Fireball Ministry

Fireball Ministry (Restricted Release)

By Anne C. Johnson
Published: April 3rd, 2010 | 7:00am

It has been written that Fireball Ministry “ain’t got a rule book. If shit rocks, it rocks. Period.” For this Hollywood-based heavy metal quartet’s first record in five years, the band decided to stick to their tried and true credo, using a DIY approach with the album’s recording.

Like so many other bands these days, Fireball Ministry used new recording technology on their record—but used it their own way. Left to their own devices, the hard-rocking crew produced an unpretentious record with a few melodic, almost pop-sounding surprises (“Hard Lines,” “Thought It Out”). Mostly, the self-titled release relies on the heavier sound that has made Fireball Ministry a favorite for the likes of Dave Grohl and Kat Von D. And despite singer-guitarist Reverend James Rota II’s misgivings about politics in music, civil unrest has filtered into a few of the songs (“Butcher, Faker, Policy Maker,” “Common Enemy”) which only increases their impact.

Much in the way that athletes speak in endless streams of clichés, Fireball Ministry’s lyrics are rife with hackneyed phrases—but this is forgivable because they are honest and unaffected (plus, have you seen the size of these guys?). Save for a few stellar examples (Black Sabbath, early Metallica), metal has never been known for its intellect (sometimes wrongfully), but more for being an authentic voice for the faithful. Fireball Ministry’s main fault is dragging out songs much longer than they need to be by repeating lyrics over and over—but then again, there are certainly much worse things in music.

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Restricted Release