Ministry

Industrial metal magnate Al Jourgensen lays to rest his influential outfit Ministry with one closing flip-off to the system. The third and final chapter of political diatribe against the Bush administration, which began with 2004’s Houses of the Molé and continued with last year’s Rio Grande Blood, The Last Sucker carries on the tradition of bashing the Bushes that rightfully started over a decade ago with 1992’s Psalm 69. In truth, "Let’s Go,” "Watch Yourself” and "Life Is Good” recycle the catchiest beats from Psalm 69 but with a venomous snarl all their own. "The Dick Song” (uproariously penned about Dick Cheney) sounds like slower Slayer, and the title track acquires a Prong slant courtesy of Prong players Tommy Victor (guitar) and Paul Raven (bass). The throbbing guitars in "Death & Destruction” enhance a particularly creepy refrain by Dubya, and buzz-bombing riffs demolish the band’s thrash-y cover of the Doors’ "Roadhouse Blues.” Featuring guest spoken-word vocals by Fear Factory’s Burt Bell, "End of Days” wraps up with a dated yet poignant speech from former president Dwight Eisenhower. The Last Sucker proves to be Jourgensen’s ultimate effrontery, as this 26-year-old band couldn’t have made a more acerbic or fitting swansong.