BELL HAS MINISTRY COVERED

Burton C. Bell, singer for Fear Factory, has Ministry covered for their last go-around.

Fear Factory singer Burton C. Bell is currently signed to Al Jourgensen’s label 13th Planet Records for his new project Ascension Of The Watchers. Bell also is involved in the last recordings of Ministry’s career for the album Cover Up, which will hit stores April 1. The album features covers of songs like “Radar Love,” “Mississippi Queen,” “Space Truckin'” and “Bang A Gong,” and Bell makes an appearance on a few of the tunes.

The singer talks about getting involved in the album.

“It was last January, I was talking to a friend, and my friend goes, ‘Yeah Ministry is in the studio recording their last record.” I was like, ‘Their last record?’ ‘Yeah, it’s their very last record.’ ‘Really?!’ And I was thinking to myself, ‘Man, if I want to get involved with this, this is the time.’ So what did I do? The very next day I called up Al. I was like, ‘Al, this is Burton. I met you (at your last New York City show), I know you’re doing your last record. I would love to offer my services. I’m there, if you want me I’m there.’ He called me like a week later, ‘We want you on our record. Come on down.’ So he flew me down. I was down there for two weeks. We did ‘End Of Days.’ ‘Die In A Crash,’ I did another song, it’s not on the record, I don’t know what happened to it. I started doing those cover songs. It was just like, ‘Yeah this is cool.”

Bell talks about covering the Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb.”

“He (Jourgensen) goes, ‘I want you to do a Rolling Stones…I’m trying to figure out a Rolling Stones song for you to do.’ I’m like, ‘OK.’ I had no idea that it would be that song. I thought of other songs, but I never would have thought of it. That was like my least favorite Rolling Stones song. He’s like, ‘Really?’ I even told him, ‘Al, I don’t really even like that song.’ He’s like, ‘Have you ever read the lyrics?’ I said, ‘No.’ He’s like, ‘Read the lyrics.’ So I read the lyrics, and I actually listened to what Mick [Jagger] was saying. I was like, ‘Whoa. This is a total male empowerment song. It was written in the 60’s I was like, ‘Wow. That’s cool.'”

Killing Joke’s Paul Raven makes an posthumous appearance on the collection, helping out on the record before suddenly passing away late last year. Bell remembered the man he called a “pirate.”

“He was a pirate, a true pirate, and he lived like a pirate to his last day. It’s gonna catch up with ya. I love the guy, and I miss him.”

Bell’s bandmate in Ascension Of The Watchers is John Bechdel, who spent time with Raven in Killing Joke and a few other projects. Bell will also join Al Jourgensen onstage for the songs he performed on Cover Up for Ministry’s last tour called the C U LaTour. The trek begins Tuesday, March 25, at the Big Easy in Spokane, Washington.