The Al Jourgenson/Paul Barker partnership has returned to deliver the best Ministry album in a decade. The first half of the palindromically titled Animositisomina is relentless, with " Animosity, " " Unsung, " " Piss, " " Lockbox, " and " Broken " all capable of holding their own against any offerings from the band’s thrashing ’88-’92 heyday. The album does depend heavily on the patented Ministry wall-of-aggro-guitars formula, but it never comes off as uninspired. Clipped buzzsaw-guitar licks cut through the gunfire snap and pop of drums; distorted, disembodied vocals like those of a lunatic preacher, add to the tumult.

Midway through, things ease up with an outstanding cover of Magazine’s " The Light Pours Out of Me " ; it’s reminiscent of Jourgenson/Barker Wax Trax Records side projects like Lead into Gold and Pailhead where guitar loops are drawn out, vocals become less manic and distorted, and music and listeners alike get to catch their breath. Gradually " Shove, " " Impossible, " and " Stolen " work things back into a frenzy that concludes with " Leper, " a noisy, 10-minute epic. Animositisomina may be bristling with Ministry’s abrasive sound, but Jourgenson himself has finally tapped into raging emotions that have nothing to do with the agonies of his addictions.