Blood. Sex. Fire. Lust & Immortality. The Birth, Communion and Confirmation of Type O Negative
Jul 26 '05 (Updated Dec 23 '06)
The Bottom Line It took me longer to think up a title for this [of which I'm still not all that fond of] than it took me to write this article ...
I’ve written more than a few reviews of Type O Negative releases but I’ve never really covered the musicians that create these aural masterpieces. Ask any four members of the group and they will openly admit that they have no idea why people listen to their music, that they are talentless and that they chalk their success up to mass hysteria. The story is extremely different when you talk to the fans; the females find the music highly erotic and spellbinding while the male fans are drawn to the dark lyrics and harder tracks present in their early work. Everyone has their own reason for being a Type O fan; some find comfort in the words and music, others enjoy the shock value the members are notorious for and some seek a more carnal satisfaction. What ever the reason, Type O fans are some of the most dedicated. Go to any show and you are in for a real treat; whether you are watching the stage or the audience, you are going to get every pennies worth and when you leave ... well, you’ll be soaking wet for any of a number of reasons [get your minds out of the gutter].
On a personal note; I am a fan of the music first, the performers second. Years ago I based a lot of my musical preferences on what the front man looked like [hence that rather embarrassing copy of Winger in my collection], how long their hair was and how much leather they could possibly wear at any given moment. Looks will only get you so far, if you have no talent to back you up for the long haul, chances are you will find yourself selling tires at some Firestone dealership or cold calling widows to sell them junk bonds. Fame is a fickle beast, you never know when the winds of change are going to turn and what the next hot musical genre will be; Type O Negative has weathered the storm and are no worse for wear. They’ve remained true to their roots, embrace the darker things in life [and death] and never fail to amaze me with their music.
Type O Negative
When Peter Steele left Carnivore he was in search of something more than meaningless thrash metal. With the 1991 release of “Slow, Deep And Hard” you saw the start of the crossover that the group made; while still harsh and unwavering there are subtle hints of things to come. Listen to it repeatedly and closely and you’ll her the telltale signs of the change that their music was headed for. Clinging to their Brooklyn roots [Systems Two] they paid their dues by playing small clubs and eventually getting picked up for some tours but success wasn’t something that happened over night. No matter how tempting the offers were to do something more ‘mainstream’ they stood behind their music; basically a “if you don’t like it then don’t listen to it” type of an attitude only with a hell of a lot of swear words tossed in. Over the years the style of music has evolved greatly and if you were to listen to “Slow, Deep And Hard” followed up by “Life Is Killing Me” chances are you would have a hard time believing that it was indeed the same band playing.
Inner turmoil has never been a huge issue for the group; the line up has been pretty much the same over the years with the only change being when drummer Sal Abruscato left to find greener pastures with Life of Agony after the “Bloody Kisses” release. While I openly admit that there is no love lost between Sal and myself, I do have to say that he was an impressive drummer that truly loved what he did ‘for a living’.
Josh Silver, keyboardist, may come off as a completely morbid, downtrodden and depressed creature but all you have to do is listen to songs like “Christian Woman” and “Love You To Death” to see that most of this is an act. If he were truly this despondent there’s no way he’d ever be able to create arias so beautiful, enchanting and bewitching.. Considered the quietest in the group, most take this as snobbery or an inflated ego ... it’s nothing even close to that. When he has something to say, he says it, otherwise he just sits and observes.
Kenny Hickey, guitarist, gives you the immediate impression that he’s dispirited and dissident in every facet of his life but that too is an act. All one has to do is see him in the “After Dark” home video with his daughter [Hi Meggie!] to see that he’s got more than a few sides to him. His phenomenal guitar work on songs like “Burnt Flowers Fallen” and “Blood & Fire” give the music a sharp feel but at the same time songs like “Green Man” and “Everything Dies” show that he’s more than just a six chord kind of guy.
Peter Steele, bass and vocals, makes a striking first impression. If his height doesn’t catch you off guard his voice certainly will. Considered a ‘hot prospect’ by the female fans he’s the meat and potatoes of the group. Writing a good majority of the music and lyrics as well as having creative control over the cover art, he puts himself into every aspect of the music. Having already masturbated Peter’s ego in many reviews, I’ll refrain from making my usual comments.
Johnny Kelly, drums, is ‘the baby’ of the group. Replacing Sal wasn’t the hardest of tasks especially when fans heard him play live and knew that his talents would enrich the overall sound of the group. Anyone that doubted he would be able to replicate what was on “Bloody Kisses” or “Slow, Deep And Hard” was quick to change his or her mind when hearing him in action. Next to Peter, he’s the most sought after member of the group for obvious reasons.
It’s hard to deal with all four of them at one time. There’s no play for center stage with them but if you have to be in a room with all of them at once, you are bound to be the brunt of one of their practical jokes. I can say this, each of them are genuinely nice and as much as they hate to hear that, they do crack a smile when someone forces them to come out of their dark and brooding facade. As much as they try to come off as scowling, disenchanted creatures of the night - all four of them have a lighter side. Ask anyone who knows them and they will tell you pretty much the same thing; they aren’t as dark as they seem and they love their practical jokes. If you want to get the best of Peter Steele, just hand him a pumpkin pie and watch him turn ten shades of red. Paybacks are a b*tch aren’t they baby?
The Music
The themes of love, death, sex, blood, fire and wine are ever present in the songs that come from Type O Negative. With such a varied discography to choose from, it’s no wonder that their music appeals to so many people. Fans of the harder earlier stuff can hit the pit or toss a few elbows at those within arms reach and those into the softer, darker cuts relish the deep vocals and undulating keyboards. As I said, each person has his or her own reason for being a fan but one thing is painfully evident - no matter what facet of the music you embrace, eventually you embrace it all. Think of it as being in a relationship with someone and they do a few things that work your last nerve like having to put the hair brush back in the drawer a certain way or requesting in an extremely loud tone that you please but the DVD’s back in the case instead of leaving them in the player. Sure they are small things but over time they grate you raw. Even though these things annoy the hell out of you, it’s part of them - what makes them “them”. If you had the chance to change those quirks you wouldn’t because that would be altering them, changing them from what they are. That’s what their music is; even if you aren’t into songs like “We Hate Everyone” or “Black Sabbath” you still accept it as part of their evolution, part of their way of getting out what ever the hell is locked up inside them.
As much as I hate to admit it, there are some fans that are fans for the wrong reasons. Most are the thirteen to sixteen year olds that are seeking to use the music for shock value while others are the teen girls that swoon over the thought of having Peter Steele sneak in their window a few minutes past midnight and steal their virginity. After talking to more than a few people about why they are attracted to the group, that was the most common answer given by girls ages fifteen through seventeen. That’s when I had to stop and have a reality check. Girls, have you seen the pictures from the Playgirl spread? Hello, start off with a snack then move up to the Super Sized Steele Meal. Some commented that they found a lot of comfort and peace in the music, others loved to scare the life out of their overly religious parents by hanging posters of the group [such as ‘Blood Brothers’ or ‘Brothers In Blood’] on their walls or endlessly playing songs like “Christian Woman” or “It’s Never Enough”. Everyone has their own reason for getting off on the music ... including me. Yeah, that time if your mind was in the gutter, it’s there for all the right reasons.
Since I am far removed from “that” stage of life I tend to gravitate towards the simplistic things; admiring their talents, luxuriating in the knowledge that certain phrases set me off like Forth of July fireworks and finding a true sense of comfort in the tracks dealing with death. Taboo things are a constant when deciphering the music of Type O Negative; “Stay Out of My Dreams” being one of the most creative. Each person has their own definition of what they find objectionable within the music; what one person finds erotic and intoxicating another may find vile and disgusting. I’m rather proud to say that, so far, nothing they have released has shocked or offended me - in fact - I’m hoping that they dig deeper, go for the jugular and really earn that “Parental Advisory” warning label with their next release.
Discography
”Slow Deep And Hard” [1991]
“The Origin of Feces” [1992]
”Bloody Kisses” [1993]
”October Rust” [1996]
World Coming Down [1999]
”The Least Worst of ...”.[2000]
”Life Is Killing Me” [2003]
Singles
”Black No. 1”
“Blood & Fire”
”Christian Woman”
”Cinnamon Girl”
“Everyone I Love Is Dead”
Everything Dies
“I Don’t Wanna Be Me”
"In Praise of Bacchus"
“Life Is Killing Me”
”Love You To Death”
My Girlfriend's Girlfriend
“Nettie”
”Summer Breeze”
"Unsuccessfully Coping With The Natural Beauty Of Infidelity"
Please note: some of these singles are imports and this is by no means a complete list. Some songs like “Christian Woman” have several versions of the single on the market.
Home Video Releases
So far Type O Negative has released only one ‘home video’ called After Dark, The first version was released on VHS in 1998 with a DVD release following in 2000. Most people opted for the DVD version since it contained ‘bonus footage’. Let’s hope that they’ll bust open some of those video tapes and release a new one soon .. as entertaining as it is to watch, After Dark is only about an hour long. On a side note, you can catch bits and pieces of Type O Negative on Pantera’s home video Watch It Go. This is the same footage that you see on Type O’s release but from different perspectives. There have been several video compilations released, the most notable being “For When It Rains” in 1994 to push the “Christian Woman” single release.
Other Appearances By Type O Negative
"Nativity In Black : A Tribute To Black Sabbath" [1994] - "Black Sabbath"
"Mortal Kombat" [soundtrack] [1995] - "Blood & Fire”
“Descent II” [video game] [1996] - "Haunted"
"Private Parts" [soundtrack] [1997] - "Pictures of Matchstick Men"
"I Know What You Did Last Summer" [soundtrack] [1997] - "Summer Breeze"
"Bride of Chucky" [soundtrack] [1998] - "Love You to Death"
"The Blair Witch Project" [soundtrack] [1999] - "Haunted"
"The Rage: Carrie 2" [soundtrack] [1999 ] - "Die With Me"
"Songs of The Witchblade" [1999] - "Go To Sleep" and "Apocalypticraft"
"Gothic Club Classics - Volume 3" [2001] - "Christian Woman"
“Faust” [soundtrack] [2001] - “Everyone I Love Is Dead”
“UnderGoth - Volume 7” [2002] - “Blood & Fire”
Bootlegs
Blindsided, Live At L'amour, Live At L’Amour II, Badlands, Even Snow Dies, Please Go Die, Suicide, Happiness I Cannot Feel...And Love Is So Unreal, We Suck, Sanguine Addictions, Slower, Deeper and Harder, Summer Breeze, Blood Melting Extremity, Very Bloody Kisses, Live Cries, Blood Brothers, We Love You To Death, Dick-O-Steel, Steele Dreams, Stone Flowers, Light My Fire, Bizarre Types of Type O Negative, Day Tripper, Fecal Origins.
This is a small list of bootlegs that are on the “market”. If you are thinking of buying one you should know that there are a lot that are misrepresented. Some people are changing the names on them to get over on people. If you insist on buying bootlegs please go with someone that has a good reputation and read the various message boards about who has positive and negative feedback.
Peter Steele - 1962 - 2005
.... Free At Last ...
Many people were shocked when they logged into the Type O website and saw the gravestone with the above words carved on it. There were rumors that he was sick [with anything from cancer to AIDS], was on his deathbed, attempted suicide ... and the list goes on. While it isn’t my place to divulge such information suffice it to say he’s alive [much to his own chagrin] and the gravestone was merely a joke albeit one the wasn’t viewed as being in particularly good taste. While most people choose to fear death, the members of Type O Negative respect it, sing about it and at times glamorize it ... but they never fear it. To me that is something that shows their strength, to be able to take something so morose and final and put a spin on it. We’ve been hearing about this “new release” for some time now and everyone is laying in wait for it; wondering which path the music will take, how deep they’ll cut into the flesh and when the tour will start.
Type O Negative have been labeled everything from gothic to metal, industrial to alternative. Personally, they are above and beyond the usual industry terms. If you dig beneath the “popular” songs and into the darker tracks you’ll see that there are many levels to the music - that each one has some meaning beyond what is presented in the lyrics. How you choose to interpret them is your own business but you have to take that first step into the darkness, let go of the safe things in life and indulge your fantasies before you can truly appreciate what the group has to offer. People who have never listened to what the group has to offer might make a snap decision that “their music isn’t for me”, if you do that you are truly missing out on something that is beyond words ... it’s simply ... Type O Negative.
--- Stay Negative ---
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2005 Freak369
Singles
Black No. 1, Summer Breeze, Love You To Death, Christian Woman, My Girlfriend's Girlfriend, Everything Dies, Cinnamon Girl
CD's
October Rust, Bloody Kisses, Life Is Killing Me, World Coming Down, Slow, Deep And Hard, The Least Worst of Type O Negative, Life Is Killing Me – Import Version
Video
Type O Negative: After Dark
Symphony For The Devil
Editorial
Blood. Sex. Fire. Lust & Immortality
The Best of Type O: Peter Steele Naked
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