Today is something of an odd anniversary. Coming on the day where we revere (For those of us who do) the paternal figure in the household, today also marks 15 years since the release of Type-O Negative’s first album in the 2000s. Second if you count The Least Worst Of compilation from 2000. Yep, today is the 15th birthday of Life Is Killing Me. An album that saw a reinvigoration in Type-O Negative, and an album that saw new life come back to the beleaguered Pete Steele. So, let us all raise a glass to our fathers, and enjoy a review for Life Is Killing Me. Let’s begin.
Background
The late 90s & early 2000s were not the best time for the beleaguered Pete Steele. Releasing what was perhaps the darkest record of his career, only to be followed up by a compilation album due to writers block, really kept the green man away from being creative & energetic with his music. On top of that, Type-O Negative wasn’t the only big band in Roadrunner’s payroll. With newer bands like Slipknot around, the group’s importance diminished a little, but that didn’t stop the band from continuing to make new music. After hitting bottom, Pete managed to get back up on his feet, and climbed all the way out of the pit to reach the top. Once he got back out, he regrouped the rest of boys, and set out to create a comeback album of sorts. After getting down to the recording studio & jamming out as hard as they could, and on June 17, 2003, Life Is Killing Me was released to the public.
Originally titled The Dream Is Dead (Name for the final track of the album), the name for the album changed because Type-O Negative & Roadrunner Records didn’t want to give fans the impression that the band was breaking up. As far as reception was concerned, fans definitely enjoyed the newly reinvigorated music (More on that below), and appreciated the frontman’s renewed lease on life. Life Is Killing Me managed to tie World Coming Down in terms of the Billboard 200, as both albums reached the 39th spot (Miles ahead The Least Worst Of, which was at the 99th spot).
Basic Description
In a word.......bipolar?
I’m actually somewhat conflicted with saying that. When I said that in my review for Korn’s 2002 release Untouchables (Which you can read here), I stated that it was bipolar because they were a Nu Metal band that was trying to keep their 90s feel, while at the same time not completely sounding like themselves. With Life Is Killing me, you have a consistent sound across the board, and the quality is fantastic.....but the album doesn’t know what it wants to be in terms of tone & feel. Does the album want to be a more lighthearted release that has moments of seriousness, or is it a serious record that’s got moments of hilarity strewn about. Life Is Killing Me really isn’t consistent in this regard, as it goes from one side to the other in a seemingly random fashion, and it’s because of this randomness that I don’t consider it one of my favorites.
Does this mean the music is bad? Hell no! Life Is Killing Me was & still is an incredibly refreshing album not just for me & the rest of the Type-O Negative fans out there, but for Pete Steele as well. It had been 4 years since the incredibly depressing World Coming Down, and just 3 years since the writers block release that was The Least Worst Of (Which you can read my review here). You can tell that Pete was reinvigorated on this album, as much of his passion & drive came back to the forefront, and while he still wasn’t clean off of drugs, he knew by this point that he had a drug problem. While this album will never be one of the first records I play when I’m in the mood for Type-O Negative, I certainly won’t complain about it when somebody else puts it on.
Best Track
I’ve always kind of liked the ode to classic television women in the form of How Could She. Pete was always a fan of old-school television, and this was his chance to show of his love for these iconic female characters. The song is also slightly cynical as well, as it talks about how said female characters don’t judge the man watching them when women in real life judge him all the time. It’s that hint of cynicism that somehow makes the whole package work for me, and makes it the best song on Life Is Killing Me.
How Could She
Some highly honorable mentions go to the two tracks that Pete dedicated to his folks, Todd’s Ship Gods (Above All Things) & Nettie. The former was dedicated to his father, who had been deceased for almost a decade by the time the album came out. Peter really managed to emulate the stoic & powerful personality of his dad, not to mention his strong work effort. Nettie, on the other hand, was dedicated to his mother. Still alive by this point (But would pass away in 2005), there’s a more gentle approach to the song. Almost as if there’s an air of feminine spirit about the track. Together, these two tunes show just how much Pete Steele loved his family, and how devoted he was to people that were close to him in general.
Todd’s Ship Gods (Above All Things)
Nettie
Worst Track
Again, Life Is Killing Me’s biggest issue is it’s tone & personality. There’s consistency in terms of quality, but the album can’t seem to pick a personality & stick with it. If this was intentional (Given how Pete Steele was at the time, it might be possible), then perhaps I’m complaining over nothing. If this wasn’t done on purpose, then I can only contribute it to the fact that Pete simply had no idea how Life Is Killing Me was suppose to feel, and if that’s the case, I’m shocked.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then check out the link below:
Life Is Killing Me
Overall Impression & Rating
Life Is Killing Me is just a weird album from Type-O Negative. Simultaneously a revitalization for Type-O Negative yet inconsistent in what it’s supposed to be, the record truly deserves the title of “Dark Horse”. Even with this fault, one can’t deny that the music is fantastic on this album, and showed that even someone who’s fallen down so hard, can come back up strong.
Life Is Killing Me gets a 8 out of 10.
So that was the 15th birthday & review for Type-O Negative’s first true release of the 2000s, Life Is Killing Me. It’s not necessarily an album you should go out of your way for, but it’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination. Well, the end of part one of Industrial Metal Insanity is upon us, so I’ll see you all next week.
***
There’s one other Type-O Negative anniversary a little on down the road.....but you’ll have to wait and see what that one will be.
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