AMG Review of Bloody Kisses [Clean]

Steve Huey
All Music Guide

Bloody Kisses is a major step forward for Type O Negative. Peter Steele's dark, melodramatic songs address mostly heartbreak and loneliness, and there is still some smart-aleck ranting left over from previous releases. But this time, much of the humor is delivered slyly and subtly. He sounds serious, but when one looks past his overkill, he's also satirizing his own emotional excesses, and of the goth rock genre in general -- something rare in the alternative age. The long, repetitive songs are helped by the addition of more atmospheric synth and left-field Beatlesque pop melodies, underlining the latter influence with Indian instruments on the closing track. Steele sings most of the album in his best vampire impression, which lends hilarious irony to a depressing cover of Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze." Bloody Kisses is much more enjoyable than it has a right to be. [Bloody Kisses was issued in a "clean" version with all profanity removed.]