Ministry was formed in Chicago, Illinois, United States in 1981 by Alain Jourgensen (born Oct. 8, 1958, Havana, Cuba), who had previously been in a new wave band called Special Affect (fronted by future My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult leader Frankie Nardiello, aka Groovie Mann). With drummer Stephen George, Ministry debuted with the Wax Trax! single Cold Life, which – typical of their early output – was in the synthpop dance style of new wavers like the Human League and Thompson Twins. The album With Sympathy, on the major label Arista in 1983, followed a similar musical direction – one that Jourgensen was dissatisfied with.