Artist: Type O Negative
Album: Dead Again
Label: SPV

TON is: Peter Steele - Vocals / Bass, Josh Silver - Keyboards, Kenny Hickey - Guitar, Johnny Kelly - Drums

Upon first listen to "Dead Again" I found there wasn't any songs that were instant classics. No Love You To Death's, no Pyretta Blaze's, surely not any Christian Women's. Ordinary would be the word I would have used when describing the latest after the initial listen. But after further review I get the sense this is the album Steele and his cohorts have been itching to put forth for a number of years.

Having split with Roadrunner Records and joining SPV (who is notorious for allowing bands to have artistic freedom) it appears Steele and company delved deeper into two area's. One is hardcore. The pace of this record harkens back to Steele's earlier work in Carnivore. There are very apparent hardcore portions of this album. The second is the obsession with the Beatles. Some songs go farther towards the Beatles then any of TON's previous work. Portions of the epic "Profits Of Doom" hit you over the head with Jon Lennon. Although please keep in mind that all of TON's work is tongue in cheek. I mean they wrote songs with the titles "Tripping A Blind Man" and "Some Stupid Tomorrow" for Christ sake!

Still,this album lacking that "instant classic" will leave some feeling frustrated and longing for that melodic, gothy sound that they have come to love and expect from the band. I relate it slightly to Metallica's Black album. While it was a great musical album in its own right, and launched the band to new heights of celebrity, many longtime fans were anguished at the new sound of their old favorite. I for one am all for TON trying out new sounds, but hope that their next album brings back at least a little of their signature sound. If not, given the fact that many goth fans are already depressed, I think that perhaps we here at hitthepit.com should consider opening a counseling center for all those who feel this loss.



I don't feel the need to go into the sound of the record. It has the same recording quality of previous works, while Steele seems less depressed. He is more vocally active this time around, and even sings in different languages very dramatically. Don't ask me to tell you what language, I don't care to know. It could be Russian, or it could be a language from his made up Vinnland. I will also tell you that "September Sun" is the most ambitious effort this band has ever done. It is almost a ballad that transforms into an epic sound complete with church organ and that other language I previously touched upon.

Two notes. Kenny Hickey sings more on this album then he has on any other TON record. Also, when listening be sure to crank it up. Type O Negative is not a band you listen to as background noise. It demands your attention.

Although I found the lyrical content to be lacking, this is the most musically ambitious record the band has attempted. As I had suggested earlier, this could be the album this band has been wanting to put out for years. More hardcore, more guitar solos, a Duet, more vocal experimentation, MORE BEATLES! I would say Dead Again is Type O Negative 2.0.

Hopefully we don't have to wait four years for another record. Maybe that is why I was initially disappointed. Four years is a long time to wait and I felt like "is this all they could come up with?" But alas, I got over it and looked at the record for what it is….a typical TON record. What more could a fan of the band ask for really? Dreary consistent is a good thing in this case!

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