Ministry has left the building. Hate To Go (Take Out Or Delivery) is out today, October 30, on Cleopatra Records, and Al Jourgensen says it is the 17th and last Ministry studio album. "I'm proud of what I've accomplished," he says in the official bio. "It's time to herd goats." So this is the moment to look back at all 17 records, rank them, and trace how a Chicago synth-pop act ended up here.
The final album
Hate To Go was made in Jourgensen's home studio starting in 2025, with engineers Justin Leeah and Michael Rozon and the touring band of Monte Pittman and Cesar Soto on guitars, Paul D'Amour on bass, John Bechdel on samplers and synths, and Pepe Clarke Magaña on drums. The headline guest is Paul Barker, Jourgensen's partner in Ministry from 1986 to 2004, who plays bass and adds programming on the closer, We're Still Here. Jourgensen calls it "a great, epic song to end your career with." Backing vocalist Badpenny von Eckardt runs through the record, and AI-built vocal samples are part of the texture.
The tracklist: Crickets, Voices of Hate, Clown Car, We Hate, Delete, Grifter, The White Man Lied, Singularity, Burned Out and We're Still Here. Delete is billed as the final chapter of the TV Song series that began on the Jesus Built My Hotrod single. Four official videos are out: We Hate, Singularity, Burned Out and Crickets.
Formats at the Cleopatra store and on Bandcamp include CD, cassette, several colored vinyl LPs, and a deluxe box in Black/Green/Splatter or Purple Marble. The box holds the LP, a picture disc, an exclusive 7" with Die Krupps mixes of Crickets and Burned Out, a CD with those two mixes as bonus tracks, and a poster. A signed poster bundle is offered too. Jourgensen says the 2027 tour will be the band's largest ever, and the official Bandcamp page lists December shows in Australia followed by a European run that opens April 2 at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht.
Every album, in order, with our rank
With Sympathy (1983), rank 17. The Arista debut, produced by Vince Ely and Ian Taylor, with the singles Work for Love, I Wanted to Tell Her and Revenge. Jourgensen lists it as one of the few records that does not carry his political message. It is the polished starting line everything else ran away from.
Twitch (1986), rank 9. On Sire and Warner Bros., co-produced with Adrian Sherwood and recorded in London and West Berlin. Over the Shoulder points to the hammering industrial sound the bio says he fully dove into here. This is where the machine starts.
The Land of Rape and Honey (1988), rank 3. Produced under the Hypo Luxa and Hermes Pan aliases, certified Gold, with Stigmata as the single. The bio credits it with redefining the post-punk axis. It is also the first record of the Barker era that Hate To Go now closes out.
The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste (1989), rank 2. Gold again, with Burning Inside and So What. Faster, uglier and more confident, it is the template for the riff-and-sample assault that still drives Singularity today.
Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (1992), rank 1. Platinum, a Grammy nomination for N.W.O., and Jesus Built My Hotrod, whose b-side TV Song started the series that Delete finishes. The bio says this is where industrial gained the word rock. Our pick for the peak.
Filth Pig (1996), rank 5. Slower and heavier, with The Fall, Reload, Brick Windows and a cover of Lay Lady Lay. Jourgensen names it as an exception to his political throughline, which is exactly why its sludge still stands apart.
Dark Side of the Spoon (1999), rank 10. The last Warner record, with Supermanic Soul and the Grammy-nominated Bad Blood. Another album he lists as outside the message, and an odd, restless one.
Animositisomina (2003), rank 13. The Sanctuary debut and the final Hypo Luxa and Hermes Pan production, with Piss and Animosity. Read now, it is the end of the Barker partnership on record.
Houses of the Molé (2004), rank 7. Self-produced by Jourgensen and led by No W, it opens the Bush trilogy the bio names. Fast, furious and pointed, it reset the band for the next two decades.
Rio Grande Blood (2006), rank 4. On his own 13th Planet label, with LiesLiesLies earning a Grammy nomination. The best of the trilogy and the clearest ancestor of the Hate To Go attack.
The Last Sucker (2007), rank 11. Co-produced with Dave Donnelly and sold as a farewell at the time. Hate To Go answers it with a goodbye that Jourgensen insists is permanent.
Relapse (2012), rank 16. The comeback, co-produced with Samuel D'Ambruoso, with 99 Percenters and Double Tap. Rough, but it proved the band was not done.
From Beer to Eternity (2013), rank 15. The second D'Ambruoso co-production, led by Permawar. A loose, sample-heavy record that later got a full remix album.
AmeriKKKant (2018), rank 12. The Nuclear Blast era begins, with Antifa, Wargasm and We're Tired of It among its singles and videos. The bio places it alongside the trilogy as part of the same warning.
Moral Hygiene (2021), rank 8. Recorded at Scheisse Dog Studio with engineer Michael Rozon, who returns on Hate To Go. The official page calls it a societal manifesto, and Sabotage Is Sex features Jello Biafra. The strongest late-period record before the finale.
HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES (2024), rank 14. Released March 1, 2024 on Nuclear Blast, with Goddamn White Trash, Just Stop Oil, B.D.E. and New Religion. A bridge to the last album's sound.
Hate To Go (Take Out Or Delivery) (2026), rank 6. The official copy says it takes Ministry back to the Sire era, and the return of Barker makes that more than a slogan. Ending on We're Still Here is the right final word.
The ranking at a glance
- Psalm 69
- The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste
- The Land of Rape and Honey
- Rio Grande Blood
- Filth Pig
- Hate To Go (Take Out Or Delivery)
- Houses of the Molé
- Moral Hygiene
- Twitch
- Dark Side of the Spoon
- The Last Sucker
- AmeriKKKant
- Animositisomina
- HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES
- From Beer to Eternity
- Relapse
- With Sympathy
Where to get it
Grab Hate To Go from the Cleopatra Records store or Ministry on Bandcamp, and see every album page in the official discography. More heavy listening: our Slayer Reign in Blood 40th vinyl story, Factory Floor's new album and the industrial music starter guide.
