TYPE O NEGATIVE – Dead Again

Led by a Peter Steele in tip-top shape, New York’s darkest are back with another serving of their trademark black, sticky stew. This time fans get a total of 10 songs with a running time of 77 minutes, sporting song lengths from the 4:15 minute opener “Dead Again” to the 14:21 syrup dance “These Three Things.” Both are great tunes, by the way. The expression “Great Tunes” is actually very relevant when describing this album as a whole. This is not Type O Negative’s darkest or heaviest album, and not their most accessible, but it is a very good one sporting quite a few examples of that very thing – great tunes. The aforementioned title track is one of the best of the lot with its very catchy chorus, melody, and up-tempo beat, and the following “Tripping A Blind Man” is another highlight with its fascinating lyrics and varied musical content.

“The Profits Of Doom” and “September Sun” both clock in around the 10 minute mark, but except for that common feature, they are very different compositions indeed. “The Profits …” (very cool title) displays a lot of Black Sabbath/general 70’s influences in both the riffs and vocal melodies, while “September Sun” is far more Goth in its harmonies and melody lines. Which one is the best is hard to choose, but both are strong tracks, which definitely deserve taking up 20 minutes of the listener’s time.

Steele’s vocals also deserve to be mentioned here, as the way he executes the spoken parts of “The Profits …” is nothing but insanely cool. “Halloween In Heaven” is another short and quickly-paced track, but unfortunately it may be among the weakest on the album. The chord progressions are overly predictable, and the band has used the same ideas before yielding far better results.

“These Three Things,” which, as you know by now, is the album’s longest track, is also one of its very best –- this is music at its most majestic and mighty, with Steele crying out the thoughtful lyrics, while the band sounds just as dirty as they should. The greatness of this track (almost) overshadows the fact that “She Burned Me Down” is nowhere as good, and luckily the short, fast, and almost Motörhead-ish “Some Stupid Tomorrow” makes sure everything is more than all right. Although the tempo does vary through the track, this is Goth Rock with an attitude – and it works very well. “An Ode To Locksmiths” may be the album’s quirkiest song title, but surely this often overlooked brand of craftsmen also deserves some praise. The song itself is very Crowbar-ish, especially the main riff, as it thumps along at a mid-tempo pace. Steele sings with power and majesty, bringing out the fine chorus very well, and another strong track is what you have here.

The ending track, bearing yet another quirky title, “Hail And Farewell To Britain,” is another epic, and its haunting melodies make it a great album closer –- closing a great album.

Type O Negative have done it again, and Dead Again is a compulsory buy for every fan of the band and the genre.