Al Jourgensen Albums

What The Critics Say

Moving on after retiring his main project Ministry, Al Jourgensen shifts focus from frontman to hypeman for his 13th Planet imprint, a label created out of spite for the majors. Releasing the soundtrack he created for the widely ignored horror movie Wicked Lake fits right in with the label's attitude towards alternative marketing. First, it looks less like a soundtrack and more like a mix CD -- which it isn't at all -- but take out a couple cuts by Laika & the Cosmonauts and Meshuggah and it's essentially a label sampler introducing one key new artist and filling the rest of the disc with the big names. Jourgensen's Ministry is represented by two tracks from the Cover Up album -- their insane takes on "Bang a Gong" and "Radar Love" -- along with an instrumental mix plus the unreleased and highly disturbing highlight "Cuz U R Next." The Ministry side project the Revolting Cocks -- or Revco as they're listed here -- get two cuts, including the unreleased stomper "Hookerbot3000," while veteran metal heads Prong offer two cuts off Power of the Damager. The new act is Ascension of the Watchers featuring Fear Factory's Burton C. Bell. The two examples of their epic industrial-metal that kick off the set come right off the band's debut album, bringing the rare track count to a number way too low. This is only for the most diehard of 13th Planet fans or those looking for a quick way to catch up with the label's output. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide