Al Jourgensen might redo old Ministry songs he hated.
“Since I hated my early stuff for decades, I decided to take ownership of it and do it right,” the frontman shared in a new statement, via Revolver.
Jourgensen has re-recorded Ministry’s early ’80s songs for a new collection, ‘The Squirrely Years Revisited,’ coming this spring. He performed some of these tracks live last year at the Cruel World festival.
‘The Squirrely Years Revisited’ drops on March 28 via Cleopatra Records. It features nine re-recorded songs, with three extra tracks on the CD. Songs include ‘Everyday Is Halloween,’ ‘Work for Love,’ and ‘I’m Not An Effigy.’ Music videos are also coming soon.
Ministry was formed in Chicago in 1981 with a synth-pop sound. They toured with Depeche Mode and Culture Club before releasing ‘With Sympathy’ in 1983. By 1984, they moved away from that style, and in 1986, they released ‘Twitch,’ which had a darker, industrial feel, per Billboard.
Jourgensen later said the record label pushed him into synth-pop and even using an English accent. Ian MacKaye claimed Jourgensen only got into heavier music after those first albums.
By 1988, Ministry fully embraced a heavier sound with ‘The Land of Rape’ and Honey.’ In the ’90s, they became a major force in industrial music, with ‘Filth Pig’ reaching Number 19 on the Billboard 200 in 1996.
Al Jourgensen and his band will tour this spring, starting April 29 in Phoenix, Arizona. Nitzer Ebb, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, and Die Krupps will join on select dates. The tour also includes a stop at the Sonic Temple festival in Ohio.
