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Animositisomina is an instant and solid classic. I would rank it with Psalm 69 and Land of Rape and Honey, and yet it is not derivative of those great albums. All the brutal layers of sound are here, with machine gun percussion and frenzied guitars. The time signatures are demanding and riveting and, what I think really sets this work apart, the vocals are incredible. I believe I even know what Jourgensen's voice sounds like now and .... he's got a great voice!

I'd rank "Piss" and "Broken" with Ministry stalwarts "Scarecrow" and "Stigmata", and "Leper" goes on for 9 glorious minutes of lush devastation. There is not a loser in the bunch. I hate to see another human being in pain, but if Al Jourgensen's rage results in music this intense and cathartic, then I would be willing to stand in line to poke him with a stick.

Awesome. Passionate. Pulverizing. Overwhelming. Irresistible. Jourgensen and Barker are at the top of their game, and I am so thankful. So very very thankful.


The Truth   September 10, 2004
 14 out of 25 found this review helpful

This album isn't horrible, just mediocre. I give it 2 1/2 stars. Yes, they kick up a bunch of noise, but where are the songs?? Anyone hoping for a revival of Mind Is A Terrible Thing era Ministry - forget it.

I know a lot of fans didn't like the change of direction on Filth Pig, but at least that still had some excellent songs. The most memorable song on this disc is "The Light Pours Out Of Me," which is a cover of a Magazine song from the 70s, and one which Peter Murphy already covered on his first solo disc in the early 80s.

Anyone who says this is a return to "classic" Ministry has no idea what they are talking about. Just because they throw in a few more samples this time around doesn't mean they've returned to that sound. The drums sound just like they did on Dark Side Of The Spoon, too much reverb. The album is hard and dense, but not particularly well produced. The clarity of their classic works is unfortunately absent. That could have been overlooked if there was anything memorable on here.


a bad flashback (flashback, flashback...)   March 4, 2003
 8 out of 13 found this review helpful

I regret to say that the new Ministry album, "Animositisomina," just serves as a reminder of why the band should have packed it in after "Dark Side of the Spoon" (an unjustly maligned album). Like bands who have been out of the spotlight for years or have a member who dies, this is bound to get praise just due to the fact that it's "new Ministry." However, turning a deaf ear to this album's lack of inspiration is a crime I cannot commit. For a band that was once defined for its ability to alter and expand upon their sound with each corresponding album, "Animositisomina" is a weak comeback (if you can call it that) that quotes from the trinity of albums Ministry put out in the late '80s/early '90s ("Land of Rape & Honey"/"Mind"/"Psalm 69"), trying desperately to reproduce the sound that made people buy their records in the first place. So it's kind of sad to see Al and Paul churning out a record as a little meat to please fans, not because they actually have something new to say. Since Ministry is a band known for its understated cleverness in wordplay, the decision to print the lyrics this time around was a big mistake ('In my lockbox is me/In my lockbox I'm free'...uh huh). My biggest problem with "Animositisomina" is that very few of the songs are good AS A WHOLE; there are tracks that have a strong beginning, middle, or end, but rarely all three together ('Animosity', 'Shove,' and 'Leper' are exceptions). The music itself feels tediously average, 'heaviness' masquerading for quality, and Al sounds like he's delivering these vocals from his deathbed. "Animositisomina" isn't an evolutionary step for a band that once had great influence (Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails have only been around half as long, and have already run out of ideas), it's a recession back to 1988. If you want to revisit the golden era of Ministry, you'll probably enjoy this, but why bother when you can just listen to "MindPsalmRape" instead?


Another long time Ministry fan loves this CD   March 25, 2003
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

I wrote a review for this CD a few weeks ago that never got posted. I'm glad it didn't, because I originally gave this CD 4 stars. Now that I've had a few more weeks to listen to it, I can definitely give it 5!

I hated most of Ministry's previous studio album, "Dark Side of the Spoon". I thought it was a very weak, uninspired, and badly produced CD. "Animositisomina" is the exact opposite; it's a very strong, inspired, and well produced album. This sounds like a Ministry album. The first four songs hit the listener like a sledge hammer. On track five, "Broken", Al and Paul bring in some of their RevCo/Buck Satan sound. "Light" is a fantastic cover, along the lines of "Lay, Lady, Lay" on FlithPig. Shove reminds me of one of their Lard tracks (this isn't a bad thing). They top off the disc by ending with one of their wonderful instrumentals along the lines of the last tracks on "Land", "Mind", and "Psalm".

This disc didn't grab my attention at first. Much like "Filth Pig", it took some listening for me to hear the direction that the band was going. Even though I didn't like "Filth Pig" at first because it was a straight ahead heavy rock album (Ministry's reaction to the "industrial" label placed on them), it eventually became one of my favorite CDs. "Animositisomina" did not take as long for me to get into. It is an album takes the feelings of all of Ministry's previous efforts, and puts them in a blender. This CD stands out from a lot of the other heavy music out there right now because it is, indeed, actually heavy; and, more important, it is creative.


Ministry. Ministry. Ministry.   February 27, 2005
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I really believe that this is up there with their earlier work. This is definitely hypnotic. But not in the way of bands such as Sunn 0))) or 0-l even..This is a different type of Hypnotic. Repetitive in a small way, but if you are already a fan of Ministry, i doubt you could hate this record.

This album starts off with a crushing riff, and it just gets better and better. Animosity, Unsung, Piss, The Light Pours Out of Me (Especially "hypnotic" when the drumming hardly changes a beat), Shove, Stolen and Leper are my personal favourites on this album.

The whole album is very loud. Just like their newest album, Houses of the Mole, is loud too. And it being loud is a good thing, obviously. Ministry are very influential, and combine crushing riffs that sometimes repeat themselves over and over again, with eerie, sometimes shouty, vocals..All in all, look no further than this band for THE definition of Industrial Metal.

This album should not be overlooked for any reason. It is easily up there, like i said, with their earlier work..And every fan must, and probably does by now, own this. The final song Leper, is just an example of what i mean by hypnotic..As it goes for 9:05 mins. And the ending riff, that goes for just about 5 mins, will stay in your head for a long time after you hear it. This album deserves respect. 5/5