Artist: Type O Negative
Label:Roadrunner Records
Release Date: 6/17/03
Rating: 5 Skulls
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Title: Life Is Killing Me Artist: Type O Negative Label:Roadrunner Records Release Date: 6/17/03
Rating: 5 Skulls |
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Reviewed by Chainheart (6/17/03):
It has been four years since the Brooklyn-based goth/doom metal quartet have released their last studio album and they have returned with one of their most abrasive records to date. Their new offering, appropriately titled Life is Killing Me, takes the aggressiveness of the critically acclaimed Bloody Kisses and mixes it with the catchiness of October Rust to create a landmark metal album. Featuring the dark and twisted humor they are known for along with the tongue in cheek song titles "I Like Goils" and "Loud and Queer" this 15-track opus is surely to please any die-hard Type O fan. Just when most people thought that the world has come down on their career the group stormed back with their most volatile release and they definitely felt that they had something to prove. As soon as this disc hits your CD player you better set aside a good hour because you will not want to hit stop. Life is Killing Me proves to Type O fans that the dream is definitely not dead.Like any true Type O Negative release, Life is Killing Me opens up with a short, almost unnecessary, intro and goes immediately into an amazing catchy second track. This song entitled "I Don't Wanna Be Me" is the perfect opener and it hits you hard, while driving it's massive chorus into your head. This could easily be one of the many possible singles and the drums and guitars just pummel the listener. Peter Steele's lyrical genius makes the listener feel the agony he is going through and this aggressive five-minute track sets the pace for the remainder of the record. The next track "Less Than Zero" continues the saga of Steele's depression and angst for life in general. This song slows things down a bit to add in more melody and vocal harmonies, as once again the chorus just sucks you in. The arrangements throughout the record are perfect and extremely diverse. This keeps the record moving at a steady pace, while keeping you interested the entire time.
One of the stand out tracks on this record is the extremely blunt "I Like Goils" that is Steele's retaliation against all of the homosexual men that ever hit on him. This song is reminiscent of the raw sound and energy they perfected on Bloody Kisses and also features some classic controversial lyrical content. Steele says, "Now I don't know whose ass you've licked, no shit tongued boy will ever taste my dick." Be sure to request this on your local commercial radio station. "A Dish Better Served Cold" is another track that screams old school Type O with its haunting keyboard into that will immediately send a chill down your spine. This could be best compared to the track "Love You To Death" from October Rust and it might be the slowest, yet best track on this record. With a chorus that repeats "How many times must I say that I'm not sorry, how many ways can I show I don't care" you feel Steele's bleak outlook of the world and how he makes no apologies for the way he acts. This track is followed by "How Could She" that has Johnny Kelly (drums) pounding the double bass mixed in with Kenny Hickey's shredding guitars squeals and this song could easily fit on the Slow, Deep and Hard record. In true Type O fashion the aggressive music of "How Could She" is beautifully complemented by the comical lyrics surrounding Steele's fascination with female T.V. personalities.
The album's title track is a powerful, epic seven-minute assault that holds nothing back as Steele just unleashes a fury of hatred. This is perfectly placed at the heart of the disc and displays a blend of the somber, yet catchy October Rust and World Coming Down songwriting. This further shows how the band has taken bits and pieces of the best elements of their career and touches upon them all within this release. This record proves that musically they have perfected their formula for disaster and each member ends up giving the performance of their career. On "Gimme That" each verse is very Bloody Kisses and brutally heavy, that is eventually mixed with a soothing chorus heading right into the upbeat "Angry Itch." This is another all out assault that just beats you into the ground with its heaviness. There is not a doubt that this is the most aggressive track on the album and it also has a minimal amount of keyboards added into the mix. This is just a stripped down guitar, bass and drum savage beating that will push your speakers to their limit. When Type O strip things down it shows just how many tracks they are able to layer in each song they create. Amazingly enough the last two cuts on the album might be two of the best.
The second to last song "Anesthesia" is the trademark Type O Negative song with an eerie, slow keyboard intro leading into a slow melodic low-end groove. Steele's tough vocal delivery is as powerful and commanding as ever and when he screams, "I don't need love" it will make most people cower in fear. The song soon breaks down into a brutalizing bass and drum dominating assault that keeps on building up as the track progresses. This could be the next "Black No. 1" and it just is a prelude to the ultimate ending appropriately titled "The Dream Is Dead" that was originally penned as the title track. This just caps off an incredible and overly exciting listening experience that will leave anyone begging for more. Even though Life is Killing Me is over an hour and ten minutes long it goes by way too fast. There is not a low moment on this album and each song tells its own story. This is Type O Negative at their very best.
There is no possible way that I could give this any less than a five out of five because it is perfect in every way. It is aggressive, dark and captivating enough to please any old fan, while commercially accessible enough to bring in a whole new legions of worshippers. If this album does not go gold then it is a grave injustice because the four years they spent making this record were all worth it. They have created the album of their career and hopefully the higher ups at good old Roadrunner will give this the promotion it deserves. If this was the last Type O Negative record ever released they would be going out on their highest point of an already stellar career. After all of these years it is shocking to see that Steele is still as depressed as ever and that is the whole beauty of this band. It's time to break out the valium because you are going to need it.
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