Ministry Members, Gear & Sound

US industrial metal band

Genre

Electronic New Wave Alternative rock Synthpop Metal Thrash metal Doom metal Electronic body music Alternative metal Industrial rock Industrial metal Sludge metal Rap rock Nu metal Ebm Industrial double drumming darkwave

Members

Select a Ministry band member to check out the music gear they use live and in the studio.

Paul D'Amour

Roles:

Bassist Composer

Groups:

Tool Feersum Ennjin Replicants Lusk

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Al Jourgensen

Roles:

Guitarist Keyboardist Music Producer

Groups:

Revolting Cocks Lard Buck Satan and The 666 Shooters Surgical Meth Machine Pailhead 1000 Homo DJs PTP Acid Horse Special Affect W.E.L.T. Hypo Luxa & Hermes Pan Co-Conspirators Lead Into Gold

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Tony Campos

Roles:

Singer Bassist

Groups:

Static?X Soulfly Fear Factory Possessed Prong Brujeria Buck Satan and The 666 Shooters Asesino Drill Attika 7 Co-Conspirators

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Paul Raven

Roles:

Bassist

Groups:

Godflesh Killing Joke Pigface Prong Society 1 Mob Research Raggadeath Zilch Co-Conspirators Snow Black Treponem Pal Abstinence

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Bill Rieflin

Roles:

Drummer Keyboardist

Groups:

Swans King Crimson R.E.M. KMFDM Pigface Revolting Cocks Lard The Minus 5 Jakalope The Petty Tyrants 'Snots Dark Load Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 Pailhead Sweet 75 Filthy Friends Acid Horse Land Seattle Guitar Circle Slow Music 1000 Homo DJs The Humans Blackouts The Bells The Angels of Light

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Paul Barker

Roles:

Bassist

Groups:

Puscifer Pigface Revolting Cocks Lard Pailhead 1000 Homo DJs PTP Blackouts Hypo Luxa & Hermes Pan Lead Into Gold

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Beefcake The Mighty

Roles:

Singer Bassist

Groups:

Gwar Pigface Mobile Deathcamp League of Blind Women Porn Flakes

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Mike Scaccia

Roles:

Guitarist

Groups:

Revolting Cocks Rigor Mortis Buck Satan and The 666 Shooters

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Casey Orr

Roles:

Bassist

Groups:

GWAR Rigor Mortis Burden Brothers The Hellions Speedealer

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Sin Quirin

Roles:

Guitarist

Groups:

American Head Charge Lords of Acid Revolting Cocks Society 1 The Great Americon 3 Headed Snake The Rust Punk Tribe Co-Conspirators Snow Black Siglos Tactics

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Cesar Soto

Roles:

Guitarist

Groups:

Pissing Razors 3 Headed Snake

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Brian Kehoe

Roles:

Guitarist

Groups:

Blind Illusion Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang Festus Clamrod and The El Sobrante Twangers Electric Apricot Duo de Twang Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade The Les Claypool Frog Brigade M.I.R.V.

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DJ Swamp

Roles:

Music Producer DJ

Groups:

Loser Zilch Picking Scabs

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John Bechdel

Roles:

Keyboardist

Groups:

Prong Abstinence Nukes

Needs more gear

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Chris Connelly

Roles:

Singer

Groups:

Pigface Revolting Cocks Catherine Pailhead The Damage Manual The PIG Choir Final Cut PTP Acid Horse Cocksure Die Warzau The Bells Nukes

Needs more gear

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Nivek Ogre

Roles:

Singer

Groups:

Skinny Puppy Pigface ohGr The Petty Tyrants A Chud Convention Rx PTP W.E.L.T. Muteual Mortuary Raw Dog

No gear added

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John Monte

Roles:

Bassist

Groups:

M.O.D. Human Waste Project Mind Funk

No gear added

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Howie Beno

Roles:

Music Producer

No gear added

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Jeff Ward

Roles:

Drummer

Groups:

Nine Inch Nails Pigface Revolting Cocks Lard 1000 Homo DJs Low Pop Suicide

No gear added

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"Tubb" Tucker

Roles:

Bassist

Groups:

Burden Brothers X-Cops

No gear added

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Aaron Rossi

Roles:

Drummer

Groups:

Prong

No gear added

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Martin Atkins

Roles:

Drummer

Groups:

Killing Joke Public Image Ltd Pigface The Damage Manual Murder Inc. Rx

No gear added

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Marz

Roles:

Rapper Music Producer

Groups:

Billion Dollar Ballers Dark Lotus Block CEO's

No gear added

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Max Brody

Roles:

Drummer

Groups:

Insect Sex Act Areola 51 Euripides Pants Sangre de Toro

No gear added

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About

Ministry is an iconic American industrial metal band that originated in Chicago in 1981. Founded by Al Jourgensen (vocals, guitars, keyboards), the group initially embraced a synth-pop sound characteristic of the early '80s. Over the years, Ministry evolved into a powerhouse of industrial and metal fusion, incorporating elements of thrash, doom, and alternative metal. The band's lineup has seen numerous changes, but key members have included Paul Barker (bass, keyboards) and Bill Rieflin (drums). Ministry is renowned for its intense, aggressive sound and politically charged lyrics, establishing a significant influence on the industrial music scene with groundbreaking albums like The Land of Rape and Honey and Psalm 69.

How to Sound Like Ministry

Ministry’s sound is a visceral blend of aggressive, distorted guitar riffs and pounding, mechanized beats, creating a relentless and chaotic sonic landscape. The band's music is characterized by its heavy, industrial textures, often achieved through the use of thick guitar distortion and synthesizer layers. Al Jourgensen's biting guitar work, frequently using instruments like the Schecter Al Jourgensen Signature Triton Satin Black, is a cornerstone of their sound. The dense, abrasive bass lines, often enhanced by effects such as the Darkglass Electronics Microtubes B3K CMOS Bass Overdrive, contribute to the band's weighty, grinding rhythm section. Ministry’s music is both melodic and rhythmic, with a dark, raw energy that captures the essence of industrial metal's gritty, machine-like precision.

Discography

Twitch

1986

Twelve Inch Singles

1987

Land of Rape and Honey

1988

The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste

1989

In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (Live)

1990

Box

1992

KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)

1992

Filth Pig

1996

Dark Side of the Spoon

1999

Greatest Fits

2001

Sphinctour (Live)

2002

Animositisomina

2003

Houses of the Molé

2004

Rantology

2005

Rio Grande Blood

2006

Rio Grande Dub(ya)

2007

The Last Sucker

2007

Adios… Puta Madres

2009

The Last Dubber

2009

Every Day Is Halloween - The Remixes

2010

Every Day Is Halloween - Greatest Tricks

2010

Relapse

2012

Enjoy The Quiet - Live At Wacken 2012

2013

From Beer to Eternity

2013

Side Trax

2014

Early Trax

2014

Last Tangle in Paris (Live 2012)

2014

Trax! Box

2015

Toronto 1986 (Live)

2015

Live Necronomicon

2017

Amerikkkant

2018

Chicago/Detroit 1982 (Live)

2019

Everyday (Is Halloween) - The Lost Mixes

2020

Moral Hygiene

2021

HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES

2024

The Squirrely Years Revisited

2025

Get the Ministry Sound

Want to sound like Ministry? This gear comes straight from the setups of the band's members, based on proven sources. Dive into each artist's page for more detail and inspiration.