Bloody Kisses
For those of eclectic musical tastes, here is something to sink your fangs into. This offers a carnivorous combination of Goth-Thrash Grind Metal that will take you through a brainblender. It is sprinkled with bloody fragments of several morbid styles, that will send you on a sonic tour into beautific contemplative depression, wild fits of head-banging fury, & powerfully-foreboding chords of doom.
Dim the lights, ignite the candles, turn on the luc noir, & allow the writhing, sexotic sounds fill the air. The sensuous cantibles begin to float like serpentine incense smoke.
The overall atmosphere is that of vampyric & predatorial ambiance, which is perfect to add to a darkly romantic evening with a lover. The music itself serves as an aphrodisiac.
Slow, Deep, and Hard
From one emotionally-charged number to the next, Bloody Kisses is sure to stimulate & inspire deep subconcious feelings unto manifestation. If you are hunting for lustful satisfaction, this is a potent tool to establish a mood conducive to your wish. Just take it to a festivity, & witness the change it promotes, especially is liquors & salty snacks are being served.
You may also wish to posses their previous release, "Slow, Deep, & Hard", which is a brutal, misanthropic onslaught of 'negativity'. Before there was Type O Negative, there was Carnivore, so feast your ears upon it!
October Rust
Beautiful music carrying elements of dark erotica and romance awash with the scenes and vistas of natural wonders of the seasons in bloom, one to another. One song to the next blends into the other gracefully like the seasons themselves, speaking of lost love, the hues of the emotions as varied and intense as the characteristics of Autumn, Winter, and Spring.
Peter Steele's darkly melancholy voice intermingles, accompanied gracefully with choral bliss, with the typical use of heavy instrumentation, strings, the sounds of nature on a Spring afternoon, really works well together, like a spot of black amongst the greenery overgrowth surrounding.
Again, Type O Negative presents a darkly erotic opus ideal for romantic encounters with a beloved.
Dead Again
XLII A.S. Peter Steele – Lead vocals & bass guitar / Kenny Hickey – Guitars, vocals / Josh Silver – Keyboards, synth and effects, vocals / Johnny Kelly – Drums and percussion, vocals / The Bensonhoist Lesbian Choir / Tara VanFlower of Lycia
TON returns to inject a major dose of truly exceptional musick into the basilar membrane which is both empowering and contemplative, considering the Rasputin theme and aesthetics as well. The lyrical theme is entirely seperate to the aesthetic, which makes them both distinct unto themselves.
Aesthetics
The cover art features Grigori Efimovich Rasputin, Mystic, so called "Holy Devil" and "Mad Monk", deriving from The Khlysty, a sect who practiced self-flagellation, although he disagreed with their masochistic methods and basically became a renegade monk with a penchant for carnal indulgence - from imbibing in copious libations, passionate dance {it was rumored that he even celebrated a phallic cavort with the legendary ample appendage} , to sensual pleasures with many of the local women who admired his extraordinary abilities, as well as his libertine lifestyle, in which he revelled, and was more than willing and able to satisfy on a frequent basis.
His influence pervaded the Russian Aristocracy, wherein he had the Czar and Czarina transfixed. Briefly, extremely fortunate for them, he attained the power to heal, and used that ability to cure the Czar's son Alex, which gained their unyielding loyalty. From the beginning, there were those who resented him, claiming he was in league with The Devil. Through treacherous subterfuge, he was tricked and betrayed, and eventually excarnated after displaying apparent invincibility, to the fear and trepidation of his detractors.
He lived his life to the fullest, attained a passionate joie de vivre, employing lesser magic principles to charm and confound when it served his purposes, and excelled in his chosen endeavors, all of which designates him a de-facto Satanist, in My estimation.
The back cover features the images of Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alex, the unfortunate royal children who were assassinated {with the exception of Maria, who would later write a book entitled "Rasputin: The Man Behind The Myth"} in Yekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk) on 16th July 1918, by the filthy hands of stuporstitious peasants wanting to rid the kingdom of anything to do with Rasputin. The ignorant frightened cowards.
The green font used on the entire album can be a bit distracting, which is something of a Russian version of the English alphabet, with several reversed letters. Also mentionable, the booklet is a fold-out cross design containing full lyrics and liner notes.
Track List: 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
Dead Again preserves their evocatively best style, with rhythmically crunching and echoing guitars, haunting cathedral keyboards, the darkly erotic enunciations and deep reverberations from Peter Steele, and the hypnotic beat of the drums all combine to create another Goth-Metal masterpiece akin to Bloody Kisses. As is typical TON, each song takes its time, coursing and describing the emotions, while stimulating a sense of sweet euphoria.
Of note, The Profit of Doom, dealing with The Antichrist Beast of Revelation complete with references to the six triumverate; Halloween In Heaven, a jaunty tune featuring a female voice complimenting Steele's well with a pleasing contrast. September Sun, & These Three Things combine ponderous ballad moments with sudden bursts of energy creating a perfect mix of melancholy and rage.
Also, I was pleasantly surprised to find an additional disc contained inside with a Live recording featuring tracks from Bloody Kisses {Christian Women, Love You To Death, Black No. 1}, October Rust {Everything Dies / My Girlfriend's Girlfriend}, Slow Deep & Hard, {Gravitational Constant}, and Origin of The Feces {Are You Afraid}, all of which sounds extraordinary.
Overall, Dead Again contains a mutiplicity of content from the art to the quantity of music, which hearkens to Bloody Kisses and October Rust while standing upon its own merit. Highly recommended. - 5/5.
Life Is Killing Me
"If God were suddently condemned to live the life which he has inflicted upon men, he would kill himself." - Alexander Dumas {1802 - 1870}
And so the above quote sets the tone for the overall theme of this opus, which remains decidedly melancholy with a sharp bend towards compassion in a black-hearted sense, with said black heart surrounded in bloody thorns. The pulse-line leaps with life still, cursing from the cauldron of low-boiling type o negative type acid-blood in the black veins of these minstrels. Songs range from lost loves, depression, sorrowful memories, twisted passions and as always, dark erotica. Slow-grinding guitars, Cathedralesque keyboards, and Steele's brooding and echoing vocals of deeply-hewn resonance envelopes the compositions like sonic enfolding black leathern wings. The band have found their niche in this corner of Hell, a daemon-bestowed formula, employing it to a marvellous timeless enchantment, both evocative and sustaining.
Of particular mention, the introductory inclusion "Thir13teen", which is supposedly "pastime music from The Munsters television show" {note from CD booklet}; and Mr. Steele also credits Fred Gwynne for "cosmetic inspiration".
The music seems to float like a green transmutating fog, through a blackened forest underneath the cold glow of the moon. Dark Angel cantibles, sublime in beauty an strength.- blissfully haunting. - 5/5 Black Candles 'round The Pentagram.
World Coming Down
Considering their previous two October Rust and Bloody Kisses, which were their absolute peak albums, this is a nice comeback nonetheless, proving to be a strong 'bridge' to 'Life Is Killing Me'. Of particular note herein, is the exceptional gem "Samhain", lasting a generous 9 plus minutes, which is just another enjoyable point about TON, is the fact that most of their songs are in the 5-6 plus range, which in My opinion, really adds to the dynamic of the songs themselves. Other songs of exceptional note are the title "World Coming Down", "Pyretta Blaze", and "Everyone I Love Is Dead" - all melancholy and powerfully passionate.
The cover features what appears to be The Brooklyn Bridge bathed in a "creepy green light" {#8}, which is not surprising, considering that is where they hail from. Of note, the Twin Towers are still seen in the distance, as this release is Circa XXXIV A.S. The lyrics are printed on the back of a poster of the band, which is only where the song titles are mentioned. Personally, I think it would have been a better idea to place the titles on the back as usual, to follow along better.
Overall, not the best TON fare, although it certainly has its moments, but the Power and Dark Erotica are certainly present, and should not be missed. - 3.5/5 Black Candles.
