After 12 albums and 27 years (including four Grammy nominations (2006 Lieslieslies, 2005 The Great Satan, 2000 Bad Blood and 1993 N.W.O)  Great Uncle Als decided that the MINISTRY garage is ready to close its doors, leaving The Last Sucker as his 12th, and absolutely  final, Ministry studio offering.

"I think the synchronicity of it all is amazing," says Jourgensen. "Here we are, all coming to a boiling pop. Bush is leaving and I'm leaving, because I've got other shit to do. Its just a nice little bow and ribbon on top of the entire package"

And being the last in what has become a trilogy of government-fuelled, material, it positively spits and sizzles with grease and venom, each joint heaving under the pressure of emotionally relentless delivery.

"Let's go to the edge of disaster
Push the pedal and go a little faster"

Which is why from the first double-digit salvo of "Let's Go," with its deliciously bizarre dance ability adding a trademark Ministry accent to its wasteland brutality, you'll  hear a glorious smorgasbord of  Ministry mayhem. Strap on "Death & Destruction" for joyriding thrills, "Watch Yourself" for its distinctive Ministry "sample and slam you" warning,  "The Dick Song" for Ministry's tribute to the current US Veep, and a propane-powered cover of "Roadhouse Blues" that satisfies an old craving Jourgensen's had to resuscitate the classic Doors cut.

Being that this is the last Ministry album, Jourgensen wanted to make sure that the personnel were up to the task of helping him "get every last ounce of metal out of me." So it was that he was joined by Paul Raven on bass and Tommy Victor on guitar from the "Rio Grande Blood" album and tour, plus the addition of touring guitarist Sin Qurin to the fold.

"The great thing about this line-up, as it was with the last album which had the same band except Sin didn't record with us, is that we can enjoy the punches and just roll through them," says Jourgensen. "So just like before we just buckled up and let the songs take us to a certain place instead of vice-versa."

I disregard those who govern me
I hate all of this treachery
I numb my mind and try to walk away
Toward the trail of tears and to the end of days

Amidst the previously described fury sits the true embodiment of this creative ethos, "The End Of Days" parts 1 & 2 capturing every single element of Ministry's pioneering uniqueness in the world of industrial music. Between a thundering rhythm sit layers of spoken word and orchestral arrangements, both used as delicious supporting accents for the main event.

"What's ironic is that this is the first song ever on a Ministry record that was a one-take jam. Raven, Tommy and me, we just jammed for 14 minutes and it was great. Raven's joint never even left his mouth and I didn't change anything. And the orchestral stuff is something I love to wrap my mind around when I get the chance to fit it within the framework of a song. I mean if you look at "Psalm 69" which was one of my favorite studio songs, and also the remix of "No W," each of those have over a hundred tracks of choral vocals and an entire symphony! So yeah, when I see the opportunity for that sort of stuff, I jump into it full fire."

The cut also features a guest appearance by Fear Factory frontman Burton C. Bell, whom Jourgensen met on tour last year when the two bands played some shows together.

"He asked if there was anything he could do on the last Ministry album, I was very happy to see what unfolded. So he came down, we went out in El Paso, he wound up biting curb and throwing up his last week's worth of food from his belly after drinking with me for a night, and I think that what you end up hearing is a new Nick Cave."

You go to war without a care in the world
No matter what the cost
Must be a reason for all this treason
It never mattered if we won or lost

As for the sleepless nights spent working through the hours of Bush sound bites for "The Last Sucker," Jourgensen wants to make something perfectly clear.
"I don't know if people think I enjoy it, but I view it as a necessary and very uncomfortable evil I've had to endure," he sighs, "me and my engineer Bixby were hunched over a computer listening to this fucking idiot until our minds were numb. I mean, I am absolutely stupider for listening to his drivel for such concentrated periods of time."

Balance between actions of the moment and the national welfare of the future
We annually spend on military security alone more than the net income of all United States corporations
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex

Which sets up a fitting irony for the final four minutes of Ministry's last ever recorded moments: a speech from former President Dwight Eisenhower.

"Ironic that I'm closing everything out with a Republican," chuckles Jourgensen, "but it's so fitting with what's happening right now, which in itself is an irony. And that's the thing, I went through Watergate. I was 12 years old and already fully briefed and reading the papers, so I lived through that era and was actually very cognizant of it. So I don't grab my heart and have a heart attack over the "shock" of how corrupt it is."

Become a rascal and a scandalous type
(And I just can't take this anymore!)

For those who still aren't sure, Jourgensen is adamant that "The Last Sucker" will be Ministry's final studio album.

"I feel it's very, very important. I really loathe seeing bands that hang on too long. I don't need the fucking money, there's nothing that I'm really wanting for in life, and I feel that I'm really on top of my game right now, and I don't want to go past that. I do not want Ministry to be a caricature of itself five years from now."

Perhaps you should also avoid asking if Al Jourgensen is therefore heading into some wheelchair-bound,colostomy-bag-strapped retirement.
"Oh yeah, I'm just gonna lounge around and smoke clove cigarettes for the rest of my fucking life!" he spits with an aggressive chuckle. "Here's the thing. We have our label, 13th Planet Records, and I'll be focusing on working with the younger bands we sign and producing some of them. There's a lot of other people that will have the angst that I have now and that I have had for many years,  and they can continue that same kind of movement or cause with me offering some guidance where requested, or not as the case may be!"

"The Last Sucker" might well be the end of the Ministry journey,but rest-assured, its chief mechanic and designer has plenty more lead in his pipe.

- Steffan Chirazi