The Industrial icon Ministry is back with a brand new album—in a way, at least. Explaining this further, after over four decades of making music, Ministry is honoring its past with The Squirrely Years Revisited.
Providing even more historical context, before Ministry became well-known Industrial Rock pioneers, they released an album called With Sympathy in 1983. A heavily Synthpop-based record, songs like “Revenge” and “I Wanted to Tell Her” stood out as exceptional pieces of music but are a far cry from what most know of Ministry. Of course, shifting toward an edgy, darker Industrial sound with 1986’s Twitch, With Sympathy still holds a place in the hearts of a select audience.
Historically, Ministry Mastermind Al Jourgensen has distanced the band from With Sympathy, citing dissatisfaction with their label then, pressuring them to create something more commercially viable. It is probably not a unique tale that many artists can tell; fortunately, Jourgensen has not entirely abandoned this era, as we see with The Squirrely Years Revisited.
Releasing the album on March 28, 2025, through Cleopatra Records, it is full of reworked and re-recorded tracks from both With Sympathy and Twitch. Rather fascinating, Jourgensen and his band – John Bechdel (keyboards), Monte Pittman and Cesar Soto (guitars), Pepe Clarke Magaña (drums), and Paul D’Amour (bass) – offer a very fresh take on all of these tracks.
A perfect history lesson to the early days of Ministry, The Squirrely Years Revisited includes twelve songs that last over fifty-five minutes. Covering a lot of material, it starts with “Work For Love,” which turns the original easy-going tune into something a little heavier. You find a similar approach with “Here We Go,” which adds more edge to the opening sequence. Well done, there is then a shift toward Twitch’s “All Day” and fan-favorite 1985 non-album song “Everyday Is Halloween.”
Then there is “Revenge,” which somehow the band morphs into something they might be heard recording today. It works well with Jourgensen adding a rougher edge to the vocals instead of the original sessions. Also, adding some heavy guitars that work well, the classic synth melody still dances in the backdrop.
From here, Ministry does a great job transforming “I’m Not An Effigy” and does wonders with “I’m Falling,” picking up the pace, pushing your adrenaline level up the ladder, and causing your muscles to twitch. Joining these, you also have updated reworkings of “Same Old Madness,” “I’ll Do Anything For You,” “Just Like You,” “We Believe,” and “Over The Shoulder.”
Altogether, Ministry takes you on an incredible time-traveling journey with The Squirrely Years Revisited and introduces later-era Ministry fans to the long-forgotten period. It also allows the niche audience who enjoyed this material to see what it sounds like with a different approach. In truth, it is a beautiful reanimation of the early ’80s without snuffing out the aesthetic of either With Sympathy or Twitch. If anything, it strikes curiosity into your mind, wondering if Jourgensen would consider doing some new compositions in the dark Electronic Rock realm at some point. Who knows, but at least fans get to see this material performed live as Ministry prepares for The Squirrely Years Tour at the end of April into May. Whatever happens, let Ministry take you on a journey of their musical evolution because Cryptic Rock gives The Squirrely Years Revisited 5 out of 5 stars.
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