We recently reported that Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen had resurrected the band after a three-year split. Although Jourgensen vowed to never bring Ministry back, the singer-guitarist surprised his fans with a welcomed change of heart. Now, Ministry have announced dates for a very brief 2012 U.S. tour.

The tour will only see the industrial veterans playing five shows in four cities, with two of the shows taking place in Chicago. A note on the band's Facebook page states that these will be the only gigs of 2012.

Jourgensen's decision to resurrect Ministry was influenced by not just a near-death experience, but a flat out death experience. "In March 2010, I went into a seizure and bled out 65% of my body and they had to take me by ambulance to the ICU where I flatlined. I was dead."

The newly zombified Jourgensen was saved by a successful blood transfusion. "I still don't know whose blood it was," said the legendary frontman. "I think it was like, some old lady from Kansas because I have a really strong desire to knit."

Jourgensen has spent 2011 focusing on his health. "I'm a vegetarian again, I have a personal trainer, I do 20 miles on my bike every day, I eat right, I'm the healthiest I've been in over 20 years."

Furthermore, Ministry fans have not just a healthy Al Jourgenson and some tour dates to celebrate, but a new Ministry album in the works that will be titled 'Relapse.' The new disc may drop as early as Christmas of this year. In the meantime, while the U.S. tour dates aren't until June 2012, tickets for the shows go on sale Sept. 16.

Ministry's 2012 Relapse Tour Dates:

6/17 -- Ogden Theatre, Denver, Colo.
6/21 -- Club Nokia, Los Angeles, Calif.
6/23 -- Best Buy Theater, New York, N.Y.
6/28 & 6/29 -- Vic Theatre, Chicago, Ill.

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