"Functional Art Is Simply Tolerated Vandalism...We Are The Vandals"

Those are the words on the inside of the liner notes to Type O Negative's 1996 RoadRunner Records release, "October Rust". Those words describe the music held within the record quite perfectly. Type O Negative are musical vandals. They take music and they change it. These power houses from Brooklyn, NY vandalise it into something completely different.

I've been listening ot this incredible band since Pete Steele's days in the post-nuclear, post-apocalyptic band Carnivore. Type O Negative is another very tough band to classify. At times they are quite deep and dark and very goth sounding. At other times they are very metal sounding. Their music crosses musical boundaries.

Their record "Bloody Kisses" was a completely thrilling opus of musical pieces from top to bottom. In addition to being very entertaining and enthralling, several of the record's tracks achieved a good deal of mainstream acceptance.

This record, is a departure of that sound. It is slower, sexier, and more melodic. The sound is very carefully crafted with more elements of goth then of metal. It is an eerie, yet enticing work of music. If a vampire were to be in a metal band, I would assume it would sound like this.

Type O Negative's line up, as usual, consists of:

Peter Steele -- Vocals, Bass
Kenny Hickey -- guitar
Josh Silver -- keyboards
Johnny Kelly -- drums

The record begins with one of the cheesiest samples I have ever heard on any album anywhere. The band opens it up by greeting the listener and thanking them for purchasing "October Rust". A typical move on the part of this band who often mocks themselves as well as their fans.

From there the record turns strangely, and uniquely beautiful. The keyboards open up the musical background, slowly, spookily, but strangely soothingly. Everything on this record is a step back from the heaviness that is present on the prior work, "Bloody Kisses". The music here, is slowed down slightly, is more melodic, but still possesses the terrific vocal skills of Steele, and the phenomenal playing of the rest of the band.

The song "Love You To Death" exemplifies this slowed down, more melodic style. The song itself is crafted with the typical Type O Negative mastery. Here is a sample of the lyrical brilliance:

In her place one hundred candles burning
As salty sweat drips from her breast
Her hips move and I can feel what their saying, swaying
They say the beast inside of me's gonna get ya, get ya, get...

Black lipstick stains her glass of red wine
I am your servant, may I light your cigarette?
Those lips smooth, yeah I can feel what you're saying, praying
They say the beast inside of me's gonna get ya, get ya, get...

I beg to serve, your wish is my law
Now close those eyes and let me love you to death
Shall I prove I mean what I'm saying, begging
I say the beast inside of me's gonna get ya, get ya, get...

Let me love you too
Let me love you to death

Poetry done with the uniquely evil Type O Negative touch. Pete Steele's vocals are crisp and deep. His voice drones through the song like Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, or Glenn Danzig on their clearest sounding days. The song goes through several musical changes, as is typical with many Type O tunes. The song builds from slow to fast to slow to slower to fast to slow, at the drop of a hat. Often times, the song sounds like a new song, since parts of it differ so much in tempo and tone. Type O are a incredible band in that respect. Each of their songs is a unique, full piece, that tells a story with its music. Even though this song is much slower then some of their other stuff, it is still a really, really awesome song.

"Be My Druidess" is the next song on this record. It is a little bit heavier then "Love Me To Death". It too has strong goth overtones, and a strangely sexy aura about it.

"Now we'll make love by fire light
A blaze so high it lights the night..."

The song finishes up with Steele, doing his deepest alto voice possible, chanting a very sexual oriented chorus. The song is another one that is a full rich tune. It really is the keyboards that punctuate and add to the dark aura this song projects.

"Green Man" is a long, droning song. It is one of the most uncharacteristic of the songs on this record. It is much more goth then anything I have previously heard Type O do. The music incessantly builds, with slow metallish guitar playing, and Josh Silver's terrific keyboard playing. Steele's vocals are much looser on this song, as he seemingly whines: "I'm the green man...the green man..."

The song "Red Water" (not to be confused with the song "Red Rain" by Peter Gabriel) is somewhat heavier then "Green Man". It too is a rather long song, that goes through several musical transformations before coming to a full conclusion. It is a droning, eerie song, which furthers this deep dark style that they have been conveying throughout this record.

Track number seven on this disc is called "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend". It is the shortest and probably the most popular song on this record. It is incredibly enthralling song. It is much heavier than the previous songs on the album. It conveys, all of the elements that make Type O one of my favorite bands, here so well. The song writing, the vocals, the keyboards, the musical background are all really phenomenal. Steele croons these poignant lyrics:

It's no secret we're close
As sweaty velcro
Like latex, fur and feathers
Stuck Together
Now

In their '62 Vette
Sharing one cigarette
In a black light trance then
go go dance
then
go go trance
then

They keep me warm on cold nights
We must be quite a sight
In our meat triangle
All tangled
Wow

My Girlfriend's Girlfriend
She looks like you
My Girlfriend's Girlfriend
She's my girl...too

Her and me and her and she and me
An uncrowded couple, are we three
Hey we don't care what people say
When walking hand in hand down Kings Highway
Two for one today

My Girlfriend's Girlfriend
She looks like you
My Girlfriend's Girlfriend
She's my girl

It is a fast little song, that is very, very entertaining. The lyrics are a little bit much to take, but are quite typical of this band. This song is the most metal of any of the tracks on the record. Steele's vocals shred through this terrific song. Since it is somewhat shorter than most of the other tunes present on this record, it was the band's first single from the album. I still view it to be one of my favorite Type O songs of all time. They do not have very many really short songs. It is very refreshing to hear them do one of typical 'radio' length.

The record goes on with three more spooky opuses, that would make even the most discriminating goth vampire want to listen to this album. The songs are called: "Die With Me", "Burnt Flowers Fallen" and "In Praise of Bacchus". They each and of themselves are entertaining, droning goth masterpieces.

Track number eleven on "October Rust" is a cover song. If you are a fan of Type O Negative, then you know their track record with covers. They always try to put one on their records. They don't just do covers like other bands. What they do is they take a song, add their own unique goth metal touch to it, and turn it into a completely refreshing, original version of the tune in question. On "Bloody Kisses", they did this so well with Seals and Croft's classic "Summer Breeze". On this record they do it to Neil Young's timeless classic song, "Cinnamon Girl". The arrangement of the song is just flawless, as Steele's vocals bounce of the musical background. The song is completely refreshed and new sounding. It sounds more like a Type O song then a Neil Young song here. That is an achievement in and of itself. This cove rmakes the purchase of the record a worthwhile one, alone.

The record finishes up with a one minute track of silence, affectionately titled: "The Glorious Liberation of The People's Technocratic Republic of Vinnland By The Combined Forces of The United Territories of Europa". The remaining two musical tracks are "Wolf Moon", where Steele barks to the pale moon light ala Warren Zevon, and the epic song "Haunted" which is a ten minute opus that reminds me a lot of "Suspended in Dusk" from the "Bloody Kisses" album. "Haunted" was also featured on the soundtrack to the movie "The Blair Witch Project".

The disc closes with another cheesey voice sample on the part of the band.

All and all this is an utterly terrific album. I know a lot of fans of the band were taken back by the musical change from the previous record on this one. However, I simply view it as the band branching out, and exploring their musical style. They've expanded their horizons. They've made their music slower, more melodic and more goth.

Their latest work, last year's "World Coming Down" marked the band's return to their heavier style of music, which is more like the earlier "Slow, Deep and Hard".

As a full and complete work, I give "October Rust" a full thumbs up. It is a musical work of goth metal beauty, and should be in everybody's loud music collection. It is a record with a wide range of sound and appeal.

I think even Count Dracula would enjoy this one...

Thanks for reading.





Recommended: Yes