Ministry-Last Tangle In Paris Live 2012

UDR
2014

Chances are that most of our readers (if not all) are familiar with Ministry. First formed in 1981, with their 1983 debut album, "With Sympathy", showcasing a pop-oriented/synth-driven new wave sound (of which the danceable track "Work For Love" has always been a guilty pleasure of mine!), this on again/off again Chicago act as long been considered one of the grandfathers of the industrial rock/metal genre. With founder Al Jourgensen (vocals, guitars, keyboards and programing) serving as the one constant member of Ministry since day one this oft-times socially-conscious/political act is arguably the most well-known industrial metal band ever! In spite of that fact, and the knowledge that the group's 3rd LP, "The Land of Rape and Honey", has been a long-time comfort (!) through days of darkness, Ministry was one band I never had the privilege of seeing live. Sure, I've ventured out and about in order to lay witness to both KMFDM and Skinny Puppy (along with, over the course of some 20 or so years, a dozen-plus underground/unsigned industrial rock/metal bands whose names have long since escaped me), but I've never had the opportunity to catch  Al and his cohorts in a live setting. That begs the question then. Is "Last Tangle In Paris Live 2012" the next best thing? Well, if it isn't as good as being there in the flesh then it's good to be pretty damn close! And one thing it most certainly has going for it is the price! While I can't vouch for every online music store I will say that if you are a Prime member of Amazon then you can get this DVD/2CD set for a mere $10! Here's the link for that beauty of a deal (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KCDTX0I?ie=UTF8&tag=encymetatheme-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00KCDTX0I) and given the fact that there is a SHIT load of goodies crammed into this collection I'd say that is one hell of a deal! The DVD part of this collection comes from the DeFiBrilLaTouR and features not only the band live, but it comes with interviews, behind the scenes footage as well as backstage moments! Of course it does feature footage of long-time Ministry guitarist Mike Saccia which only serves as a sad reminder of the tragedy of his untimely passing. But anyway, here is the track-list from said show:

1.	Ghouldiggers
2.	No “W”
3.	Senor Peligro
4.	LiesLiesLies
5.	99%ers
6.	Life Is Good
7.	Relapse
8.	The Last Sucker
9.	Psalm 69
10.	New World Order
11.	Just One Fix
12.	Thieves

As one can see, Al Jourgensen (lead vocals and guitars) and the rest of Ministry (guitarists Mike Scaccia & Sin Quirin, bassist Casey Orr (who played alongside the late great Mike Scaccia in Rigor Mortis), keyboardist/sampler John Bechdel and drummer Aaron Rossi) do cover quite a bit of ground on the live DVD, but it is disappointing to see that nothing is represented from "The Land of Rape and Honey". Regardless, it is a damn good live show with spectacular effects and just going by the audience's response it's plain to see that Ministry really connected with their fans! Meanwhile here is the set lists from the two live CDs included in this package. The first one is from 2008 and features a killer line-up including Tommy Victor (of Prong fame naturally!) on guitars and special guest Burton Bell (Fear Factory).

1.	Ghouldiggers
2.	No “W”
3.	Senor Peligro
4.	Rio Grande Blood
5.	LiesLiesLies
6.	99%ers
7.	Life Is Good
8.	Relapse
9.	The Last Sucker

The second live CD comes from a 2006 show with the impressive line-up of lead vocalist Al Jourgensen, guitarist Mike Scaccia (Rigor Mortis), guitarist Tommy Victor (Prong), keyboardist John Bechdel (Fear Factory), Killing Joke bassist Paul Raven (R.I.P.) and drummer Joey Jordison (Slipknot). The track listing for that CD is:

1.	Psalm 69
2.	New World Order
3.	Just One Fix
4.	Thieves
5.	Khyber Pass
6.	Fear Is Big Business
7.	Let’s Go
8.	Watch Yourself
9.	So What

It's worth noting that Al Jourgensen sounds great during all of the live performances as do all of the misc. backing musicians he manged to aligned himself with. Other then the bit about the missing "Land of Rape and Honey" numbers there was little to complain about when it comes to this collection of live material. Given the impressive amount of footage that was crammed onto the live DVD and the overall sound quality of all of this it's well-worth investing in especially if you are in any way, shape or form a fan of Al Jourgensen and his work. Whether this release (or if you will the group's last studio album, 2013's "From Beer To Eternity") proves to be the last we here from this industrial metal outfit remains to be seen. If the group is really over though and Al has finally gone and closed the door on this part of his life then "Last Tangle In Paris" is as good a final curtain call as they come.