Ministry founder Al Jourgensen says the band’s next album, Hate to Go (Take Out or Delivery), will also be its last — and he insists the farewell tour will mark a genuine ending.
“It is so — final album, final tour,” Jourgensen told Billboard, adding that he expects to be “just a simple goat herder” in 14 months. He rejected the idea of a later comeback, declaring, “I’m f***in’ done.”
Jourgensen, 68, founded Ministry in 1981 and said he will reach 45 years in the same job this year. Rather than approaching the decision with regret, he described himself and his collaborators as ready to explore possibilities beyond continuing the band.
There was nearly an earlier ending. Jourgensen had considered 2024’s Hopiumforthemasses a potential final Ministry record. After making 2025’s The Squirrely Years, however, the group decided it still had “one more left” to make.
A Final Album Designed to Look Back
The resulting 10-track Hate to Go (Take Out or Delivery) is intended as a broad summation of Ministry’s music, humor, politics and social commentary. The album opens with “Crickets” and concludes with the celebratory, defiant “We’re Still Here.”
That closing song also brings back former Ministry member Paul Barker, whose tenure ran from 1986 to 2003. Jourgensen said their relationship has evolved since Barker’s acrimonious departure, moving from legal conflict to the point where they could spend time together in a pub.
Jourgensen considered Barker’s return essential to the group’s send-off. Placing him on the final song was a deliberate decision, one Jourgensen said helped put “a bow around the whole package.”
Elsewhere, Cesar Soto’s guitar solos feature prominently on “Clown Car” and “Singularity.” “Clown Car” attacks the country’s current political leadership, while “Singularity” addresses Jourgensen’s fears about artificial intelligence. “Delete,” meanwhile, takes aim at social media.
Jourgensen also used AI while making the record, particularly to locate spoken samples from presidents including Barack Obama and Donald Trump. He said the technology dramatically reduced the time required to search congressional and presidential speeches for usable material.
That practical benefit has not eased his wider concerns. Jourgensen said he is “terrified” by AI and believes it has already developed distinct personalities. He framed the album as his final warning rather than the start of another long run of records addressing the same subject.
Ministry’s Road to the Finish Line
Jourgensen formed Ministry after playing in the post-punk group Special Affect. The new band issued early singles through Chicago’s Wax Trax! Records and made its live debut on New Year’s Day 1982.
An Arista Records deal produced the synth-pop album With Sympathy in 1983. Jourgensen said Clive Davis rejected the heavier direction he wanted, while producers, backup singers and even lyrics were selected for him. Ministry regained creative control after moving to Sire Records for 1986’s Twitch.
The catalog that followed included 1988’s The Land of Rape and Honey, 1990’s The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste and the platinum 1992 album Psalm 69. Its opening track, “N.W.O.,” earned the first of Ministry’s six Grammy Award nominations. The 1996 release Filth Pig reached No. 19 on the Billboard 200.
Jourgensen also launched projects including Revolting Cocks and Lard and helped provide the groundwork for Pigface. Although Ministry became identified as a leader in industrial rock, he resists treating the band as strictly industrial. He said its music draws from rock, punk, country, jazz and experimental forms while retaining verses, choruses, melodies and hooks.
The Farewell Tour Plan
Ministry’s final road campaign is expected to draw from across that catalog. Jourgensen said he found 260 published songs attached to his name and expects the band to perform between 20 and 25 songs each night. The goal is to include material representing every Ministry album while changing the set from show to show.
The itinerary includes three Good Things Festival appearances in Australia, plus a couple of additional dates there. A European tour with Die Krupps opening begins April 2; Die Krupps also remixed a couple of songs from Hate to Go.
North American dates have not yet been announced, although Ministry is confirmed for the Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival on May 16 in Columbus, Ohio.
Jourgensen said unnamed artists, including some “pretty famous people,” have approached him about appearing at the farewell shows. Any guests would have to rehearse and work as part of the production rather than simply making an unprepared cameo.
ShowBiz Take
Jourgensen is presenting Ministry’s exit as a carefully constructed conclusion, not a reluctant fade-out. The new album connects the band’s political edge and social commentary with Barker’s return, while the planned shows are designed to revisit every stage of its recorded history.
His earlier belief that Hopiumforthemasses might be the end leaves understandable room for skepticism. This time, however, Jourgensen is attaching a complete final album, an expansive career-spanning set and a firm post-tour departure to the announcement.
What Happens Next?
The immediate focus now shifts to Hate to Go (Take Out or Delivery) and Ministry’s farewell performances. Additional North American dates remain to be revealed, as do the identities of any guest artists who may ultimately join the band onstage.