Ministry is done for good—and they mean it this time. During an appearance on Full Metal Jackie, frontman Al Jourgensen revealed that his band will call it quits after their next album and tour.
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“We’re going to do one final album and one final tour, and it’s not going to be like KISS,” Jourgensen said, alluding to KISS’ propensity to go back on their retirements. Ministry isn’t totally immune to that phenomenon, though. They previously retired in 2008, before reuniting in 2012.
“I’m not going to be coming back every week or month or playing all the casinos and all this other stuff,” he said. “It’s just like one final album and tour, putting a bow on it and having Paul Barker come back into the band.”
As for why it’s time to end this chapter, Jourgensen said that his “ears are tired from music.”
“It’s not so much for any health reasons or any kind of band conflicts or anything like that,” he said. “It’s just that my ears are tired. I’m starting to find myself really slapping myself on the wrist, not repeating stuff that I’ve done before and trying to keep going further. It gets harder as you keep going.”
Ministry’s Last Album and Tour
Fans still have plenty of chances to catch Ministry live. The band is touring throughout the U.S. and Canada this spring, and will play across Europe this summer. Currently, their last scheduled show is at Dynamo Metalfest in the Netherlands on Aug. 16.
In regards to the forthcoming album, Jourgensen said it’s about halfway done and is already “great.”
“It sounds amazing. Amazing,” he said. “But just saying that it’s a different kind of vibe. It’s more like a job now as opposed to having youthful enthusiasm.”
When his time with Ministry is over, Jourgensen joked he “might now be able to sleep a full eight hours at night and enjoy my swimming pool and just kind of chill out.”
“I just think everything is wrapping up perfectly,” he said. “But at that point, when I’m done, I am done. I’m done. You can catch me by the pool.”
Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images
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