Animositisomina

The harrowing sonic abuse meted out by Animositisomina confirms that crippling drug addiction, waning commercial fortunes, and the onset of middle age have enabled Ministry's screamer-songwriter Al Jourgensen's rage. Indeed, Jourgensen once explained the album's title thusly: "It's the word 'animosity' spelled forwards and backwards, minus the y. It's double the hatred." This is good, for few can pierce the atmosphere with such brute force as Jourgensen and sidekick Paul Barker when they put their minds, guitars, and Pro-Tools to it. Animositisomina bursts forth from the gate with "Animosity," a punishing diatribe against intolerance that welds mind-numbingly forceful shards of sound with unholy--and utterly disturbing--slashes of pure noise. "Broken" is unmitigated guiterrorism delivered without remorse. Throughout, Animositisomina throws down a jet-black wall of sound unlike any Phil Spector could have imagined, with one exception: a scorching cover of the Magazine classic, "The Light Pours Out of Me," which the group brutalizes with way-fast percussion, but otherwise (and somewhat curiously) leaves intact. In a world gone mad, it's nice to know that some things--like Ministry's ability to tear up the floorboards with crushing efficiency--never change. --Kim Hughes