Ministry released Rio Grande Blood on May 2, 2006. A follow on from 2004’s Houses of the Mole, main man Al Jourgensen and his crew continue their assault on the Bush administration in an album that many say is the best Ministry album since 1992’s Psalm 69.

Ministry is well known for their industrial metal sound, but Rio Grande Blood marks a change of direction. The electronic programming is significantly stripped down in order to make room for the brutality of the drums and guitars, which will most probably make you deaf after the 50 minutes is up.

There are two things that may not sit right with some Ministry fans. First, Jourgensen really, really does not like George Bush. Jourgensen doesn’t care that it’s 2006 now, not 2003. He is persistent on assaulting and insulting the President through his music. Nevertheless, everyone else seems to be over the musical Bush-Bashing already. You almost want to tell him, “Everyone knows Bush is a liar and a bad President. You don’t have to keep telling the world about it!” The recent general music releases doing so much Bush-Bashing is getting old for me. Some fans may feel alienated by Ministry’s continued walk down the path of political mayhem, while others have always regarded Ministry as a political band. Rio Grande Blood even has George Bush on the cover. It depicts him as a stoned looking Jesus Christ, with a crown of thorns, a look on his face that seems like he’s “tripping balls,” and Bush giving the Devil sign. In the background, war planes are flying over oil rigs.

Second, many fans may miss the signature electronic sounds and drums that make up "classic Ministry." Rio Grande Blood is an angry album, and the music suits it well. Maybe there was no room for heavy electronic sounds on this album; instead, a stripped down and raw sound do the lyrics more justice.

The album opens with the title track, as a mutilated George Bush speech claims: “I am an asshole. I want your money.” You immediately get hit in the face with the raw power of the song. The fast pace of guitars and drums form the perfect backdrop to this angry song. Jourgensen makes no apologies as he sings from the viewpoint of George Bush, and ridicules him by screaming “And all I gotta say is yippee-eye-ay!” This song sets up the rest of the album perfectly.

Before you even have time to process the very fact that Ministry is back, “Senõr Peligro” doesn’t give you the chance. It almost seems like Part 2 of Rio Grande Blood since it matches it in brutality. It is yet another attack on the President. “Senõr Peligro” is, as the track tells us, Bush’s alter ego. He kills, he invades, and business is his game.

“I’m the Ministry of death…” growls some dude named Sgt. Major “Gangreen.” Following from this is a whole bunch of insults thrown at us by this Sgt. Major while a slow but heavy guitar serves as back drop. It’s difficult to take something like this seriously, especially when he snaps, “I’m gonna stick my dick in your nose,” but you can see what kind of mood Ministry are trying to achieve with this track.