Favorite Albums: Type O Negative - Dead Again

Type O Negative's latest - and quite possible last - release, Dead Again is their magnum opus. It continues the trend they started with Life Is Killing Me, that of an album with no 'throw away' songs; not only that but each song off this album is pretty damn good. Because of this, Dead Again is my favorite album from the band's discography. Most of the songs are long, multi-styled, and deep in lyrics, meaning and production. The tracks merge genres, with some being the thrash/sludge sound of their early works, others are outright depressive doom, while some tread the line into atmospheric/experimental; it is a transverse group of music.
Best songs (if you can choose such) are the first five tracks; "Dead Again," "Tripping a Blind Man," "The Profits of Doom," "September Sun," and "Halloween in Heaven," while the second half tends to drag on a bit. The second half, tracks 6 through 10, are not bad songs, on their own or in another album they would be great, but compared to the stellar songs that start this release they lag behind the curve.

In the Best Buy special edition (which is the one I bought - yes I actually purchased a copy of this one) contained a like EP of their set at Wacken Open Air 2007. You know my stance on like albums, and this one is no different; the overall quality is bad, the lyrics and instruments are hard to make out over the din of the crowd. Not something I'd ever pay for, but I don't hold this against the studio album, in my mind they are two separate releases... just in one package.

With the death of Peter Steele, the dream (as I know it) died. The man's booming bass - both his instrument and voice - was a beacon in the world of metal. I am glad he got this last album out (I would like one more but oh well), and I am ecstatic that this one was his best. I heard his heyday, and go a chance to see the band live. Really that's all a fan can ask for.
So buy/steal/listen to Dead Again, it is a great example of the different styles of doom metal, and the best example of what a great band Type O Negative is/was!

Track Listing

1. "Dead Again"
2. "Tripping a Blind Man"
3. "The Profits of Doom"
4. "September Sun"
5. "Halloween in Heaven"
6. "These Three Things"
7. "She Burned Me Down"
8. "Some Stupid Tomorrow"
9. "An Ode to Locksmiths"
10. "Hail and Farewell to Britain"