Ministry And Co-Conspirators

Cover albums produce the most love/hate polarisation by fans for myriad reasons, and this Ministry entry simply adds to the chaos. Al Jourgensen’s "co-conspirators” are mostly from the current label stable — Prong guitarist Tommy Victor and Fear Factory/Ascension of the Watchers front-man Burton Bell — but Cover Up takes an unpredictable tack in sticking to by-the-numbers versions of overplayed tunes. Jourgensen’s tame takes on the Rolling Stones’ "Under My Thumb” and T. Rex’s "Bang a Gong” make these classics sound downright creepy, while too little diversity in Golden Earring’s "Radar Love” and Deep Purple’s "Space Truckin’” relegates those cuts to the forgettable heap. The tired "Black Betty” and "Mississippi Queen” are cut from the same cloth that doomed Ozzy’s Under Cover from the get-go, and "Roadhouse Blues,” "Supernaut” and "Lay Lady Lay” are previously released. Due to ZZ Top’s unflappability, "Just Got Paid” is the only track that stays kick-ass with Ministry’s patented industrial guitars, but why Jourgensen decided to desecrate Louis Armstrong’s "What a Wonderful World” remains an unsolvable mystery.