaborator Paul Barker since Twitch (1986). It was also the first album to feature Mike Scaccia on guitar since 1996's Filth Pig.
Alain David Jourgensen is a Cuban-American singer, musician and music producer. Closely related with the independent record label Wax Trax! Records, his musical career spans four decades. He is the frontman and lyricist of the industrial metal band Ministry, which he founded in 1981 and of which he remains the only constant member. He was the primary musician of several Ministry-related projects, such as Revolting Cocks, Lard, and Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters. Jourgensen is a prominent figure in industrial music, influencing numerous other groups and musicians, both in alternative and industrial-associated acts.
The Last Sucker is the eleventh studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, released in 2007 through 13th Planet Records. For three years until their reformation in 2011, it was the band's last studio album featuring new material.
"N.W.O." is a song by American industrial metal band Ministry, released as the opening track and second single from their fifth studio album Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (1992). An industrial metal song, it was co-written and co-produced by the band’s frontman Al Jourgensen and bassist Paul Barker, and is widely regarded as a protest against then-President George H. W. Bush, featuring samples from his speeches. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award under the Best Metal Performance category in 1993, and was featured in the soundtrack album of Ralph Bakshi’s 1992 film Cool World. In 1994, the song was used in a Spin Magazine commercial which featured Jourgensen, among others. In 2015, "N.W.O." was ranked #10 in the VH1 "Top 10 Hardest Hitting Heavy Metal Political Anthems" list.
"Jesus Built My Hotrod" is a song by American industrial metal band Ministry, released as the first single from their fifth studio album, Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs. It was written by the band's frontman Al Jourgensen, bassist Paul Barker, drummer Bill Rieflin, session keyboardist Michael Balch, and guest vocalist Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers, and was co-produced by Jourgensen and Barker. An industrial metal track with a polyrhythmic structure, the also features elements of rockabilly and psychobilly, and is influenced by the Trashmen 1963 hit "Surfin' Bird", and Flannery O'Connor's novel Wise Blood.
Adios... Puta Madres is a live album by Ministry, released on March 31, 2009 on 13th Planet Records. The album was recorded at various locations on Ministry's farewell tour, dubbed the "C U LaTouR". In 2009, "Señor Peligro" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Metal Performance for the 52nd Grammy Awards.
Relapse is the twelfth studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, which was released on March 23, 2012 through 13th Planet Records. It was recorded in the wake of their three-year hiatus from November 2008 to August 2011 and Al Jourgensen's near-death experience in 2010. Relapse is also the last Ministry album released during guitarist Mike Scaccia's lifetime, although he appeared posthumously on the band's next album, From Beer to Eternity.
From Beer to Eternity is the thirteenth studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on September 6, 2013 by 13th Planet Records. Although frontman Al Jourgensen had previously stated that this was going to be Ministry's final album, a follow-up album, AmeriKKKant, was released in 2018. From Beer to Eternity was also the first Ministry album since Houses of the Molé (2004) not to feature Tommy Victor on guitars or bass.
"I'm Falling" and "Cold Life" are songs by American Industrial band Ministry. Written by Al Jourgensen, these were first released in 1981 by Wax Trax! Records, as the band's debut single. Initially featuring "I'm Falling" as the A-side, the single found success via its B-side, "Cold Life", which was chosen as the A-side on release in the UK. In 1985, during Ministry's short-lived return on Wax Trax!, the single was reissued with "Cold Life" as the A-side.
"LiesLiesLies" is a Grammy-nominated song by American industrial metal band Ministry. The song is the fifth track on the band's tenth studio album, Rio Grande Blood. The audio samples in the song are from the documentary Loose Change.
AmeriKKKant is the fourteenth studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, which was released on March 9, 2018. 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.
Moral Hygiene is the fifteenth studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on October 1, 2021. In production for about three years, following the release of AmeriKKKant (2018), this album marks the band's first collaboration with bassist Paul D'Amour, who joined Ministry in 2019, and the first to include a cover song since Relapse (2012). Moral Hygiene also includes guest appearances from guitarist Billy Morrison, former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, former N.W.A member Arabian Prince and Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen's former bandmate in Lard, Jello Biafra. It also marks the first album since Rio Grande Blood (2006) to not feature guitarist Sin Quirin, who quit the band in March 2021 following the previous year's allegations of underage sexual relations.