Life Is Killing Me
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Life is Killing Me | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 17, 2003 | |||
Recorded | Systems Two, Brooklyn, New York | |||
Genre | Gothic metal | |||
Length | 74:30 | |||
Label | Roadrunner | |||
Producer | Josh Silver; Peter Steele | |||
Type O Negative chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Chronicles of Chaos | (8/10)[2] |
Drowned in Sound | (6/10)[3] |
Life is Killing Me is the sixth studio album by gothic metal band Type O Negative. It is less dark than the band's previous album World Coming Down, and features a return to their earlier sound found on October Rust. Song lengths were also shorter on this album, with the longest being the 7 and a half-minute "How Could She?" It was also their final studio album released through Roadrunner Records.
Life is Killing Me was originally going to be titled The Dream Is Dead after the album's final track, but it was changed due to Peter Steele's concern over people misinterpreting the title to mean it was going to be the band's final.
Album Content
There are no "soundscape" tracks on Life is Killing Me, but there is a brief instrumental track titled "Drunk in Paris" as well as a soundscape that, while being part of the track "I Don't Wanna Be Me" is musically different. There are two tracks on the album about Steele's parents: "Todd's Ship Gods (Above All Things)" is named after the shipyard his father worked in,[citation needed] while "Nettie" is named after his mother.[citation needed] The album features a cover of the song "Angry Inch" from the off-Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The album also contains a cover of the interstitial music from television's The Munsters, titled "Thir13teen". The acronym in the title of "IYDKMIGTHTKY (Gimme That)" stands for "If You Don't Kill Me I'm Going To Have To Kill You", which is the most repeated phrase in the song, other than "Gimme That".[4]
The song "How Could She?" references a large number of female television characters: Wilma Flintstone, Marcia Brady, Alice Kramden, Gladys Kravitz, Laverne and Shirley, Jeannie, Morticia Addams, Aunt Esther, Sweet Polly Purebred, Natasha, Mrs. MacGillicuddy, Ginger, Mary Anne, Mrs. Howell, Samantha Stephens, Lieutenant Uhura, Judy Jetson, Olive Oyl, Ethel Mertz, Edith Bunker, Marilyn Munster, Rhoda, Penny Robinson, Chrissy Snow, Catwoman, Creepella, Weezie Jefferson, Betty Rubble, Little Cindy Who, Penelope Pitstop, Lois Lane, Vanna White, Wonder Woman, Elly May, Maude and Witchiepoo.
The inside spine under the CD tray bears the message "Type O Negative is a non-prophet organization".
Release
The album was leaked onto the Internet before release, upsetting keyboard player Josh Silver to the point that he released a message online complaining that the leak essentially took revenue from the band.[5]
Recording
Vocalist and bassist Peter Steele used a custom Fernandes Tremor 4-string bass for the recording of the album, an instrument which was built to his exact specifications under his sponsorship with the company. Although Fernandes granted his design wishes regarding the exclusive electronics and hardware, the unique color of green mixed specifically for Steele was, in his words after he received two of the three duplicate bass guitars made for him, "completely wrong" compared to the shade of "Vinland Green" he had asked for and had described to the builders.
This is the last album by the band to make use of programmed drums, which had previously been used on October Rust and World Coming Down. Studio drums would be used on 2007's Dead Again.[6]
Use in other media
Meridian Dawn the European death metal/melodic death metal band recorded a version of "I Don't Wanna Be Me" in tribute to Steele for their debut 2014 release The Mixtape EP.[7][8]
The opening two seconds of "I Don't Wanna Be Me" (guitar feedback and drum startup) are heard as a frequent sample in Grand Theft Auto IV on the Liberty Rock Radio Station. The song itself is also the entrance theme song for the Irish professional wrestler 'Manic' Kevin McDermott.
"(We Were) Electrocute" was featured on the soundtrack to the 2003 horror film, Freddy vs. Jason.
Track listing
All lyrics written by Peter Steele, except where noted.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Thir13teen" (Jack Marshall) | 1:07 |
2. | "I Don't Wanna Be Me" | 5:09 |
3. | "Less than Zero (<0)" | 5:25 |
4. | "Todd's Ship Gods (Above All Things)" | 4:11 |
5. | "I Like Goils" | 2:35 |
6. | "...A Dish Best Served Coldly" | 7:13 |
7. | "How Could She?" | 7:35 |
8. | "Life is Killing Me" | 6:35 |
9. | "Nettie" | 4:46 |
10. | "(We Were) Electrocute" | 6:39 |
11. | "IYDKMIGTHTKY (Gimme That)" | 6:20 |
12. | "Angry Inch" (Stephen Trask) | 3:39 |
13. | "Anesthesia" | 6:41 |
14. | "Drunk in Paris" | 1:27 |
15. | "The Dream is Dead" | 5:07 |
Bonus CD
In Europe, the album was released with a bonus CD. This bonus CD complements The Least Worst Of.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Out of the Fire (Kane's Theme)" (James A. Johnston) | 3:24 |
2. | "Christian Woman (Butt-Kissing Sell-Out Version)" | 4:27 |
3. | "Suspended in Dusk" | 8:39 |
4. | "Blood & Fire (Out of the Ashes Mix)" | 4:36 |
5. | "Black Sabbath" (Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward) | 7:47 |
6. | "Cinnamon Girl (Extended Depression Mix)" (Neil Young) | 3:53 |
7. | "Haunted (Per Version)" | 11:47 |
Credits
- Peter Steele – lead vocals, bass, additional guitars and keyboards
- Kenny Hickey – guitars, backing vocals, co-lead vocals (on "...A Dish Best Served Coldly", "How Could She?", and "Angry Inch")
- Josh Silver – keyboards, backing vocals, sound effects, drum programming
- Johnny Kelly – live drums, backing vocals
Additional Personnel
- The Bensonhoist Lesbian Choir (actually the band members themselves) – backing vocals
- Paul Bento – sitar (on "Less Than Zero (<0)"), tamboura, drum machine (on "Less Than Zero (<0)", "Electrocute (We Were)" and "Anesthesia"), lead guitar (on "How Could She?")
- Pandit Kinnar K. Seen - tabla (on "Less Than Zero (<0)")
- Sal Abruscato - backing vocals (on "I Like Goils")
Production
- Mike Marciano - engineer, mixing
- George Marino - mastering
- Rebecca Waterfall - design
- Daniel Moss - photography
Charts
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
2003 | The Billboard 200 | 39 |
Finland's Official List | 5[9] |
References
- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r645521
- ^ "CoC : Type O Negative - Life Is Killing Me : Review". www.chroniclesofchaos.com. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "Album Review: Type O Negative - Life Is Killing Me". Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ Gail Worley. "Peter Steele". Ink 19. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
- ^ "TYPE O NEGATIVE Post New MP3, Address Illegal Music Downloading". Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ^ "Type O Negative Remember Dimebag Darrell On 'Positive' New LP". Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "The Mixtape EP". The Age Of Metal. March 24, 2014. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014.
- ^ "Meridian Dawn/The Mixtape/2014 EP Review". March 20, 2014.
- ^ "Finnish TOP40 chart: Type O Negative - Life Is Killing Me" (in Finnish).