Meaning, mostly, that I'd forgotten how awesome System of a Down is (seriously, they're pretty fucking great) and I've now got some Ministry blaring through my earphones. Remembering I need to rip those Helmet CDs I have. RAWK!

MINISTRY!

Love those guys. That's more industrial than metal, tho, isn't it?

Fun fact: once when I saw Ministry in the early 90s, Helmet was due to open for them, but they had a bus accident and could not make it. Ice-T and Body Count* were in town so they opened instead. AMAZING show. \m/

*At one point Body Count were the band I had seen the most number of times in concert. Now it's either Elf Power (Athens GA band), Drive-By Truckers, or Robyn Hitchcock. I should do the math and figure that out.

Eh, there are a lot of bands that walk that fine line between industrial and metal (and you can add thrash and all of those old British bands that started punk and went metally and all that -- it's a continuum).

I had an awesome time the only chance I got to see Ministry. It was the Summer of 2004 and I'd been doing some work with Music For America, who were getting volunteers to go to shows and register people to vote (with the tacit idea of defeating Shrub). I tabled at a few shows that summer (only time I'll ever see the Decemberists, by the by), but that Summer, with the political stuff that was going on, I mean, I felt like I hit Al Jourgenson at his finest. Completely blown away. I stayed up in the upper-deck of Lakewood Theater and got to watch the pit from above and take in all of the imagery of the screens and the sheer loudness. Freaking great show.

I was lucky during that show in that the two volunteers I was paired up with were young (19 year-olds) that were big KMFDM fans (who were opening). I couldn't care less about that band and they couldn't have cared less about seeing Ministry. Worked out well.

Give these three bands a try.

Well played, Hugh. They remind me a bit of this album, which I own, but can't for the life of me remember why or how. Sadly, no easily easily findable YouTube clips, but I can offer you this graphic, which is pretty funny.

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and for something completely different