World Coming Down

Do not attempt to adjust your stereo. World Coming Down is meant to sound slow and dirgey. After all, would songs called "Everyone I Love is Dead" and "Everything Dies" be as effective all punked up? More goth than Black Sabbath and not as goth as Bauhaus, New York's Type O Negative began purveying medieval metal (though not in a Ronnie James Dio sense) with an undercurrent of humor since the early '90s. Led by one-time Playgirl centerfold Peter Steele on bass and vocals, TON enjoyed success with catchy, clever tunes such as the memorable "Black No. 1," a song about hair dye, and the provocative "Christian Woman." Sadly, World Coming Down, the quartet's fifth outing, lacks the pop sensibility and hooks present in some of Type-O's earlier songs. The result is an album that's dense and moody but, with few exceptions, unmemorable. For a good time, don't call on Type O Negative... unless, of course, it's Halloween. --Katherine Turman