Review by E.C.McMullen Jr.

TYPE O NEGATIVE: WORLD COMING DOWN Road Runner Records

Lots of folks I know who are into TYPE O NEGATIVE came in on BLOODY KISSES, which was a watershed for the band. It wasn't that they didn't have good albums before, but they had never had such distribution before - and that's the name of the game. Trying to be commercial enough so that your fans can actually hear the music you are playing - yet staying true to yourself at the same time so that you won't lose those fans, is one hell of a thin tightrope. Many bands with the best intentions have fallen away.

If there is a hit on this album, it might be "Creepy Green Light". Not that this band needs any hits to please their fans. While TYPE O NEGATIVE is an acquired taste of Goth leaning toward Metal (which takes the risk of pleasing neither), they are also a tight, solid band of musical creativity and tonal design. This is good because their songs word wise often suck. I don't mean that in a derogatory way this time. Anyone who has heard TYPE O NEGATIVE knows that lead singer Peter Steele loves to make throat sucky sounds on the microphone. Choruses are chanted over and over in a drone that borders on boring, though never as boring as those insect nasal dronings that you get from ALICE IN CHAINS.

The theme of the music can get rather dull too. Many Goth bands extend their range of Victorian darkness all over the landscape, with the exception of maybe ALIEN SEX FIEND, who are all over the multi-dimensions. TYPE O NEGATIVE on the other hand, prefers to keep beating the dusty bones of the long dead horse over death, death, death, and then they sing about death.

This band also both wallows in self pity as well as make fun of it. Kind of the Jhonen Vasquez of music here. Sometimes the sleeve notes can be a hoot.

But it's the music dammit! Dammit but it's the music! So I must, regretably, and with deep self-loathing break the bad news to you about this album.

It's good.

I know, I'm sorry - but really - it is.

I know you've read and heard time and again about the "layers" of music creating an "atmosphere" that carries the listener to another land. Those words have become unthinking clip-art blurbs but what can I say? WORLD COMING DOWN really does achieve all that!

Kenny Hickey doesn't go for broke in an effort to dazzle us with his ego on lead guitar, instead he works in synergy with the rest of the team of Josh Silver on keyboard (and writer of some of the songs) and Johnny Kelly on drums whose skin work could never be replaced by a drum machine.

So I'm afraid I have nothing here on which to feel wretched. No criticism, creative or otherwise from which to tear at the walls of false self esteem. WORLD COMING DOWN is good: Its so regrettably good. I have nothing bad to say about it or the band.

Oh wait!

I'm happy that there is not yet another fucking re-mix of the now despicable "Cinnamon Girl"! How I've come to hate that song! If I never hear Steele deep throating another damn Shure on "Cinnamon Girl" I'll have one less thing to be unhappy about when I die!

Anyway, TYPE O NEGATIVE: WORLD COMING DOWN gets 4 Perplex Skulls.

This review copyright 2000 E.C.McMullen Jr.

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