When I first listened to "Dead Again", I was feeling kinda weird... and shocked in a way. Anyway, this seems to be a normal state of mind, regarding the fact we’re dealing with the sixth full-length studio album by Type O Negative – probably the most genius, controversial, uncompromising and non-American sounding American rock band that has darkened the daylight during the last two decades. It’s definitely no wonder that Peter Steele’s quartet didn’t allow to be put in any type of genre-sheepfold, although many so-called music experts tried to, labeling the band’s music as gothic, stoner, doom, metal, rock, core, etc., etc., etc... And the truth was always out there somewhere, in the middle... The last sentence is a goddamn truth especially regarding "Dead Again", because now, after dozens of careful listens - at dawn, during the night and at daylight, with and without headphones, alone and in company - I can subjectively yet firmly state that the Brooklyn four-piece’s current release is their most diverse and best effort in their entire career. Just play the album from the beginning to the very end at least a dozen of times (less won’t do, believe me) and, willing or not, you’ll become convinced there’s literally a bit of something for anyone in there... or at least for anyone who has liked at least a small part of Type O Negative’s audio art - either the revolutionary debut "Slow, Deep and Hard" (1991), the groundbreaking masterpiece "Bloody Kisses" (1993), the utter darkness of "October Rust" (1996), the doomed sadness of "World Coming Down" (1999), or the suicidal sedateness of "Life Is Killing Me" (2003). Right with the opening title track, Type O Negative give us a hint of what to expect from "Dead Again" - a moonstruckingly marvelous symbiosis of ultra-slow and mega-heavy Black Sabbath-esque riffs, mid-tempo 70’s rock melodies and speedy metallic blasts, bound by the trademark organ sound created by Josh Silver and, of course, the singing. Yes, the singing, varied to the maximum during the 77 minutes of the CD - from the subterranean undead bass voice of Mr. Steele, through his diverse vocal variations and the aggressive Carnivore-ish outbursts, backed by Kenny Hickey’s suitably placed yells, up to the impressive choirs of the four musicians (courtesy of the Bensonhoist Lesbian Choir, as always), compared by many to the late Beatles’ vocal harmonies... Even the female intrusion of Tara VanFlower of Arizona’s experimentalists Lycia in "Halloween in Heaven" doesn’t irritate, but on the contrary - it fits unobsessively into the posthumous audio-picture. Regardless the gentle guest appearance in the track just mentioned, it surely cannot be pointed out as the richest part of "Dead Again". Just listen to the epochal many-faced masterpieces "Tripping a Blind Man", "These Three Things" or "She Burned Me Down", the closing epos "Hail and Farewell to Britain", the gently bombastic oratory "September Sun", or the apocalyptic-virtuoso prophecy "The Profit of Doom", and you’ll have to confess that Type O Negative have outdone themselves composing wise, lyric wise, musicianship wise, arrangement wise and... Well, let’s put an end to this bullshit, ok? Just play "Dead Again"... and start addicting to it... slowly, but unavoidably... like the character in the opening tune: "First to admit I'm a doomed droog addict and I always will be..."