Ministry - Sphinctour

Ministry - Sphinctour

Industrial megaband Ministry have no pretensions about anything other than their music. <I>Sphinctour</I> is another example of that single-mindedness: 88 minutes' worth of 13 songs from their 1996 world tour, with none of the added bells and whistles often found on such DVD releases. Ministry fans will have no problem with this approach: the bludgeoning music is there. Period. In the end credits, we are told that 60 shows on the tour were filmed with a single camera, with no overdubs or postconcert tinkering in the studio. This back-to-basics video and audio quality enhances such Ministry epics as "So What," "Lava," and the show's closer, "Stigmata." <p> Skipping around among different performances (the songs come from 13 separate concerts) has its drawbacks. Although "Filth Pig" was recorded at Toronto's indoor Varsity Arena, there's a shot during the song that's clearly of an outdoor stadium show. But that's a small quibble: Ministry singer Al Jorgensen may not make eye contact with the throngs in front of him while onstage, but no one can deny the passion he and his cohorts put into their performances. <I>--Kevin Filipski</I>