I wasn't suppose to write these lines. Some idiots mistook the redneck pub with the Hristo Botev Hall in Sofia, Bulgaria on July 12, 2008 and decided to beat their turned into aggression complexes on the head of our friend Nikola Shahpazov, who was in charge for writing this report. While I am assembling this text, he is sitting in in a hospital waiting for someone to darn him. And he couldn’t see half of the show of one of his favorite bands. Stupid…

And the show was brutal. Brutal band, brutal crowd, brutal test for the body, brutal test for the ears. Because the sound did suck. At least the vocal part of it. Vocalist Terry was singing and speaking between the songs of local supporters Alien Industry, but down there we were hearing only a monotonous noise of his voice for the first few songs. However, we heard him when he called upon the audience to pay tribute to the band’s late drummer Tzuro, who passed away 10 months ago. And we did it just - last respect to a real rock and roll drummer. One minute of shouting, clapping and every noise that man can produce. I do believe Tzuro was somewhere there too, smiling and pleased...

We were pleased, too. Alien Industry made a killer gig. The new guy on the drums, Daniel Goranov, completed his task perfectly and let his skills in the killing audio-machine of the band. Bass player Funky. The local promoter? Yes. And a great musician. Thick set, great acceptance, strong band. Bye, see you next time, when the album comes out.

Waiting. Wow, what a strange net. Is this meant to protect the band from the audience? Or the audience from the band? Oops, an image appears on the screen. A skull. Titles. Revolting Cocks - “I’m Not Gay”. A fitting intro for a Ministry concert, isn’t it? Silence. And…“Let’s Go”! Yes, let’s go! In fact, we jumped. And to be more precise - we’ve plunged. In a moshpit, ahead, above. Man, this is Ministry! Watch now, ‘cause there ain’t gonna be a next time. C U LaTour? No. There’s no more Ministry. Last tour, first and last concert of the insane Al Jourgensen & Co. in Bulgaria. Pedal to the metal! Both them and us. Without the loudspeakers. While the band was playing, it became clear that the sound won’t get better. It wasn’t the shittiest in the Hristo Botev Hall though, but it wasn’t the best either. So far with the negatives.

Ministry are a fucking machine live! Wild, noisy, hypnotic. The current line-up works so well together that while you listen and watch them you can not tell that bassist Tony Campos (Static-X, Asesino) and Aaron Rossi have never recorded with the band, but the drummer takes part in other projects of Al and guitarist Tommy Victor. I let you to find out in which ones by yourselves.

From the stage a two-hour-long treatise on heavy industrial metal slapped us, more suitable for some of the sheds of a factory than the sheet iron hothouse Hristo Botev. To achieve a nice sound in this hut you have to be Houdini on the desk, but down there, in the pell-mell, this didn’t matter that much. The people literally got smashed of furor. The cult status of the band combined with the killing performance of the musicians produced a kick-start on the adrenaline synthesis of the crowd. Almost an hour and a half with the tracks of their last three albums and the first goodbye followed. Short shouting and a new salute with “So What”. Then two shots of the favorite “Psalm 69”. Just one (more) fix? No, this one is the last. And goodbye with the mill of “Thieves”. And what about a second encore? Such a wonderful audience deserves a wonderful world! The immortal hit of Louis Armstrong thundered as a farewell and Ministry wished us goodbye. For the last time. One great concert. For Ministry. For the fans. And for Tzuro.

Report: Ivaylo Alexandrov

Photos: Victor Alexandrov

More photos are available in theВ GALLERY.