Ministry

Al Jourgensen's band Ministry may be releasing their final studio album - The Last Sucker - on September 18th on 13th Planet/Megaforce Records, but that doesn't mean Jourgensen is saying good-bye to the inside of a recording studio. As a matter of fact, Jourgensen plans to spend significantly more time in the studio doing what he loves best - collaborating. And collaboration is at the root of Cover Up, a soon-to-be-released album of some of Al's personal favorite songs being recorded by Ministry & Co-Conspirators in his El Paso, TX compound, 13th Planet Studios. Ministry and Co-Conspirators' Cover Up is expected to street in April 2008.

In addition to core Ministry members guitarist Sin Quirin (Revolting Cocks) and bassist Paul Raven (Killing Joke/Prong/Mob Research) Jourgensen enlisted an impressive group of co-conspirators for Cover Up - Fear Factory front man Burton C. Bell (also Ascension of The Watchers) sings on the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb," Tony Campos (bass) and Wayne Static (vocals) from Static X are on the Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," and Prong's Tommy Victor (vocals) and Mountain's Leslie West (guitar) do justice to Mountain's classic "Mississippi Queen." Cover Up will also include Ministry's cover of the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues" (which can also be found on The Last Sucker), as well as Ram Jam's "Black Betty," Deep Purple's "Space Truckin," Louis Armstrong's "Wonderful World" and "Radar Love" by Golden Earring. Additional featured artists, including Cheap Trick's Robin Zander (vocals) and Rick Nielson (guitar), and trax are in the works.

"It's a work in progress," states Jourgensen, "based on who's on tour and comin' through town. It keeps everything spontaneous. By now, everyone knows if they're droppin' by the studio, I'm gonna put them to work. I've got a few more surprises up my sleeve for this one.

"I'm just waiting on a few more return calls," laughs Jourgensen, "Seems like lately if you visit the 13th Planet compound, you'll end up on Cover Up or I'll end up signing you to my label - or both," sites Jourgensen in reference to 13th Planet Records recent signing of Victor's Prong and Bell's Ascension of The Watchers).

After 10 albums and 27 years (including a 2006 Grammy nomination for "Lieslieslies" from the Rio Grande Blood album, and a Grammy nod in 2005 for "The Great Satan," from Rantology, Jourgensen has decided that the Ministry garage is ready to close its doors, but the revolving 13th Planet Studio doors remain open for Jourgensen's collaborations and also for upcoming new signings for his 13th Planet imprint. The Last Sucker is Ministry's 11th - and absolutely final - studio offering. The Last Sucker is the third in an unrelenting and uber-critical CD trilogy aimed at exposing the plethora of foils, failures and fabrications perpetrated by the George W. Bush Administration.

The Last Sucker was produced and recorded this past Spring by Jourgensen at his 13th Planet compound and sees the return of Rio Grande Blood musicians Victor on guitars, Raven on bass, with newcomer guitarist Quirin. Jourgensen and his engineer John "Bixby" Bilberry handled all the drum programming. In addition, Fear Factory's and AoTW's Bell makes a vocal appearance on "Die In A Crash," as well as the album's final two songs, "End of Days" Parts One and Two.