Which metal musician founded the band Ministry and is known as its principal member?

Al Jourgensen founded Ministry and became the band's principal member. He led the group through its transformation from synth-pop in the early 1980s into an influential industrial metal act.

Ministry's sound became heavier through distorted guitars, sampled noise, aggressive vocals, and machine-like rhythms. The band's 1989 album The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste and 1992 album Psalm 69 were especially important to the development of industrial metal.

Trent Reznor founded Nine Inch Nails, while Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie led their own industrial or alternative metal projects. These artists are often discussed together, but Jourgensen is the key figure associated with Ministry.