"Permawar" (stylized as "PermaWar") is a song by American industrial metal band Ministry. It is the third track and the only single from the band's thirteenth studio album, From Beer to Eternity. It was released on August 9, 2013 as a digital download.[1]
| "PermaWar" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Ministry | ||||
| from the album From Beer to Eternity | ||||
| Released | August 9, 2013 | |||
| Length | 4:56 | |||
| Label | 13th Planet | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Al Jourgensen | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Ministry singles chronology | ||||
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Lyrics
editAccording to Al Jourgensen's interview with Kenny Herzog of Spin magazine, "PermaWar" is based on Rachel Maddow's book Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power.[2] The song lyrically criticizes "the multi-million dollar industry that war has become".[3]
Music video
editThe music video for the song was filmed at Jourgensen's 13th Planet compound in El Paso, Texas. It was produced by Jourgensen's wife, Angelina Lukacin-Jourgensen, and directed by filmmaker and animator Zach Passero, who also directed other Ministry music videos, including "Lieslieslies", "GhoulDiggers" and "99 Percenters".[4]
Like the song, the music video draws upon political themes. In the video, Jourgensen portrays three different personalities, taking the form of three different points of view on America's policies on war: the corrupt political leader, the predatory business man and the passive observer.[5] The music video also features vintage clips of missile launches, trenches with dead bodies, and military exercises, which were taken from footage of World War II, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq.[4][6] It also contains audio samples of president Barack Obama's speeches about terrorism.[7]
Personnel
editMinistry
edit- Al Jourgensen – vocals, guitars, production, mixing
- Mike Scaccia – guitars
- Sin Quirin – guitars
- Tony Campos – bass
- Aaron Rossi – drums
Additional personnel
edit- Sammy D'Ambruoso – production
- Aaron Havill – keyboards, engineering
- Allan Amato – artwork
References
edit- ^ Hartmann, Graham (August 9, 2013). "Ministry unleash new 'From Beer to Eternity' single 'PermaWar'". Loudwire. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
- ^ Herzog, Kenny (July 31, 2013). "Al Jourgensen Bids Adieu to Ministry, Not to Speaking His Mind". Spin. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
- ^ Childers, Chad (August 16, 2013). "Ministry, 'PermaWar' – Exclusive Video Premiere". Noisecreep. Retrieved August 26, 2013.The word "permawar" appears frequently in Frank Getlein's book "Playing Soldier: A Diatribe"(1971), indicating "a permanent condition of military embroilment that preserves the military-industrial stranglehold on the (involved) country."
- ^ a b Hartmann, Graham (August 16, 2013). "Ministry, 'PermaWar' – exclusive video premiere". Loudwire. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
- ^ "Ministry: 'PermaWar' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. August 16, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
- ^ Barkan, Jonathan (August 16, 2013). "Ministry Release Official Video For "PermaWar"". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
- ^ Adams, Gregory (August 6, 2013). "Ministry "PermaWar" (video)". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 26, 2013.