Shut Up N' Play Yer Political Metal

Ministry--'N.W.O.'

Easily one of the most groundbreaking and influential bands of the past 20 years, Ministry are somewhat like an industrial metal Stooges, with their underwhelming record sales being unable to reflect the band's tremendous impact. Bandleader Al Jourgensen and his ever-changing team of miscreants almost single-handedly introduced metal to goth and industrial fans, building a previously never-conceived-of link between Slayer and Depeche Mode and becoming the most obvious harbinger for bands like Nine Inch Nails, White Zombie and (unfortunately) Static-X.


In addition to their sonic innovations, Ministry were thematically unlike any other industrial band. While KMFDM and Skinny Puppy kept their lyrics faceless and robotic, Ministry addressed the darkest political, social and personal issues with scathing nastiness. The closest that Ministry came to mainstream success was in 1992, the year that Nine Inch Nails reached the Billboard Top Ten and Ministry scored a main stage spot on Lollapalooza, which was then cutting-edge. Ministry released their most metal and most successful album that year, Psalm 69, and they annihilated eardrums with the blistering opening track, "N.W.O."

Attacking President George Bush and the Iraq War was not a popular stance when Psalm 69 dropped, but Ministry did just that by using the President's words against him. The lyrics to N.W.O., which showed America's original intentions of helping Iraq backfiring ("Open fire 'cuz I love you to death...I'm in love with this malicious intent") are effective, but not nearly so much as soundbites of the nation's leader painting the situation black and white. The song's title is taken from one of the sampled quotes: "What we are looking at is good and evil, right and wrong...a New World Order!" All this over wailing guitar samples that resemble police sirens and a drum machine that expresses the sound of rapid gunfire.

There are also samples from Apocalypse Now ("It's alright!") and Senator Joseph McCarthy ("I'm not setting myself above any law"), but the scariest, clearest-sounding quotes are from the President. Sound clips of Bush Sr. declaring "We're not about to make that same mistake twice," "I believe in freedom," and, to roaring applause, "God bless America!" became even more potent during the second Bush Administration and the second war in Iraq. By then, Ministry was recording new songs about the current situation, but 'N.W.O.' was still as relevant as any of those.

The song's video, complete with rioters, Rodney King references and a scary guy in a Bush mask, is as blunt and as creepy as the song itself.



Jourgensen did enough terrible things to his body to put him in a league with Keith Richards. Years of hard living, lineup changes, and arrests took their toll on the band's music, which declined over the second half of the '90s. Jourgensen had other thoughts on his downfall, telling reporters, "Everyone seems to think I write real shitty music when a Democrat's in office." Proving his point, Ministry rebounded in the 21st century with some of their best music to date, including a trilogy of albums entirely dedicated to indicting the current Administration. Houses of the Molé, Rio Grande Blood, and The Last Sucker all serve as great documentation of a tumultuous era in US history, with some kickass music to boot. But they build on a legacy that Ministry created with 'N.W.O.'

Dillinger Escape Plan: Awesome

Being one of the most inventive, exciting, and challenging metal acts in the world, the Dillinger Escape Plan need only take the stage and play their songs in order to put on a great show. However, I could tolerate a set of James Blunt covers were they played with the amount of ferocity, danger, and enthusiasm that Dillinger Escape Plan bring to their shows. Maybe.

Rescheduled after guitarist Ben Weinman's broke his foot, Dillinger finally made their first New York appearance since the release of the must-hear Ire Works, December 16 at the Gramercy Theatre. As always, their were no boundaries between the band and the audience, and no foreseeable limit to Dillinger's live insanity.


Kicking things off were Shat, former DEP bassist Jeff Wood's joke-hardcore project. Dressed (barely) in outfits that couldn't appear in a PG-13 movie, their joke-metal sounded as if Shat had taken the dirty half-song limericks that they made up while out drinking and actually recorded them. It was a blast to watch and listen to their randy odes to naked girls, as it was to watch the puzzled hardcore kids try to make something of the bizarre show and avoid looking at Wood's exposed testicles.

Next up was Genghis Tron, an electronic-metal trio with a drum machine who just signed to Relapse. Their sound was unique and a little unfocused, but their talent and potential was always apparent. I'm guessing that in three years, they'll have a record that's a as good as their name.

A Life Once Lost were heavy enough but too derivative to leave a big impression. Their repertoire sounded like Hatebreed trying to be Meshuggah, coming off somewhat better than the former and worse than the latter. Calling them 'A Lamb of God Once Lost' may be a bit harsh, but not totally unwarranted either.

Finally, lights dimmed as the band we'd been waiting for took the stage. Preceded by a few minutes from a creepy black & white movie (my accomplice thought it was Un Chien Andalou, I wondered if it was the Ruth Snyder execution), the band ripped into the instantly blaring 'Panasonic Youth.' As is usual w/DEP shows, the band was even more violent than the audience, running over the front row, stepping on heads and screaming along with the fans.

Frontman Greg Puciato is both unlike any metal singer today and a throwback to the most deranged bandleaders in history, recalling Iggy Pop or a young Eddie Vedder with his stage-diving, spontaneous outbursts and need to destroy the stage equipment. But whether he was climbing into the rafters or annihilating a helpless part of the stage, Puciato remained intensely focused and ingrained in the music, keeping time on his fingers and belting out screams, wails and croons with the forcefulness of Trent Reznor tackling Mike Patton. Weinman seemed all the more eager to be performing since his inconvenient injury, and noticeably upped his intensity level from previous performances. Swinging around his ESP and crashing into the front row, it's fair to compare his treatment of his instrument to Jerry Lee Lewis on a piano. Guitarist Jeff Tuttle and drummer Gil Sharone, both on their first-ever Dillinger tour, were obviously eager to take part in the havoc. Tuttle was as wild and as musically precise as any of his bandmates, and Sharone nailed the timing of former drummer Chris Pennie, taking the band in a direction that lacks Pennie's intricacy but takes DEP's rhythmic sensibilities to new heights.



For the most part, Dillinger avoided their recent forays into melodic songwriting, choosing not to change the pace or distract from their high-energy performance. Proving that Ire Works is as uncompromising as their earlier experiments, new standouts like 'Lurch,' and 'Milk Lizard' were easily as aggressive as anything they played that night, including Calculating Infinity's furious noise blasts like 'Sugar Coated Sour' and '43% Burnt.' The exhilarating 'Fix Your Face' was accompanied by a surprise appearance from original vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and the skin-crawling scariness of 'Setting Fire to Sleeping Giants' reached a new level in live form. Before closing with 'Sunshine the Werewolf' (of course, no encore), Puciato ran off the stage mid-song and returned with a large torch. Spewing out liquid in rapid bursts, massive flames shot out of his mouth as he handed the torch to the crowd and crawled over the audience, exhaling a fireball that could have easily engulfed anyone in the room. Deadly, stupid, and REALLY exciting, it was a sight that no concertgoer could ever forget, and almost as enthralling as just watching these five guys play their instruments.

Metal radio legend Jose Mangin lent his talents to DEP's video for 'Setting Fire to Sleeping Giants.' He's a much more affable guy than the video indicates, and DEP are usually much more aggressive than the video suggests.

Return of the Son of Political Metal

The biggest metal band and the biggest hard rock band of the past 20 years respectively came up with two of the best antiwar songs ever written.

Metallica--'One'

Metallica's music is famously belligerent and confrontational, but ...And Justice for All is the album where they really went to war. On their 1988 release, Metallica directed their considerable hostility towards the justice system, oppressive world leaders, Christian Scientist parents, conventional time signatures and song structures, corruption, and the standards that Metallica had previously set for themselves as a metal band. ...And Justice for All found Metallica at their most experimental, with song lengths averaging over seven minutes, bizarre production that almost completely mixed out new bassist Jason Newsted, and tracks like 'Blackened' and 'Dyers Eve' ranking among their fastest and heaviest. Nothing on the album sounded radio-friendly at all, especially during the commercial prime of Def Leppard and Bon Jovi. But that all changed when Metallica released the single 'One,' a song which felt, sounded, and (thanks to Metallica's first-ever video) looked like nothing else that was on the market at the time.


Inspired by Dalton Trumbo's antiwar novel, Johnny Got His Gun, Metallica bought the rights to the book's 1971 film adaptation to make a dark, unpleasant video that incorporated film dialogue with black & white footage of the band performing in a sparse room. The lyrics followed the book's protagonist, a soldier in World War I whose encounter with a landmine has left him without arms, legs or face and unable to speak, see or hear. "I can't remember anything," solemnly begins singer James Hetfield, "Can't tell if this is true or dream." As the verse continues, the soldier realizes his situation, and he silently cries out for help:

"Now that the war is through with me, I'm waking up I cannot see, That there is not much left of me, Nothing is real but pain now"

"Hold my breath as I wish for death--Oh please, God, wake me"

The song's antiwar message was well-received, but the narrator's begs for euthanasia were targeted by conservatives and music censorship groups as being pro-suicide. With a hit song, Metallica were perceived as an ever greater threat than before.

The song's hard-hitting second movement is musically and lyrically as chilling as the film clips. When Metallica performs this song, the "landmine" line is often accompanied by explosive pyrotechnics, which recall the atrocities of war and not the celebratory atmosphere at most rock concerts with fireworks.

"Darkness--imprisoning me/All that I see/Absolute horror/I cannot live/I cannot die/Trapped in myself/Body my holding cell"

"Landmine--has taken my sight/Taken my speech/Taken my hearing/Taken my arms/Taken my legs/Taken my soul/Left me with life in hell"



Even when they had a hit single the world still wasn't quite ready to embrace Metallica--...And Justice for All famously lost the first-ever Metal Grammy Award to the distinctly non-metal Jethro Tull. But Metallica had helped set the ball rolling, and a heavier, darker, socially conscious form of rock was ushering in the '90s.

Guns N' Roses--'Civil War'

Following up Appetite for Destruction with Use Your Illusion I and II was kind of like if The Clash had directly preceded Sandinista!, or if Rubber Soul was followed up with The White Album, and if those were the only two albums by the Clash or the Beatles that ever existed. After selling 15 millions records with a debut that was louder, raunchier, and better than even the best records by AC/DC, Aerosmith and Van Halen, Guns N' Roses unleashed a 2-CD monster that was as excessive, out of control and over-budget as the bands' lifestyles. Full of speed-metal thrashers, tortured power ballads that approached the ten-minute mark, Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney covers, tossed-off industrial experiments, Stones-inspired blues-rock, and enough hardcore punk to outdo their subsequent punk covers record, it was, as Slash put it, like a grenade that everyone was struggling to hold the pin in. Brilliant and baffling, Use Your Illusion I and II is an achievement that has yet to be equaled by anyone.


The first sign of what was to come on Use Your Illusion was the song 'Civil War,' a bleak epic that appeared on a Romanian benefit album organized by George Harrison. 'Civil War' alienated most people who heard it, including G n' R fans who liked the lascivious rock of 'Welcome to the Jungle' or the sweet pop of 'Sweet Child o' Mine', and especially anyone who bought the benefit album for the songs by Van Morrison, Eric Clapton and Elton John. Beginning with the most famous quote from Cool Hand Luke and Axl whistling 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home,' it destroyed listeners' previous conceptions of Guns N' Roses within seconds.

"My hands are tied/The billions shift from side to side/And the wars go on with brainwashed pride/For the love of God and our human rights/And all these things are swept aside/By bloody hands time can't deny/And are washed away by your genocide/And history hides the lies of our civil wars."

Recalling the themes of 'War Pigs' on the song's chorus:

"And I don't need your civil war/It feeds the rich while it buries the poor/Your power hungry sellin' soldiers in a human grocery store, ain't that fresh/I don't need your civil war"

The song's rejoinder of "The way we've always done before," and references to Vietnam showed that songwriters Axl, Slash, and Duff McKagan knew that the people in power were not learning from the mistakes of previous world leaders, and that the religions and human rights that war was declared in the name of were nowhere to be found in the heart of the conflict. Guns N' Roses use simple language and are really a political band, but I can think of a few world leaders who'd be better off had they listened to Use Your Illusion.



G n' R are often contrasted with the grunge icons that took their place in Amercia's consciousness, but for better or worse, songs like 'Civil War' challenged rock audiences as much as In Utero or Vitalogy. Whether it was a bold new direction, career suicide, or both, the band imploded shortly thereafter.

Vikings to my Liking

There was a dark cloud over Amon Amarth's performance last December 3 at Irving Plaza. A little over a month earlier, opening act Decapitated were involved in a fatal car accident, taking the life of drummer "Vitek" Kieltyka. But as fate would have it, even if the bill wasn't as exciting as it once was, Amon Amarth put on a Viking Metal monster show that was more than worth the price of admission.


Being not too familiar with Amon Amarth's music, I couldn't tell you what they played, but it seemed like most of their set came from their recent album, With Oden on our Side. That release has been subjected to much metal-world acclaim, including a thoughtful essay by Erik Davis, and the Irving Plaza show was so great that I'm hoping to pick the record up soon. Led by grizzly-looking frontman Johan Hegg, the hefty, bearded men of Amon Amarth played melodic death metal that built on the legacy of bands like In Flames and At the Gates. Hegg's gruff but somehow comprehensible vocals set the tone for the music, which was tuneful enough to recall Iron Maiden and black enough to justify their opening spot for Dimmu Borgir earlier this year. Amon Amarth's ability to put actual songs behind their music distinguishes them from their laughable death-metal peers, and while they're not melodic enough to approach the mainstream acceptance of Lamb of God or Mastodon, they have more than enough of a musical bite to hold up against the best death metal being released today.

Of course, their songs were embellished by the Viking persona that the band played up to the fullest. "How are all my vikings tonight??" bellowed Hegg at the start of the show, before growling out stories of sword-brandishing and Valhalla. When the band took a short drinking break, each band member downed their beverages from hallow viking horns which they kept by their side. It was truly like the lyrics to 'Immigrant Song' coming to life. The crowd ate it all up, flashing horns and chanting 'Oden! Oden!', which is a lot easier to chant than 'Amon Amarth.' Like Behemoth with their satanic imagery, Amon Amarth bring humor to their mythological death metal that makes the band's music easier to take seriously. Even for a band that got their name from a place in Lord of the Rings.

It wasn't all fun, though. Hegg took some time to address the issue with Decapitated, asking for some viking support for the injured members of the band and their families before leading the crowd in a chant of Vitek's name. As Amon Amarth maraud and pillage through your local concert hall, coming from the land of the ice and snow, it can't be said that they don't encompass a strong sense of community. Amon Amarth rules.



Openers Sonic Syndicate had two uncharismatic lead singers, a pre-recorded keyboard track, and music which was so bad that it was hard to believe that it came from Sweden. They were followed by Himsa, Seattle-based kids who dressed like lumberjacks, quoted Black Flag for good measure, and played decent, American-sounding metalcore.

More Political Metal

Living Colour--Cult of Personality


'Cult of Personality' is a very well-known song and by far the most famous thing that Living Colour ever recorded, but the band is still very underrated. Living Colour were fantastic musicians, especially lead guitarist Vernon Reid; whose virtuoso jazz and funk sensibilities were a breath of fresh air in the stale world of hard rock in 1988. Matched with singer/actor Corey Glover, whom Reid discovered at a party where he was impressed with Glover's rendition of 'Happy Birthday,' Living Colour were one of the most exciting hard rock/metal bands of the late '80s. No less an avid fan than Sir Mick Jagger produced and sang on their debut album, Vivid.

Lyrically, 'Cult of Personality' is not a great song. It's mainly here for how it feels. The performance, hook, and chorus rock so much that it'll make you want to throw bricks through the windows of the White House, and it's amazing that the most time-worn quotes from Malcolm X, Franklin Roosevelt, and JFK (all featured here) feel so edgy when set to such rockin' music. The fact that a band could sample "Ask not what your country..." and not come across as really pretentious is all the more amazing.

Part of what makes the song so self-empowering is the way that it addresses the whole 'if the people lead, the leaders will follow' philosophy. While calling out renowned cult of personalities ("Like Mussolini...and Kennedy"), Living Colour make it clear that the people, whether through democracy or complacency, allow this to happen. In the pulverizing final verse, Glover really lets us have it.

"You gave me fortune
You gave me fame
You gave me power in your God's name
I'm every person you need to be
I'm the cult of, I'm the cult of...personality!"



Living Colour's need to get political eventually did them in aesthetically and commercially. Noted fan Chuck Klosterman wrote that Living Colour seemed "ashamed of being a metal band," which is in part true. Like the comedian who struggles to take on dramatic roles because he feels he isn't taken seriously, Living Colour were smart guys who overlooked their platinum records and critical acclaim to conclude that they weren't making relevant music. By the time that they released an industrial-tinged record with a woman captured in a brank on the album cover, much of the world had turned the other way. Since then, Reid's jazz fusion projects have rightfully well-received, and Living Colour reunite and tour every now and then. I bet that they're a killer live act.

It's unfortunate that 'Cult of Personality' remains Living Colour's only really big hit, but whenever I want to show someone what a great band they are, this is the song that I play.