by Ian McIvor
After reactivating the Lead Into Gold project in 2018, ex-Ministry member Paul Barker returns for a follow-up album The Eternal Present.
What Worked
While 2018’s The Sun Behind the Sun saw Paul Barker using the sampled and mechanical grooves he used during his time with Ministry, The Eternal Present finds Barker using a looser structure around his bass guitar, analog synth programming, and his voice. This creates a very different album from what Barker has done before in his various projects, but something familiar to those familiar with his body of work. The Eternal Present isn’t so much an album, but a clinic on experimentation, sound manipulation, and production. For the past month, Barker promoted the album opening for Industrial legends Skinny Puppy, masterfully recreating The Eternal Present in a live environment that sounded great.
What Didn’t Work
Listeners more familiar with the Ministry catalogue will be left scratching their heads, wondering where the heavy guitars are. In addition, those not interested in sound experimentation will be deterred by the noise instead of digging beneath the surface for various layers to Barker’s compositions. This is definitely an album for listeners open-minded to their music.
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