Life Is Killing Me

Life is Killing Me
Studio album by Type O Negative
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
The Least Worst Of (2000)The Least Worst Of2000 Life is Killing Me (2003) The Best of Type O Negative (2006)The Best of Type O Negative2006

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Chronicles of Chaos	(8/10)[2]
Drowned in Sound	(6/10)[3]

Life is Killing Me is the sixth album by Type O Negative. The title was originally going to be The Dream is Dead (which is the name of the last track on the album), but it was supposedly changed because it suggested that the band may finally be ending.

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, while "Nettie" is named after his mother. The band covers 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". Track 11 of the album is titled "IYDKMIGTHTKY (Gimme That)". The acronym 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?" makes a large number of pop-culture references, in particular, female television characters, including: 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 has 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..

Recording

Peter Steele, the bass guitarist/vocalist, 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 been previously used on the October Rust and World Coming Down albums. Studio drums reappeared on 2007's Dead Again.^[5]

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.^[6][7]

The opening two seconds of "I Don't Wanna be Me" (Kenny's feedback on guitar, while the drums start up) are heard as a frequent sample in Grand Theft Auto IV on the Liberty Rock Radio Station.

The song "I Don't Wanna be Me" is 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 songs written by Peter Steele, except where noted.

Bonus CD

In Europe, the album was released with a bonus CD. This bonus CD complements The Least Worst Of.

Credits

• Peter Steele – lead vocals, bass guitar, additional guitar and keyboards
• Josh Silver – keyboards, effects, backing vocals
• Kenny Hickey – guitars, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "...A Dish Best Served Coldly", "How Could She?", and "Angry Inch"
• Johnny Kelly – drums

Charts

References