TYPE O NEGATIVE / Life is Killing Me (2003)

Happy gloom that conjures mood and atmosphere in the familiar Type O Neg way. Peter Steele knew that you don't need to sacrifice melody in order to add distortion, and while the guitar sound hasn't changed — it still conjures images of an angry wasp on morphine, carrying a tiny shiv — it's broken up occasionally with lighter moments. The humour is still there, too.
It's an album that takes time to fully appreciate. If I'd rated it when it came out, I'd have scored it lower, but it has characteristics that improve with age, like barrelled whisky. It would've benefited from being shorter, but happily there's none of the usual filler between tracks to drag the overall experience down - the trip to Mockingbird Lane doesn't count, because it's great.

Songs of Note: I Don't Wanna Be Me; Angry Inch

3½ celebratory mourns out of 5

TYPE O NEGATIVE / World Coming Down (1999)

Type O Neg are dark, we all know that, but there's always a lighter, mocking tone lurking in the background. They embraced Goth culture and all its trappings while simultaneously poking fun at its morose bastard absurdity. The knowing wink to self-parody is still evident (e.g. Creepy Green Light) but it's been lessened, and in its place the depression has flourished like a funeral lily.
Lyrically, its primary focus is death and the emotional agony that surrounds it like flies around shit. It's a mournful experience that's nevertheless an engaging one, but only if you're in the right mood. If you're not, it'll be a miserable crawl through distorted riffs and slow painful melodies imbued with sorrowful synergy.

Songs of Note: Everyone I Love is Dead; Everything Dies

3½ cremated moths out of 5

TYPE O NEGATIVE / The Origin of the Feces: Not Live at Brighton Beach (1992)

The second album from Brooklyn's finest highlights perfectly the wickedly dark humour that critics of their sound failed to recognise. It's mostly reworked re-recordings of their début album, with track titles changed and some fake crowd noise added. Their contract demanded a live album, so they delivered Feces.
You can clearly hear the gothic Sabbath-esque sound they perfected on the seminal Bloody Kisses (1993) album being born. Vocalist Peter Steele alternates between his anger-fuelled wails and his unique seductive drawl.
The original cover had a close up of Pete's anus. For your viewing pleasure I chose the re-issue artwork, so you can put away the eye-bleach.

Songs of Note: I Know You're Fucking Someone Else; Hey Peter

4 dead girlfriends out of 5

TYPE O NEGATIVE / Bloody Kisses (1993)

The Limited Edition release is reviewed here. Go read it instead. :)

The standard edition of the Bloody Kisses album, which came out first. It has fourteen tracks, whereas the Ltd Edition only has nine. Although eight of them are also to be found here, it has a different running order. The tracks that were later removed actually bring the album down a notch; they're either pointless and irritating interludes or much too fast and only serve to interrupt the flow of the better tracks. It may sound odd, seeing as the regular edition has almost the same tracks, but I'm judging it as a whole, not as a collection of songs. If I could only choose one, I'd choose the Ltd Edition over this. It scores higher, too.

Songs of Note: Same as the other version.

3½ deaths in the family out of 5

TYPE O NEGATIVE / Bloody Kisses (Ltd Ed) (1993)

The Drab Four must have shut themselves away from sunlight for a year to come up with this opus. It's a gothic masterpiece that crawls into your brain like viscous blood seeping into your ear canal. The fuzzy slowed down Black Sabbath bass sound perfectly complements Peter Steele's drawn out vocal delivery. The guitars are low in the mix. Along the way there are some beautiful pastoral moments that by contrast heighten the gloom. Then they throw in an upbeat happy tune with keyboards and you know that the full spectrum of grief is to be explored. Play it at a funeral for extra good times.

Songs of Note: Summer Breeze; Black No.1 (Little Miss Scare-All)

4½ burning thighs out of 5

Note: The Ltd Ed loses some tracks and adds one new one. It's a more coherent listening experience, and I would recommend it over the original release.

TYPE O NEGATIVE / October Rust (1996)

Type O Neg's most accessible release is a dense, gothic, melancholy (with a hint of humour), pagan-inspired opus that seems to go on forever. The songs have a beauty that let Peter Steele's voice really shine; he hasn't abandoned his gloomy vampiric womb-trembling tones, but he's imbued them with new life. The songs are… dare I say it… catchy! Much of it still sounds like it's played at the wrong speed, but it makes more sense this time. However, if you hated the guitar sound before, then you probably won't feel any different about it this time.
Includes a love it or hate it cover version of Neil Young's Cinnamon Girl.

Songs of Note: My Girlfriend's Girlfriend; Cinnamon Girl

4 burnt flowers out of 5