'Gothtober - Exhuming the Tunes with Christian Death's"Born Again Anti CHristian"

Even though this album was released 26 years ago, it still feels like the modern era of the band for me. When this album came out, I think I was really into hardcore, so it went under my radar. I really appreciate the dark drama of the opening track that sets the stage for this album. For there we go into a song about a serial killer, so they are totally winning so far. This one is really creepy. I think they have settled into their legacy here and understand the assignment more clearly than on other albums where the more metallic were being introduced. The drummer is bringing it on this one.

They get heavier on " In Your Eyes," whcih is not a Peter Gabriel cover, but Valor takes on a ballsy Coal Chamber-like roar on the chorus. I am half goth, half metalhead, so I like the metal moments that were introduced into these later albums but understand why someone might not be into it. Particularly when this comes up as more like nu-metal here. The bass certainly delivers that bounce. Both "the Knife" and "Peek a Boo" carry on their game blend to take death rock and give it a set of bigger metallic balls. The production value has increased here, so it is translated better. There are also mroe serial killer references. 

There is an almsot Tool-like bass to "Fear and Superstition," then they lost this groove by speeding things up with double bass. There is a rowdier punk undertone to the verses. The drumming is good; it just doesn't fit the song. There is a more deliberate groove that I can get behind on "Dead Sorry." Valor uses a more creeping, whispered vocal on the verses.  The more aggressive vocals on the chorus might take some time getting used to for some fans. "Malevolent Shrew" finds the bass line from the previous song carrying over, but with a more Ministry - like vocal. I might like this even better than the first use of this bassline but feel weird about them recycling it. The drummer does not like to hold back. 

"Blood Dance" comes closer to just bringing death-rock back from the dead. At least they are not trying to sound like Marilyn Manson, who in 2000 was what most people thought of when it came to goth. There is a taste of Halloween in this song's ambiance, so I am not going to complain. "Fucking in Slow Motion" brings in some of the trippy, more experimental sounds they have played with in the past but frames them in a more song-oriented perspective. More intense folk dynamics come into play to give some ebb and flow. There is a much heavier sludge-oriented bass line holding "the Painted Aura" down. The way the gutiar contrasts this is pretty cool. It's the first wink in a Type O Negative direction, who, to their credit, might have reached their commercial peak but were still in motion. 

"Kill Me" closes the album, yet there is a Cradle of Filth version of "Peek a Boo" but I am not one to really include remixes in my reviews unless that is relevant to the album. "Kill Me" is more like the more experimental sounds they used earlier in the band's career, so it makes sense as an outro. I will round this one up to a 10, as they are still trying to find their place in the world here, and pretty much do this with more grace than shown  on previous albums from this era. 

10.9

pst505