I suppose you could say that Ministry fills their niche nicely, though it would be hard for me to articulate just what that niche is. Their music has always been extremely violent, fast-paced, heavy-handed, almost hysterical with rage, but this has been tempered by political and social messages that are not found in the lyrics of similar bands like KMFDM, Static X, and Marilyn Manson (indeed a strong case could be made that most of Marilyn Manson’s theatrics and shock tactics were learned from Ministry.)

Most people, if they are familiar with the band at all have heard the song “New World Order” which samples a speech from George Bush (senior) and juxtaposes it with crashing, distorted guitar loops and siren sounds. In the early nineties, when conservatives were just starting to sell off little bits of America to corporations and establish their tradition of military imperialism in the Middle East, Ministry’s political message was welcome. It was not the self-righteous, sensitive, boiled down, hug the baby seals politics of it’s contemporaries like Pearl Jam and U2. It stated, loudly and violently, that you, the listener are being gang-raped by a bunch of rich white guys, and it often proposed that violent anarchy was the solution. The music, while angry, was at least at that time something new, a mix of speed metal and techno, a collision of sound so dramatic that it was generally what I played in my bedroom when I wanted to make my parents angry with me (this was the early nineties mind you, over ten years ago.) It was effective at accomplishing this.

As far as any of this goes, Houses of the Molé is not much of a departure from their previous efforts either musically or politically; only instead of denouncing Bush Sr., the band’s new target is George W. Does this make for good music? Well, if you like Ministry and don’t mind the Bush-bashing you will enjoy this recording. It is solid, consistent, and surprisingly not overdone. Be warned though that there is nothing new or surprising here—the same guitar and drum loops, the same audio samples from speeches and news broadcasts, the same “tricks” that the band has relied on in the past. In that sense, it is as if the band has taken the best from all of their previous releases, and melded them together for this new recording. The politics? Well, for me it came across as too much a statement of the obvious, but I suspect that given the niche the band clearly fits into, they might just have the potential to reach listeners who may not otherwise engage in political thinking.