The Last Sucker is by no means a groundbreaking record, being musically similar and pretty much thematically identical to Ministry's previous two records. However, it's more consistent and more aggressive than either of those, and it's one of the best Ministry records since their late '80s--early '90s heyday.
The Motorhead-paced opener 'Let's Go,' sets the stage for the rest of the album, a barrage of electro-thrash which not only doesn't let up, but gets heavier as it goes on. As always, Jourgensen picks the best collaborators (Tommy Victor provides more than enough alterna-metal riffage to make you crave Prong's comeback record), and the sound clips are better than they've been in years. Sure, it's kind of funny to hear Jourgensen manipulate George W. sound bytes into calling himself an asshole, but it's downright creepy to hear real, unaffected clips of the supposed free world leader stammering over asserting his authority. Even if Jourgensen's eagerness to call out the bad guys by name ensures that in 20 years some of this will sound as dated as 'California Über Alles,' one can't help but admire his fearlessness, and musically he sounds as invigorated as ever. 'Watch Yourself' warns of the consequences of dissent, and 'The Dick Song' mocks the Vice-President's unfounded assertions that "we're winning."
Relentlessly fast and heavy, 'Death Destruction' and 'Die in a Crash' are sound proof that industrial music can sound like punk, and their sped-up, eardrum-pummeling rendition of 'Roadhouse Blues' is definitely an album highlight. The latter joins 'Lay Lady Lay' and 'Supernaut' as one of Ministry's best covers, although 'Roadhouse' is the only one that outshines the original. Jourgensen proves once and for all that he's scarier than Jim Morrison--awareness is far scarier than decadence, and besides, Jourgensen's proven to be much harder to kill.
Ham-fisted and over the top up until the last few seconds, The Last Sucker climaxes with 'End of Days,' a two-part epic that includes a children's choir, lengthy samples of Dwight D. Eisenhower's farewell address, and Jourgensen trading verses with Fear Factory's C. Burton Bell. But scorning Grandpa Al for lack of subtlety is like chiding Robert Smith for being melodramatic--we should all do it so well. Bell's vocals provide a welcome alternative to Jourgensen, whose voice is so highly processed that he sounds like a robot. Maybe he's wrecked his voice from years of enough substance abuse to kill a small country, or maybe he just wants to make sure that his indictments of the Bush administration are heard as clearly as possible. Whatever the case may be, The Last Sucker showcases just about everything that's great about Ministry, and whether or not it really is the last sucker, it rocks out like the apocalypse is already here.
Soon I discovered, that this rock thing, was true...
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