Ministry is nowhere near the hot commodity they were in their early 90’s peak days. In fact, they’re pretty much a non-factor in the industrial and metal scenes, the result from too many bland, tired albums, many of which are disjointed rewrites of one another. Further compounding matters is their inability to call it a day, ala Kiss, for 2011’s Relapse was supposed to be the band’s final album. Obviously, From Beer to Eternity is NOW the band’s last album, released as tribute to fallen guitarist Mike Scaccia, who tragically passed away in December 2012 from a heart attack.
‘Ole Al Jourgensen is having fun with samples, but not using Scaccia’s exemplary rhythm playing the way he should. Instead, several cuts on From Beer to Eternity are messy, voiceover-laden numbers with little purpose, like opener “Hail to His Majesty (Peasants),” “Thanx But No Thanx” and the electronic “Change of Luck.” By appearances, it seems like Jourgensen didn’t have very many ideas to make up a full album, so he slopped together as many clips and discarded riffs as he could. Therefore, the album is about as piecemeal and uneven as anything the band has done.
Being that there’s no place for Ministry in the metal marketplace, a supposed farewell album like From Beer to Eternity will more than likely go out with a whimper. Shame…you never would have guessed such a high-octane, volatile, and important band like Ministry would endure such a last days downward spiral.