Dark, Moody, Happy, Uplifting, Rock, Goth, Industrial, Catchy, Kitschy, Playful, Poetic, Silly; all this and more rolled up into one CD. Though I don't skate directly into the hardcore Goth music culture, I enjoy flitting about the edges of the genre and sampling what looks to be tasty offerings.

I thought that Type O Negative was strictly for heavy Goth aficionados, but I was wrong. If you like rock or industrial or both, you will probably like this CD also. Type O Negative's Peter Steele manages to blend all these different variations and inflections into a mix that doesn't deny any of its origins.

The first song, "Thi13teen" is a short instrumental, only one minute and not worth much mention as it is mostly an introductory piece. Following it is "I Don't Wanna Be Me", which is so darn catchy it's addictive. Fast and fun, I find myself singing this ditty in the halls at work.

"Less than Zero" uses a sitar in its hypnotic melody, with dark and gross lyrics that talk about snot and poop, pus and blood; all combine to form another of my favorites from this CD. I love the grinding of the guitars in combination with the relaxed sounds of the sitar and a bit of added conga drums to spice up the exotic flavor of the music.

"Todd's Ship Gods" is more about remembering what Father told you, bringing to mind how big adults were when we were little, and how whatever they said was taken for granted. I'm sure this is just my interpretation, but I like the song nonetheless and found that despite rather moody lyrics, the tune has an uplifting quality that is subtle but undeniable.

"I like Goils" is very catchy, kind of like "I Don't Wanna Be Me", and has some absolutely hilarious lyrics involving vocalist/songwriter Peter Steele letting the world know which way he swings, a special message to the high heeled boys that "he likes Goils".

"A Dish Best Served Coldly" is a dreary and sullen seven minute ride through a stupor of vengeful thoughts, not one of my favorites.

"How Could She?" takes a silly lyrical tribute to the past babes of TV, both real and cartoon, and places it to ballad versus and thumping choruses, and wraps up with a little thrashing before falling back into the ballad. Not a favorite, but certainly a fun piece.

"Life Is Killing Me", the title song for this CD, is a showcase for Steele's Goth influenced vocals, with the melody practically stopping while he intones his dissatisfaction with the medical institutions and professionals; then speeding up to a fast and catchy chorus. This is one of my favorites, another one of the tracks I find myself humming in the hallways at work.

Though "Nettie" starts out with heavy Gothic vocals, it quickly turns into a pure rock chorus compete with a driving "railroad" beat. This would be the "love song" of LIKM, with Steele actually penning some affection into the words.

"(We Were) Electrocute" is a playful, nostalgic glance back at our wasted youth, with an amusing "Na na na" chorus and some excellent drum and guitar work at the ending.

"Iydkmigthtky (Gimme That)" is one of the more "Gothic" tunes on the CD, Steele using his deep guttural voice especially on the third verse, and the tune is dark and rather monotonous, following the morose humor of the genre.

Now "Angry Inch", this song is Punk all the way, with a heavy "Murderdolls" influence to the music and side-splittingly funny lyrics about a sex change operation gone wrong. One of my favorites! :o)

"Anesthesia" is a haunting song, beautiful and poetic and moving. It's a love song, but its about lost love and the numbness that follows that loss. There are also some interesting synthesizers in this tune, sometimes piano and sometimes organ, and you can practically hear the tears in Steele's voice. Beautiful song.

"Drunk In Paris" is a short, one and a half minute instrumental that has the mood of one of the old-time scary movies; Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee and Vincent Price, masters of the B&W horror flicks.

"The Dream Is Dead" is also a song of lost love, but moodier and more desolate than "Anesthesia", with some excellent guitar work and a pulsating beat, there is more angst and less hurt in this version of painful reminiscing.

What an awesome CD, quite flexible to all my moods, with sound vocals and talented instrumentals. If you are a fan of either rock, industrial, or goth, you will be able to find what you like in this excellent recording. Enjoy!

i can count those cd which i loved from start to finish, on one hand. Life is killing me makes no exception, it's just 75 minutes of sheer gothic/groovy/doom/punk goodness. TON makes a jaw-droppingly (does such term exist?) organic music that meanders through all the above mentioned styles (and then some) and still comes out as in-your-face, remarkably tight music. jee, i almost forgot about the lyrics!

well just like the music, they also range from doomy lyrics about loss and despair, to happy-go-lucky downright hilarious (try the exquisitely 'macho' , "I like Goils"), more than a mere passing nod at punk (Angry inch) as well as tunes in the purest heavy metal vain such as "i dont wanna be me". this is greatness from start to finish and i'm even tempted to place it above "Bloody Kisses" because TON never sounded that good and catchy. well at least not for a whole straight 75 minutes!

for all of you cynics out there, this album is for you! Thank you, TON, for a blinding return to form.

**This review is intended do give the specifics on the EDITED VERSION of "Life Is Killing Me."***

When it comes to edited CDs, they went the easy route with this one. The first thing you must know is that the edited version only has 13 tracks, as opposed to 15 tracks on the normal version. The songs "I Like Goils" and "Angry Inch" have been removed altogether, rather than being edited for language. Of the remaining songs, only "Less Than Zero" is unfit for radio airplay. Thankfully, the editing on that one song was done very smoothly, removing the objectionable words completely while leaving the backround music intact. Type O Negative songs have had some sloppy "bleeping" edits in the past, so I was pleased to find that the edits here were much more smooth and unintrusive.

And as far as what was left IN, here's a general overview for the conscientious buyer. The title track leaves in the word "a**," and the edited track "Less Than Zero" leaves in the word "p*ss" (although the other "worse" words in that song have been edited, as mentioned earlier). There are no objectionable words beyond that. There are definite thematic elements, however, that may not be for the squeamish. Edited or not, this album focuses heavily on death and anguish. There are songs that examine revenge and suicide, so be prepared.

This is just to let people know what they're getting. I, for one, loved this album and thought that all the themes were dealt with in a beautifully artistic way. Type O Negative has a mastery of melody that never gets in the way of their heavy metal stylings, and they're in rare form on Life Is Killing Me.

That's basically it for the edited version. So if you're one who buys edited versions, make sure you realize that you're only getting one song that's actually "edited," per se, and you'll be missing out on two songs. It's STILL an amazing album, STILL worthy of five stars... just know what your getting.

I've been anxiously awaiting Type O Negative's latest release, pretty much since the day after I bought their last record, and as always with every Type O release, they did NOT disappoint. "Life Is Killing Me" is a perfect blend of their previous works, more notably "October Rust" and "Bloody Kisses".

1.Thir13teen: This is their version of "The Munsters" theme music.

"Life Is Killing Me" is going to be in my CD player for a very, very, long time. If you enjoy their music, then this album will NOT disappoint you.

They're back, the drab four, the gothadelic masters of misery, Type O Negative! Four years after what was probably the band's most depressing album (and probably one of the most depressing albums ever!), "World Coming Down," they have come back with "Life is Killing Me." Chock-full of the band's trademark sound, a virulent mixture of overdistorted guitars, mesmerizing synthesizers, brutal drumming, lyrics that run the gamut from doom-and-gloom to laugh-out-loud-funny, and Peter Steele's morbid baritone voice, the Brooklyn quartet have released what is probably the most energetic album of their careers. Not since "Bloody Kisses" has the band played with such speed and such passion and such humor, proving that they are serious about what they do, but not without the sense of the ridiculous.

Kicking things off is the short instrumental dirge of "Thir13teen," apparently an homage to "The Munsters." We are next treated to "I Don't Wanna Be Me," definitely the fastest song the band have played in the last ten years. Recalling the post-thrash energy of "Slow, Deep, and Hard" and "Bloody Kisses," this song hits you right in the face, and shows Kenny Hickey playing one of the best solos of his life. The song shows what the rest of the album has in store. "Less than Zero (<0)" slows the pace slightly, but it's still a song with lots of punch. "Todd's Ship Gods (Above All Things)" begins eerily, like the soundtrack to a haunted shipwreck, but again the song ends up as upbeat as the previous two songs, with lyrics that are both beautiful and saddening, in true Type O form. "I Like Goils" is fast, powerful, and above all...funny. The lyrics deal with homophobia, but in such a lewd and impolite way that it comes out more humorous than offensive. Former drummer Sal Abruscato makes a guest backup vocal appearance on this song. Now, it wouldn't be Type O Negative without the obligatory 7-minute-plus song, starting with "...A Dish Best Served Coldly," which begins with a beautiful acoustic intro, the song deals with the virtues and the ills of revenge. "How Could She?" is another 7-minuter, but laughable in its dealing with the complications of dealing with the female sex, recalling TV icons such as Wilma Flintstone and Edith Bunker. "Life is Killing Me" is one of Peter Steele's best set of lyrics. The all-too-familiar subject of suicide is given a just poetic treatment in this song, while nothing new for Type O, it's definitely their best work on the subject. "Nettie" is as close to a love song as Type O has ever gotten. "(We Were) Electrocute" is a funny reminder of how cute goths were in the '80's before the realization that it was fake and silly. "IYDKMIGTHTKY (Gimme That)" is just a great song about knowing your enemies and dealing with them before they deal with you. "Angry Inch" is the funniest song on the album. Imagine a sex-change operation gone-wrong...how would you feel? Thrashing things up yet again, this song is pure comedy gold. "Anesthesia" is the opposite of a love song, as it speaks of the benefits of loneliness. "Drunk in Paris" is the only filler besides the intro song, and "The Dream is Dead" runs along the same lyrical path as "Anesthesia."

All-in-all, it's a very typical album for Type O Negative, but it shows the band feeling more energized than they've been in the last decade. The lyrics are full of the problems of identity crisis, relationships, and death...like all Type O songs, but it's done with a great deal of humor and genuine feeling. This album finds the band in a good place in their lives...the cynacism is on high as usual, but it shows that they have never felt so ready to share it with the world. This is without a doubt one of Type O Negative's best albums, and could even beat out "Bloody Kisses" for the best-album-ever-by-this-band category. It's morbid, funny, and above all brutal! Type O Negative are back again....