Ministry’s AmeriKKKant is an unabashedly in-your-face statement of the dissent with, and the descent of our current socio-political state of affairs. It is both their 2018 album title and the controversial theme of their tour.
Ministry
Supporting Ministry on Tour, Alien Weaponry is a stellar thrash metal band from New Zealand. This headliner-worthy trio of metal-banging teens are more than meets the surface. They are of Maori descent and represent by singing in their native language. Their metal with a message speaks to the historical struggles of New Zealand as they thrive to keep the Maori language alive. DO check out their 2018 release ‘Tū’.
The title of their song “Antifa” on the album combined with the ‘triple-k’ contained within AmeriKKKant’s album title are a startling collision of symbolism. The same shocking and unnerving themes are executed on stage with their props, flags, and imagery all with this dark historical bent.
At their San Diego’s House of Blues show, Ministry’s Frontman Al Jourgensen descends onstage to an oversized lectern. The lectern is a work of art and the stage’s unmistakable focal point. It is emblazoned with an illuminated cross, while a myriad of microphones, both contemporary and retro, springs from the top. Its ornamentation is finished off by random twisted steampunk metal bits and rebar.
Jourgensen’s face is captivating. His intricately-tattooed mug is punctuated by metal spikes and piercings. Atop, he wears a crown of Medusa-like dreads.
An hour into the show, Jourgensen announces that they are going to play a ‘dinosaur’ from way back. I clung to the hope that they would perform one his early 1980’s darkwave hits. Alas, they launched into their 1988 and decidedly alternative metal song, “The Land Of Rape And Honey,” from the album of the same name.
AmeriKKKant’s anti-establishment and thought-provoking music will course through your veins.