It has often been said that
Ministry, more than anyone, made
industrial music safe for headbangers. Thanks to
Al Jourgensen and his Chicago colleagues, many
Iron Maiden,
Metallica, and
Judas Priest fans started listening to
industrial. Some of the headbangers who were turned on to
industrial by
Jourgensen's outfit only became casual
industrial fans; the luckiest converts, however, went on to experience the brutal pleasures of
Throbbing Gristle,
Skinny Puppy,
Front Line Assembly, and
Einstuerdenze Neubauten. But while
Ministry certainly opened doors, there are some
industrial purists who feel that the band became too
metal along the way -- and those are the people who may have a hard time appreciating
Sphinctour. A collection of live performances from 1996,
Sphinctour emphasizes material from
Filth Pig and the excellent
Psalm 69. Neither of those studio albums catered to
industrial purists; both are for people who like their
industrial laced with a huge dose of
alternative metal, and the same goes for
Sphinctour. From
"Scarecrow," "N.W.O.," and
"Crumb" to
"Just One Fix," this CD is extremely headbanger-friendly. And while that will inevitably offend some
industrial purists -- who would be better off sticking to classic
Skinny Puppy and
Throbbing Gristle recordings of the '80s -- it is good news if you like
industrial at its most
metal-minded. Some listeners will complain about the absence of
"Jesus Built My Hot Rod" and longtime fans may argue that
Sphinctour, by placing so much emphasis on songs from
Psalm 69 and
Filth Pig, doesn't paint as well-rounded a picture of
Ministry as it should. Those are valid complaints, but all things considered,
Sphinctour is an exciting, if imperfect, document of
Ministry's 1996 tour. ~ Alex Henderson
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