Life Is Killing Me is the sixth studio album by gothic metal band Type O Negative. It was released on June 17, 2003, and was their final studio album released through record label Roadrunner Records.
The album's title and content refers primarily to frontman Peter Steele's dissatisfied life outlook and experiences with mental illness at the time of writing and production, with lyrics concerning relationship problems and the illness and death of his parents.
The album reached No. 39 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 27,000 copies in its first week,[2] and received positive reviews from music critics, who noted a more melodic sound in comparison to previous records. "I Don't Wanna Be Me" was released as a promotional single, for which a music video was produced.
Recording
Life Is Killing Me was recorded at Systems Two Recording Studio in Brooklyn, New York.[3]
Vocalist and bassist Peter Steele used a custom Fernandes Tremor bass guitar for the recording of the album, an instrument which was built to his exact specifications under his sponsorship with the company.[citation needed]
Describing the inspiration behind the title and theme of the record, Steele responded in an interview: "I guess I am going through some sort of midlife crisis being 41 years old now. And all the things I took for granted, my health, my life, people I love dying, people I loved walking away. I was with a girlfriend for 10 years but she left. It is like my dreams are dead."[5] The album's title was originally going to be The Dream Is Dead.[6]
Billboard described the record's lyrical themes as "infidelity, death and depression".[7]
"Todd's Ship Gods (Above All Things)" was written by Steele about his father.[8]
"I Like Goils" is described by Steele as "poking fun at PC" (political correctness),[7] with lyrics centred on Steele's frustration with having homosexual men make sexual advances towards him following his 1995 Playgirl photoshoot, which, at the time, Steele agreed to pose for, unaware of the composition of the magazine's readership.[9]
The album's title track further references Steele's father's death, while "Nettie" was written about his mother.[7][8]
Musical style
AllMusic wrote "guitarist Kenny Hickey's passages have grown increasingly melodic, and the keys of Josh Silver possess a timeless melancholy" despite "how bleak or odd the lyrical proceedings get".[10]Loudwire described it as "the most uplifting sounding album of their career".[11]
Life Is Killing Me 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.[15] The album was officially released on June 17, 2003, on CD as well as cassette in some regions. In Europe, the album was also released with a bonus CD.
The album was favorably received by music critics. Exclaim! wrote "Life Is Killing Me pays tongue-in-cheek homage to the world and the women that have screwed Steele over so badly. But musically, the disc is pure pop-rock bliss."[1]
"(We Were) Electrocute" was featured on the soundtrack to the 2003 horror film Freddy vs. Jason.
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)")
