ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (commonly known as Psalm 69) is the fifth studio album by the industrial metal band Ministry, released on July 14, 1992, by Sire Records. It was produced by frontman Al Jourgensen and bassist Paul Barker, and was recorded from March 1991 to May 1992 in Chicago, Illinois and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The album’s title, initially intended to be The Tapes of Wrath, ended up being derived from Aleister Crowley‘s The Book of Lies.
Psalm 69 features elements of speed metal, rockabilly, and psychobilly, with lyrics exploring social, political, and religious topics. With much anticipation following the success of Ministry‘s previous album The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste (1989), pressures on the band were said to be high, in addition to the growing substance abuse of several members and worsening relationships between them. It was also the first time Mike Scaccia had been significantly involved in a Ministry album, after appearing on tours in support of The Mind….
Preceded by lead single “Jesus Built My Hotrod“, Psalm 69 was a critical and commercial success upon its release, peaking at number 27 on the US Billboard 200 and number 33 on the UK Albums Chart. It was supported by two more singles: N.W.O. and Just One Fix, with accompanying music videos directed by Peter Christopherson. Psalm 69 is considered to be Ministry‘s most successful album, having been certified gold in Canada and Australia, and platinum in the US. Following its release, Ministry joined the second annual Lollapalooza tour before commencing a tour through Europe and the US; N.W.O., Just One Fix, and the title track have become permanent features of the band’s live setlist. N.W.O. was nominated for the Best Metal Performance at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards. The cover art depicts a silhouette of an angel surrounded by clocks and other miscellaneous objects as border icons. It was designed by photographer Paul Elledge who conceived the layout after Jourgensen handed him a copy of Aleister Crowley‘s 1918 The Book of Lies. The final cover image was a triple exposure of three images on one piece of film. The angel was a model from Chicago’s Art Institute, who was wearing angel wings crafted by the artist’s wife at the time. It took Elledge a week to complete the cover art.
Tracklist:
- N.W.O.
- Just One Fix
- TV II
- Hero
- Jesus Built My Hotrod (featuring Gibby Haynes)
- Scarecrow
- Psalm 69
- Corrosion
- Grace
Ministry
Al Jourgensen: vocals (all tracks, except “Jesus Built My Hotrod” and instrumentals), guitars, keyboards, production
Paul Barker: bass, programming, vocals, production
Additional musicians
William Rieflin: drums
Mike Scaccia: guitar
Michael Balch: keyboards, programming
Howie Beno: programming
Louis Svitek: guitar
Gibby Haynes: vocals and lyrics (on “Jesus Built My Hotrod”)
Production
Jeff “Critter” Newell: engineer
Paul Manno: engineer
Tom Baker: mastering
Paul Elledge: artwork
Dale Lavi: photography
“Thirst”: artwork assistant
