Ministry this week premiered a new song called “Alert Level” off the band’s upcoming 15th studio album that Al Jourgensen and Co. had begun recording earlier this year before the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the music industry and all manner of daily life.
The industrial-metal song, which you can hear below, is the first new material from Jourgensen since 2018’s AmeriKKKant and will be included on the follow-up to that record, to be released by Nuclear Blast.
It noticeably does not feature — at least according to the credits included in a news release — the work of guitarist Sin Quirin, who in January was accused of sexual relationships with two underage girls in a lengthy investigation published by Billboard. Quirin denied to Billboard having sexual contact with any minors.
The sexual-misconduct allegations predated Quirin’s time in Ministry, but Jourgensen has yet to address them publicly. It’s not clear whether Quirin remains a member of Ministry, but the guitar work on “Alert Level” is credited to Jourgensen and Cesar Soto, who has been in the band since 2015.
Of the new song, Jourgensen says in a news release:
“We finished the song in January and it sounded great during rehearsals for our Australia/Japan tour dates, before we went into quarantine. The original plan was to finish the new record before the July ‘Industrial Strength’ U.S. tour so we could have an Election Day release, but in lieu of the circumstances — and how relevant the song feels for these bizarre times — we decided to release ‘Alert Level’ now. Considering that this song features the question ‘How concerned are you?’ I’ll be interested to see how folks answer it themselves.”
To that end, Ministry is asking fans to answer the question “How concerned are you?” in short videos, less than 30 seconds, on social media using the hashtag #MinistryAlertLevel.
As for the band’s Industrial Strength tour, the 25-date summer trek across the U.S. with KMFDM and Front Line Assembly is still on the books, but almost certainly won’t happen as coronavirus social-distancing necessities will continue to curtail live music and other mass events for the foreseeable future.
Check out the new song right here:
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Bill Rieflin, drummer for Ministry, Pigface, RevCo and R.E.M., dead at 59
- Ministry’s Industrial Strength Tour to feature KMFDM and Front Line Assembly
- Listen: Ministry releases (mostly) full show from ‘In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up’
- Pay $10,000 for Ministry’s new ‘AmeriKKKant’ and Al Jourgensen will remix your song
- Ministry’s ‘Same Old Madness’ finally released on ‘Twelve Inch Singles 1981-1984’ reissue
- Watch Al Jourgensen moonlight as a TV weatherman ahead of new Ministry tour, live album
Killing Joke called and wants their Killing Joke back.
They’ve made a million and three songs that sound exactly this. Next time instead of ripping off Killing Jokes “Eighties” how bout ripping off your own “Nature of Love”
@Dan, & @Dental Practice.. We could all do that shit all day with any band that’s been around for longer than 30 years. Boring comments. Killing Joke is a great band, but has so many songs that mimic others. Why talk crap on a great band and use a band with similar influences and fan bases to prove your hollow point?
I’m very concerned. Concerned that Al is still in denial about “With Sympathy” …. which remains the greatest Ministry album ever made.