Ministry, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, and Hanzel und Gretyl: Anaheim, CA 9-22-04

Teutonic-inspired industrial rockers Hanzel Und Gretyl opened up tonight’s set with a blistering performance that would be hard to top. Playing a set of material taken mostly from their last album, Hanzel Und Gretyl also tried out a few numbers like “Disko Fire Sheissmessiah” from their forthcoming disc as well as old-school favorite “Essen Scheissen Und Geld Machen.” If anything, the band has gotten even heavier with time, and it is to lead vocalist Vas Kallas’s credit that her bellows are loud enough even to be heard over the band’s bowel-shaking rumble of bass and drums. Hanzel Und Gretyl are incredible on stage, and it is immediately obvious to anyone who sees them that they love being there. While guitarist Loopy’s vocals are deep and mechanical on the album version of “Ich Bin Uber Alles,” on-stage he shouts them with gleeful abandon, and the crowd responded in kind.

It was a hard act to follow, and try as they might, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult never quite reached the same level of energy with their performance. Playing as a full band, with live drums and guitars, Thrill Kill Kult did justice to more recent material like “Fangs of Love” and “The Untouchable Class,” but new renditions of old favorites were more of a mixed bag. “The Days of Swine and Roses” sounded great, thanks to a new female vocalist, but “A Daisy Chain 4 Satan” just sounded messy with so many real instruments in the mix.

Ministry of course didn’t disappoint, and started their “Evil Doers” set off with a series of anti-Bush political songs from their new album. “WTV” stood out with its slew of cut-up samples and blistering guitar riffs, and a live violinist added atmosphere to “Wrong.” A female back-up singer joined the band to add operatic vocals to “World,” which also featured Al Jourgensen playing a percussion solo on his microphone stand, which was adorned with cow skulls and jutting bone handlebars like a skeletal pogo stick. It wasn’t until the band launched into old favorites like “Deity” and “Just One Fix,” though, that the audience really lost control, and Jourgensen was in full from, miming masturbation during “Psalm 69” and alternating between jingoistic salutes and upraised middle fingers at the video samples of the first President Bush that played during “NWO.” Apart from the first half hour or so, this was the same Ministry that we all know and love. Though their lineup has gone through quite a few changes, their sound and stage presence really hasn’t, and fans weren’t disappointed.

Visit the bands of the Evil Doer Tour online at www.hanzelundgretyl.com, www.thrillkill.com, and www.ministrymusic.org