Type O Negative - The Least Worst Of [2LP]

Brooklyn's self-styled Drab Four never took themselves too seriously, and The Least Worst Of, their 2000 career round-up, proves it from the title down, here across two LPs.

Led by the towering Peter Steele, Type O Negative fused doom-laden metal, gothic romance and a pitch-black sense of humour into something nobody else was doing. This compilation gathers highlights from their peak years alongside edits, alternate mixes and rarities, offering both a gateway for newcomers and a few curveballs for long-time devotees.

Black No. 1 is the essential starting point, a slow-motion goth anthem drenched in organ and Steele's cavernous baritone. Christian Woman broods and builds with eerie, hymn-like menace, while Love You to Death turns heartbreak into something lush and deeply melancholic. There is mischief too: Cinnamon Girl appears in its Depressed Mode Mix, a sly nod to the band's synth-pop fixations, and It's Never Enough, a track that first surfaced on this collection, stretches past the eight-minute mark.

Steele's voice, at once menacing and heartbroken, remains one of heavy music's most distinctive, and this set shows exactly why the band's devoted following has only grown since.

Put it on after dark, preferably with the lights low and something green nearby.