Stigmata (song)

"Stigmata" is a song by American industrial metal band Ministry. Written by frontman Al Jourgensen, it is the opening track and the only single released from their third studio album, 1988’s The Land of Rape and Honey. The song features distorted vocals, guitars and compressed drum machine loops.^[2] The song was an underground hit.^[3] The music video—which was said to get a regular airing on MTV^[4]—features gritty black and white machinery, gears, symbols, the band playing live, Paul Barker on a motorcycle, strobe-like montages of eyes (which are the only elements presented in color), and youths shaving their heads. The song was said to be Ministry's "finest moment until 1992".^[5]

"Stigmata"
Single by Ministry
from the album The Land of Rape and Honey
Released	August 1988
Genre	Industrial metal[1]
Length	5:45
Label	Sire Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	Al Jourgensen
Producer(s)	Hypo Luxa Hermes Pan
Ministry singles chronology
"Over the Shoulder" (1986) "Stigmata" (1988) "Burning Inside" (1989)

The track was featured in the episode “Line of Fire” of Miami Vice and later featured in the 1990 science fiction horror movie Hardware and the 1995 Hong Kong action comedy film Rumble in the Bronx. The 2017 action movie Atomic Blonde (taking place in 1989) features a cover of the song by Marilyn Manson. The 12-inch single remix of the song was featured in the 2006 video game, Tony Hawk's Project 8. The song was also featured as an unlockable track in the 2009 video game Brütal Legend.^[6] In August 2010, the song became available for download in the Rock Band series of games.^[7]

In his 2013 autobiography, Ministry: The Lost Gospels..., Jourgensen writes that although "Stigmata" is one of Ministry's most popular songs, he hates it for being "too simplistic" and for its use of sampled rather than actual guitars. He wrote "Stigmata" at the last minute after realising he needed another song to complete the album.^[8]: 86

Track listing

No.	Title	Credit	Length
1.	"Stigmata" (Remix)	Ministry	6:57
2.	"Tonight We Murder"	Ministry/Nardiello	6:02

Personnel

Ministry

• Al Jourgensen - vocals ("Stigmata"), guitar, programming, production, engineer
• Paul Barker - bass, programming, production, engineer

Additional personnel

• William Rieflin - drums ("Tonight We Murder"), programming
• Frank Nardiello - vocals ("Tonight We Murder"), cover painting
• Brian Shanley - cover design