Kev Rowland
I am not sure how I first came across Type O Negative, but given I was involved with Roadrunner Records back in the Nineties I guess it was probably through them. Their infamous “live” album, ‘The Origin of the Feces’, struck a real chord with me and I can remember playing it to anyone who was daft enough to get in my car (generally to massive dislike, tough, it was my car). ‘Bloody Kisses’ brought them to much wider attention, which was continued in ‘October Rust’, and when this was released in 2007 it was very well-liked and was their highest chart debut in the Billboard charts at #27. Things appeared to be going well for the band, but then on April 14th, 2010, it was announced that Pete Steele had died, and without Steele there was no band who promptly broke up. The album was swallowed up in many issues, so much so that it has been difficult to find it in recent years. As guitarist Kenny Hickey explains, “The first casualty of this album was the record company - which promptly went under after its release. Soon after, Peter passed, and then even the rehearsal studio it was written and developed in was burnt to the ground by Hurricane Sandy. As the black cloud continued its relentless path over TYPE O, ‘Dead Again’ appeared and disappeared from the streaming platforms for years.”
Now it is back, containing not only the original 10 songs and the original bonus numbers (which includes the wonderful “My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend”), but four more from their set at Wacken Open Air in 2007. This reissue has been widely awaited, and hearing it again after all these years is great as this actually is an album worth hearing as opposed to something which people will flock to as it was the last one he recorded. Instead of using programmed drums they actually let Johnny Kelly play this time around, which means this is the only album he played on even though he was credited on the previous three. Combined with a somewhat happier approach from Steele, there is a lot of space within the album, and while they continue in their gothic theme and heaviness there is far more variety without losing any of their passion. This is not all doom and gloom, and consequently is one of the easiest albums for a newcomer to the band to discover, even if we do get numbers like “These Three Things” which are classic ToN, slowed down, gothic doom with passion and those deep baritone stylings of Steele on a track which keeps developing throughout its 14-minute length. As for the bonus cuts, the sound may not be perfect but it certainly captures the power of the band in the live environment, and takes me back to the early days.
A nice example of how to reissue a classic album, this is not only one for the fans but for people who may have wondered just what this Brooklyn band were all about.