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TYPE O NEGATIVE

Symphony For the Devil

SPV
rating icon 8.5 / 10

Track listing:

Ponderous music, weighed down with leaden bass tones, leavened by an utterly juvenile sense of humor and refusal to take anything seriously? Yep, must be TYPE O NEGATIVE. They've had their share of ups and downs since breaking out a decade ago with "Christian Woman" and "Black No. 1", but only an idiot would deny that they're one of the most original and unique bands in recent history. Eight years after their last visual documentary, we get another glimpse into the twisted world of these subterranean perverts and their gallows humor.

The live show is from a festival appearance in 1999, well shot with great sound, in front of a huge and rabidly appreciative crowd. Every few songs, the concert is interrupted by the mildly retarded antics of the band and crew off duty — Peter Steele pontificating while taking a shit in the filthiest bathroom this side of CBGB (actually, it may be CBGB),driving a radio station's truck around town while insulting passersby through a megaphone, drunken bus pranks, cameos from Cristina Scabbia and Dimebag Darrell among others, drawing on passed out crew members with markers, a guy shooting grapes out of his ass… you know, good friendly obnoxious fun.

But all the fart noises and drunken buffoonery in the world can't take away from the "Addams Family" atmosphere of their live show, or the effortless way these four ghouls manage to have the crowd eating from their hands for the entire show. Whether they're lurching through older, more abrasive material, or getting into the more romanticized material from "October Rust", they keep the audience enthralled (hell, they're moshing and crowd-surfing during "Wolf Moon").

Most of the good extraneous stuff is included right in the main movie, but do make sure you catch the band's interview with former Fuse VJ Juliya, which predictably descends into a blur of shit jokes, random tour stories and barely-coherent insanity. And would you want it any other way? An equally ludicrous commentary is included, as is a 5.1 mix. Overall, it's a great package, and a timely reminder of just how important these guys still are.

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