The name
Ministry brings to mind images of big, dumb guitars and arena rock sensibility. But before they created their influential third album,
The Land of Rape and Honey, there was
Twitch. And this album probably owes more to
Front 242 than anything. The only thing remotely resembling their later music is the use of psychotic sampling that
Al Jourgensen and
Paul Barker will always be known for. A good example is "Like You," the first track on the album. Other differences include Patty Jourgensen singing on the song "The Angel" and
Al Jourgensen actually trying to sound unaggravated at times. It's interesting though repetitive at times ("Crash and Burn"), and if you care to listen to
Jourgensen's rants, he really does have something to say. "Isle of Man" tells the story of the arrival of Columbus and how the persecution of the Indians will be revisited on the offenders in time. Make no mistake: this sounds nothing like any of
Ministry's other albums; listeners may hear how they became what they did. ~ Alan Esher