History YMMV / Ministry

* HarsherInHindsight: After Mike Scaccia's death at the untimely age of 47, any of the band's many songs referring to death can qualify as this.

* SignatureSong: "Jesus Built My Hotrod" and/or "N.W.O.".

* {{Anvilicious}}: Politics has been in Ministry's music since the late 80s, but even by the standards of the band that made the Bush trilogy, their post-trilogy albums don't even bother with subtlety, with songs like "99 Percenters" and "Antifa" openly endorsing specific political movements.

* DorkAge: ''Filth Pig'' and ''Dark Side of the Spoon'' are generally not held in high regard, although they both (''Filth Pig'' more so) have gained their fair share of fans over the years.

* SoOkayItsAverage: The consensus for ''Relapse'' and ''From Beer to Eternity'' seems to be that they're either this or another DorkAge, though despite that, there are certainly quite a few fans who like them both fine, too.

** Al himself has said that he makes better music under Republican presidents. This may have been a joke, but judging from the receptions Ministry's albums have gotten on various sites (Rate Your Music, Sputnik Music, Metal Archives, etc.), this actually seems to be what the fans think, too. ''Animositisomina'', the anti-Bush trilogy, and albums recorded before 1993 (with the exception of ''With Sympathy'') almost without fail have much better receptions than anything Al released during Democratic administrations.
*** ''Amerikkkant'', released under the Trump administration, has unfortunately averted this trend. With many seeing the album as one of the band's weakest.

* FoeYay:
** Since 2007 or so, most of what Al has to say about Paul Barker, Bill Rieflin and Chris Connelly smacks of this. They don't mind returning the favor, either.
*** However, in 2018, Chris performed alongside Al for the first time in 15 years and Al has more or less buried the hatchet with Paul and has considered working on a project with him one day.

* WinBackTheCrowd: Ministry's 2021 album ''Moral Hygiene'' received a markedly better reception from critics and fans than its predecessor ''Amerikkkant'', and was generally characterized as a return to their 90's era industrial metal sound as opposed to the thrash metal leanings of much of their other output in the 2000's.

* CrazyAwesome: '''''"Jesus Built My Hotrod".''''', big time.

* VindicatedByHistory: ''Filth Pig'' was a heavily polarizing record upon its release. Nowadays, it is considered to be one of Ministry's finest albums with fans and critics praising the sludge metal elements and its focus on overall heaviness. Probably one of the rare cases of a good Ministry album that was recorded under a Democrat President[[note]]in this case, UsefulNotes/BillClinton[[/note]].

*** Al and Paul particularly sound like a sitcom couple in Chris Connelly's [[Literature/ConcreteBulletproofInvisibleAndFried memoir]] of his time in Ministry and related projects, with Al as the BumblingDad and Paul as his CloserToEarth spouse.

*** ''Fix: The Ministry Movie'' features such scenes as [[RomanticSpoonfeeding Al feeding Paul grapes]] and the two of them waltzing on a tour bus. They end their waltz with Al pulling Paul into a kiss.

* DorkAge: ''Filth Pig'' and ''Dark Side of the Spoon'' are generally not held in high regard, although they both (Filth Pig more so) have gained their fair share of fans over the years.

** There was also a rift between Music/SonicYouth and the band in the 90's, though it's seemed to died down, especially since both bands have worked together since.

** Also applies to Music/BigBlack and Ministry, mostly due to Music/SteveAlbini's outspoken hatred of all things electronic. Also unfounded, as Steve Albini has worked with Jourgensen in Pigface, the well-known industrial metal supergroup.

* DorkAge: ''Filth Pig'' and ''Dark Side of the Spoon'' are not held in high regard by most fans.

*** It's rumored that Al's new wife might have been a factor in their parting. If nothing else, the timing is certainly suspect.
*** Al spends most of his autobiography claiming to have always hated Paul, but his wife disagrees saying that, "... Al loved Paul, y’know? When Al loves someone, he really loves them. So when Al says he hates Paul, he hates Paul now. But he didn’t hate him back then. They were bandmates and Al loved him," and that "Paul stuck a knife in Al's heart." Oooh, boy.

* MagnumOpus: ''Psalm 69''.

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: Subverted many times. Al was a heroin user. Also, the reported story of the creation of "Jesus Built My Hotrod" was that [[Music/ButtholeSurfers the Butthole Surfers]]' Gibby Haynes accidentally wandered drunk into Ministry's studio one night, and they invited him to sit on the recording session.

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: Subverted many times. Al was a heroin user. Also, the reported story of the creation of "Jesus Built My Hotrod" was that [[Music/ButtholeSurfers the Butthole Surfers]]' Gibby Haynes accidentally wandered drunk into Ministry's studio one night, and they invited him to sit on the recording session.

*** ''Fix: The Ministry Movie'' features such scenes as Al feeding Paul grapes and the two of them waltzing on a tour bus. They end their waltz with Al pulling Paul into a kiss.