Affectionately referred to as "the drab four," the wry reference to The Beatles is more than just clever wordplay when used to describe Type O Negative [ tickets ]. The Brooklyn, NY, quartet have taken the art of metal songwriting to epic heights since their inception in 1990, and don't stray far from their proven formula on new release "Dead Again."

Pigeonholed by their iconic stature in goth-metal circles, the long-underappreciated depth of Type O Negative's craft is, once again, prominently displayed, offering a poignant blend of brooding Black Sabbath dirges and unearthly metallic crunch, acerbic New York City attitude, and Peter Steele's droning vocals and lyrical black humor. The dissident elements meld seamlessly, at times even brilliantly.

"Tripping a Blind Man" merges that sludgey Sabbath soundtrack with robust, airy choruses and guitarist Kenny Hickey's like-minded, inspired play, while "September Sun" basks in a somber beauty that defies metal, hearkening back to classic rock of the '60s. The tripped-out "Summer Breeze"-style intro to "The Profits of Doom" provides a constricting backdrop for Peter Steele's apocalyptic rants before the 11-minute opus kicks into classic Type O form a third of the way through, campy lyrics that border on kitsch crashing headlong with a jarring soundtrack. "Halloween in Heaven" doesn't do much to kill the talk of camp, but Steele and Lycia frontwoman Tara Vanflower offer the perfect vocal match for the fast-paced, hardcore-metal mélange that drives the song.

From the Transylvanian chant that accents "She Burned Me Down," to Hickey's bastard son of Jimmy Page and Tony Iommi play on "An Ode to Locksmiths," and beyond the Cream-like resplendency that swathes closing track "Hail and Farewell to Britain," Type O Negative have conjured an alliance of subtle pop aesthetics and crushing metallic majesty.

Yet, as dark and dire as their sonic exploits may seem, Type O Negative's eeriest attribute just may be their uncanny ability to prove as compelling and enchanting as they are hopeless and haunting. It all makes for one fantastic fix on "Dead Again."