Ministry is still a cult phenomenon 27 years after Al Jourgensen founded the group in Chicago. But it’s an important cult, one that's made a deep impression on hard rock as we know it even if Jourgensen and company never quite conquered the Billboard 200.

Consider that with “The Land of Rape and Honey,” Ministry’s creative breakthrough in 1987, the band all but carved the template for industrial metal, thus paving the way for Nine Inch Nails to cross over with a more pop savvy take on that aesthetic a few years later. And even now you can hear Ministry’s sinister stamp on popular acts ranging from Marilyn Manson to Linkin Park. (For starters, compare listen to the lead in to Linkin Park's "Given Up” followed by Ministry’s “N.W.O.”)

So when Jourgensen announced he was breaking up his influential band last fall it was big news. And while some guy named Bruuuuuuuuuce was playing across town at KeyArena last night (read Soren Andersen’s take on that show here), I preferred to swing by Seattle’s Showbox SoDo to check out Ministry’s farewell tour. The band's hits from the late '80s and early '90s (or "fits" the band calls them on its best of collection) are still some of the heaviest and most distinct tracks in the genre. And guitarist Sin Quirin had promised big surprises and special guests during our interview a while back.

But fair warning to fans planning on checking the tour out in other cities: Don’t expect the show to be a big, nostalgiafest. Actually, don’t expect to hear many of your favorite songs from Ministry’s heyday at all. While I kind of like it when a veteran rock band mixes it up with a fair representation of their new material, especially if it's as good as Ministry's last couple of albums, Jourgensen really over did it - especially considering this is being billed as the last tour.

In Seattle, the entire first hour and a quarter of a rockin’ but ultimately disappointing set was dedicated to Jourgensen’s George Dubya Bush-bashing triology, “Houses of the Molé,” “Rio Grande Blood” and “The Last Sucker,” with predictable footage of the president, old propaganda films and miscellaneous mayhem on a projection screen behind the band.

Then the new Ministry lineup - which notably includes Static-X bassist Tony Campos, in for the late Paul Raven - took a bow. But it was still relatively early, and I figured the band would come back with a solid 45 minutes to an hour of the head banging classics that fans had been calling out, even as they seemed to enjoy the new songs. And that seemed to be the plan during a first encore that got Ministry's faithful extra riled up with “N.W.O.,” “Just One Fix” and the choppy aggression of “Thieves.” Hey, wouldn't that first and last one have fit in seamlessly with the political material from earlier? Anyway, during this part of the show Fear Factory’s Burton Bell made an appearance for some of the growliest duets ever.

The crowd was just getting warmed up. So it would have been the perfect time for those Ministry lads to pull something extra special from their sleeves to push things over the top. A little “Stigmata” or "Jesus Built My Hotrod," maybe? Perhaps a couple of synth-pop surprises from back in the “Twitch” days, when Jourgensen's aesthetic was a little closer to New Order/Depeche Mode end of the spectrum?

Well, no. Try a bunch of covers - yes, covers - from the forthcoming “Cover Up” disc. They turned into a bar band with thrashy send-ups of the Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues,” ZZ Top’s “Just Got Paid” and the Rolling Stones' “Under My Thumb,” if you care to know, with Jourgensen cracking a big grin and shedding his surly, chain smoking demeanor for a bit some goofy gyrating towards the end.

The set wasn't a total flop. As mentioned, I like the new songs. But how disappointing was the overall set on a scale of one to 10? I’d give it about an eight. Assuming you're not a Ministry fan, here's a bit of context. Imagine going to see the Rolling Stones, hearing 10 straight songs from “A Bigger Bang” (a decent album, but not what you came for) and seeing the World's Greatest Rock Band walk off after just a handful of its hits. Buh-bye. You ain't gotta go home, but ...

Here’s hoping that Jourgensen and company reconsider that whole “final tour” thing, or at least milk it for a while, a la Kiss. (Well, don't suppose they'd keep it going that long.) Then the industrial metal heroes could come back and say good-bye properly, with a more well thought out set.

Metal upstarts Hemlock opened with an energetic if not altogether memorable set. They were followed the band that made the whole experience worth the price of admission as far as I'm concerned – the mighty, mighty Meshuggah, one of the best metal bands on the planet at the moment. I can’t wait for the Swedish prog-metal band’s newest “Obzen” based on what I heard. They played “Electric Red” and “Pravus,” according to the set list. (I'm a latecomer to this band, and didn't have those songs sorted out as I watched. But expect more of what you love from those guys; freaky signatures; dark, choppy riffs; cavernous ambiance.) But the sonic maelstrom of “Rational Gaze” served as the set’s high point; a nuclear blast of Swedish metal fury that makes other new school metal acts sound like lightweight in comparison.

Band leader Al Jourgensen (top) and company performed behind a chain-linked barrier. And here’s the surprisingly hit-deficient set list.
ERNEST A. JASMIN

The latest (and presumably final) version of Ministry is a super-group of sorts with Prong’s Tommy Victor (at fence, rousing up crowd), Static-X’s Tony Campos filling in for the late Paul Raven, who died last fall, and guitarist Sin Quirin (also of Revolting Cocks). At bottom is Ministry’s surprisingly hit-deficient set list.
ERNEST A. JASMIN

Swedish prog-metal band Meshuggah pretty amazing as it delivered its mathy brand of menace; jazzy signatures, warped tempo changes, affected tempos and all that good stuff. Singer Jens Kidman reminded me of Tool’s Maynard James Keenan in that his stage antics were pretty melodramatic and bizarre (in a good way.) To picture his affected head banging technique, imagine the bald guy in the photo also simultaneously trying to do crunches and flex like Hans & Franz. Gotta love the deranged facial expression, too. Nice. It's my first time seeing the guy live, and he's already one of my favorite front men. Also pictured: Band mate Fredrik Thordendal, the fans and the set list.
ERNEST A. JASMIN