Ministry – The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste

Ministry – The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste

The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste is one of the defining albums in the history of industrial metal, capturing Ministry at their most aggressive, abrasive and uncompromising. Originally released in 1989, the fourth studio album from Al Jourgensen and Ministry marked a major evolution from the band's earlier synth-driven industrial sound towards the punishing guitar riffs, distorted electronics and relentless rhythms that would help define industrial metal throughout the 1990s.

Following the breakthrough success of The Land Of Rape And Honey, Ministry pushed their sound even further on The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste. Dense layers of distorted guitars, programmed percussion, samples and electronic noise are combined with Jourgensen's confrontational vocals, creating a dark and claustrophobic record that still sounds remarkably intense decades after its release.

The album opens with the explosive Thieves, one of Ministry's most recognisable songs and a landmark industrial metal track. Burning Inside follows with its relentless guitar riff and pounding rhythm, while Never Believe and Cannibal Song continue the album's increasingly heavy and abrasive attack. The second side delivers some of the record's most punishing moments, from the crushing Breathe and extended industrial assault of So What to the driving Test and the darker Faith Collapsing.

The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste was hugely influential on the development of industrial metal, helping establish the blueprint later embraced by artists across the industrial, alternative and metal scenes. Its combination of heavy guitars, electronic production and confrontational songwriting makes it an essential album for fans of Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM, Skinny Puppy, Fear Factory and industrial metal.

For collectors of classic 1980s industrial music and metal vinyl, The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste remains one of Ministry's essential releases and a key record in the evolution of heavy alternative music.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Thieves – 5:00
2. Burning Inside – 5:16
3. Never Believe – 4:58
4. Cannibal Song – 6:07

Side B

1. Breathe – 5:38
2. So What – 8:12
3. Test – 6:02
4. Faith Collapsing – 4:00