As of 2021, the discography of American
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is the fusion of heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Prominent industrial metal acts include Ministry, Nine In ...
band
Ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
, which was founded and is fronted by
Al Jourgensen
Alain David Jourgensen (born Alejandro Ramírez Casas; October 9, 1958) is a Cuban-American singer, musician and music producer. Closely related with the independent record label Wax Trax! Records, his musical career spans four decades. He is be ...
, consists of fifteen
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
s, eight
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
s, fourteen
compilation
Compilation may refer to:
*In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler
**Compilation error
**Compilation unit
*Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products
*Compilation thesis
M ...
and
remix album
A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson (''Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 2007 ...
s, thirty singles, five video albums (including video versions of live albums) and twenty
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
s. Several tracks spanning from 1981 to 1994 in studio, live and cover formats have remained unreleased by the band.
Formed in 1981, the band made their recording debut with the single "
I'm Falling / Cold Life", released by
Wax Trax! Records
Wax Trax! Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago. It began as a record shop in Denver, Colorado, opened by life partners Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher, who sold the store in 1978 and moved to Chicago. In November of that y ...
in the US and
Situation Two
Situation Two (a.k.a. Situation 2) was a British independent record label founded in 1981 by Peter Kent as an offshoot of the Beggars Banquet label. At the time, Beggars Banquet releases were often distributed by WEA; to appeal to the indie ...
in the UK, respectively. Signing a short-lived contract with
Arista Records
Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...
, the band released their debut studio album, ''
With Sympathy
''With Sympathy'' is the debut studio album by American industrial band Ministry, released on May 10, 1983 by Arista Records. The group was formed in 1981 by lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Al Jourgensen, with drummer Stephen George being ...
'', which hit the upper 90s in the
''Billboard'' 200, in May 1983. Following a departure from Arista, Ministry returned on Wax Trax!, where several singles—including the club hit "
(Every Day Is) Halloween
"All Day" and "(Every Day Is) Halloween" are songs by American band Ministry, both written and produced by Al Jourgensen. These were originally released by Wax Trax! Records in 1984 as Ministry's “comeback” single following their departure fr ...
"—were released in 1984–1985.
After signing a deal with
Sire Records
Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records.
History Beginnings
The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer ...
in 1985, the band released the single “Over the Shoulder”, which was followed by the album ''
Twitch
Twitch may refer to:
Biology
* Muscle contraction
** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation
** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction
** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle con ...
'' in March 1986; co-produced by Jourgensen and
Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Maxwell Sherwood (born 20 January 1958, London, England) is an English record producer specialising in the genre of dub music. He has created a distinctive production style based on the application of dub effects and dub mixing technique ...
, ''Twitch'' hit No. 194 in the ''Billboard'' 200 and was regarded by profile commentators as a turning point in Ministry' artistic style.
[; ]
In 1988-89, Ministry releases ''
The Land of Rape and Honey
''The Land of Rape and Honey'' is the third studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on October 11, 1988, by Sire Records. This is the first Ministry album to include bassist Paul Barker and marks a departure from the ba ...
'' and ''
The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste
''The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste'' is the fourth studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on November 14, 1989 by Sire Records. The music took a more hardcore, aggressively guitar-driven direction, with Jourgens ...
''. Both positively received by music press, these two albums hit the upper 160s in the ''Billboard'' 200, and were
certified gold
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
by
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. During the tour in support of ''The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste'', the band recorded their debut live album, ''
In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up
''In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up'' is a live album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on September 4, 1990, by Sire Records.
Critical reception and legacy
Audio from the live performance of "Breathe", subtitled "Live ...
'', released in 1990.
Albums
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilation and remix albums
Singles
Unreleased tracks
Boxed sets
*''Box'' (1993)
*''Just Another Fix'' (1995)
*''3 for One Box'' (2000)
*''Original Album Series'' (2011)
*''
Trax Box!'' (2015)
Videos
Full length videos
*''
In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up
''In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up'' is a live album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on September 4, 1990, by Sire Records.
Critical reception and legacy
Audio from the live performance of "Breathe", subtitled "Live ...
'' (1990)
*''
Tapes of Wrath
''Tapes of Wrath'' is a compilation of promotional videos by American industrial metal band Ministry and their side project Revolting Cocks. Available both in VHS and DVD format, as well as in its entirety on the Internet Archive. '' (2000)
*''
Sphinctour
''Sphinctour'' is a live CD/DVD/VHS release by the industrial metal band Ministry released in 2002. It contains various tracks recorded on their 1996 world tour in support of the album '' Filth Pig''. The album title is a play on the word sphinct ...
'' (2002)
*''
Adios... Puta Madres'' (2009)
Music videos
Other appearances
Tribute albums
*''An Industrial Tribute to Ministry''
*''Wish You Were Queer: A Tribute to Ministry''
*''Another Prick In the Wall: A Tribute to Ministry - Volume 2''
*''Devilswork: Tribute to Ministry''
References
Notes
Citations
Further reading
*
*
*
{{Ministry (band)
Heavy metal group discographies
Discographies of American artists
Discography
Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...