There’s no denying this is an album charged with socio-political ideas and statements. The cover and the title were pretty evident of this album’s goal. But you’ll be pleased to know it’s not just another president bashing with the usual moaning. It does hit at the obvious targets like Trump and the current American government, but also covers society as a whole, with Al pointing out some truth in the whole situation and trying to instigate a change.
The word around the campfire was that the last Ministry album would be the last. So this was something of a surprise. Five years since their last offering, and their first on Nuclear Blast. And with the death of long time guitarist Mike Scaccia still reasonably fresh I did wonder what kind of angle this album would have.
It’s hard to fault the music itself on this album. It’s also one of Ministry’s most experimental undertakings to date, covering a broad spectrum of metal, with moments of blues guitar, brass accompaniment, blistering solos and even harmonica. A combination that I found unbelievably enjoyable. It’s an astonishingly good musical album, with some superb guitar work, rock solid drumming and the inclusion of some very unusual instruments. AMERIKKANT has a massive sound that hits hard and doesn’t give up. The production is superb and maybe it’s just me, but it seems really really loud.
The overall theme of the album is very evident, especially with tracks like ‘Wargasm’, ‘We’re tired of it’ and ‘Antifa’. The one drawback of this however is that a lot of time is dedicated to sound bites and samples of Trump, Bush and assorted other political speeches. And I mean A LOT. The actual amount of time Al spends singing on this is minimal for an album. Which is a shame, as when he does his voice sounds demonic and powerful. Some like their music politically charged, others don’t, but either way this is a bit too much. I would estimate it’s more than half the album. And with some of it scratched in on a turntable it gets a bit done to death after a while.
All that said and done, AMERIKKANT has it’s place in the Ministry discography, and a fitting war cry against the current establishment. A solid and powerful record which just missed out on excellence.
