If last years "Animositisomina" was a step back on the right track for Ministry, then "Houses Of The Mole" is proof of them hitting the ground running. Although long-time co-conspirator Paul Barker has since exited the fold, band mastermind Al Jourgensen has soldiered on and released an album as relevant and as politically charged as "Psalm 69" was back in 1992. An unflinching assault on the Bush administration and other injustices of the world, "Houses Of The Mole" captures the nihilistic aggressive industrial grit the band helped to pioneer and updates it with some tricks they've learnt along the way.

Chockfull of garbled vocals, hollowly programmed drums and treble-laden riffery, the material found here comes off as fiery and inspired. Of course there are a few trips into droning noise and the like, but there are also tracks that rip and tear in the vein and spirit of "Thieves" or "Jesus Built My Hotrod". To many such a feat was thought to now be impossible, but Jourgensen looks to have finally rediscovered the elements that made his band such a vital force all those years ago. In turn, "Houses Of The Mole" shares a kinship with 92's "Psalm 69", a relationship only emphasized by the interspersed samples of American president George W. Bush included here. These ominous sounding clips echo the similar samples of his father that appeared on the aforementioned outing over a decade ago.

Still, in some terms this outing can also be viewed as a bit of a throwback as it does find the band sticking to their tried and true basics. But when you're a outfit whose sound helped to establish an entire genre, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Unlike that of their modern day peers, the leaner and rawer approach found here exercises its will with sinewy muscle and repetitious determination rather than brute force. Although such traits make it more of a regression than a progression, one can't deny that the spark that made Ministry who they are today has once again been lit. It's just too bad it only took the election of another Bush to do it.