ian mackaye

Veteran industrial outfit Ministry are looking to rewrite their own history with their next album.
March 28 will see the band issue their new album, The Squirrely Years Revisited. As the title indicates, it sees Ministry revisiting their earlier, somewhat despised ‘80s material. “Since I hated my early stuff for decades, I decided to take ownership of it and do it right,” singer and founding member Al Jourgensen said in a statement.

Ministry first formed in Chicago, IL back in 1981, albeit with a far different sound to what contemporary fans would be familiar with. At the time, the group featured a decidedly synth-pop sound, and following shows alongside Depeche Mode, Culture Club, and A Flock of Seagulls, they issued their debut album With Sympathy in 1983.

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The material on that record largely disappeared from setlists by the end of 1984, and in 1986, the band released their sophomore record Twitch. Harnessing a sonic shift for the band, it was still influenced by synth-heavy bands of the era, but featured a darker, more industrial lean to it.

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Though Jourgensen claimed that record label influence had pressured him to not only venture into this synth-pop style, but also adopt an English accent for With Sympathy, Jourgensen’s future Pailhead bandmate Ian MacKaye later claimed that the Ministry founder only discovered heavier music after the band’s first two records.

Regardless of the timeline, Ministry leaned into this far heavier sound for their third album, 1988’s The Land of Rape and Honey, and by the ’90s, the group had become an influential presence on the industrial scene, with 1996’s Filth Pig peaking at No. 19 on the Billboard 200.

Ministry previously broke up in 2008 following their C-U-LaTour farewell jaunt, but would later reform in 2011. In recent years, Jourgensen has spoken of an impending split, with Ministry signing a deal in 2024 for the band’s final album.

However, The Squirrely Years Revisited will not be that final release from the group, with a statement from the band noting that it “comes ahead of the final new studio album from Ministry in 2026, a record that has Jourgensen teaming up with Paul Barker once again”. 

The Squirrely Years Revisited will largely consist of material originally featured on With Sympathy, along with re-recordings of 1985 single “(Every Day Is) Halloween”, and rarities such as “Same Old Madness” and “I’ll Do Anything For You”. Their Twitch album will also be revisited, but only for three tracks exclusive to the CD edition.

Ministry will also embark on a North American tour in April, performing alongside Die Krupps, Nitzer Ebb, and My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult.