Type O Negative
Group Option
Admins
Members
Photo Albums
Description
Although commonly viewed as a gothic metal band, Type O has also incorporated elements of doom metal and thrash metal. Their dramatic lyrical emphasis on themes of romance, depression, and death has resulted in the nickname "The Drab Four" (in homage to The Beatles' "Fab Four" moniker).
The band went Platinum with 1993's Bloody Kisses, and Gold with 1996's October Rust, and has gained an enormous following with seven studio albums, two best-of compilations, and concert DVDs. Their most recent album is 2007's Dead Again.
On April 14, 2010, lead vocalist, bassist, and principal songwriter Peter Steele died, reportedly from heart failure. No official statement from the band has been made about its future but member Kenny Hickey, alongside member Johnny Kelly, has stated in an November 2010 interview with French music magazine Rock Hard that the band is no more. The band's official website continues to have periodic updates.
Announcements
A year ago we lost one of heavy metal's iconic voices with the untimely death of Type O Negative’s Peter Steele. Twelve bands hailing from Europe and both North and South America have lent their talents to pay tribute to the gothic metal giant and ensure his music continues to be played by fans all across the world.
In collaboration with Beneath the Woods studios and a dozen of the finest underground bands, Metalunderground.com is very proud to announce that “All For None, None For All: A Tribute To Peter Steele” is now officially available. All twelve tracks from the album and a PDF booklet containing words from the bands are available for $3, which covers the costs of the mechanical license and the transaction fees.
We would like to personally thank all of the bands involved for their fantastic contributions, and to all our readers who have stuck by us throughout the years. There's a little something for everyone in this tribute album, and we hope you'll love it just as much as we do.
Dan Mitchell of Beneath The Woods Studios also added, "My original idea was to find bands that were only interested in paying tribute to Peter, and not getting caught up in the politics of it all. No talks of money, labels, suits, or anyone trying to suck the life out of it. Just a straight up tribute. While we had people from Dave Ellefson to Anathema showing interest, their schedules are too busy from prior commitments.
“If you look back at Type O Negative's catalogue, they covered various songs by artists that were much different from the original. There were most definitely fans of Neil Young who hated their rendition of 'Cinnamon Girl,' and Seals and Crofts fans who hated 'Summer Breeze.' There were even fans of Sabbath who hated Type O's rendition of a Sabbath song.
“However, Johnny Kelly put it best when he said ‘These are what those songs would have sounded like if WE wrote them, its our interpretation of the material.’ That was actually his response to me commenting on how ‘different’ the music on this tribute is.”
Once again, the track listing is as follows:
1. Auvernia - "I Don't Wanna Be Me"
2. Fairytale Abuse - "Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)"
3. Stabbingback - "Halloween in Heaven"
4. Emancer - "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend"
5. Dead Shape Figure - "Dead Again"
6. Enthrope - "Wolf Moon (Including Zoanthropic Paranoia)"
7. Dark Hound - "Life is Killing Me"
8. A Band of Orcs - "Green Man"
9. In.Verno - "Everything Dies"
10. Blind Greed - "Christian Woman"
11. Revilement - "Sex and Violence"
12. Autumns Eyes - "Love You To Death"
Discussions
No discussion added yet.
Wall
Type O Negative is a heavy metal band from Brooklyn, New York City.
Although commonly viewed as a gothic metal band, Type O has also incorporated elements of doom metal and thrash metal. Their dramatic lyrical emphasis on themes of romance, depression, and death has resulted in the nickname "The Drab Four" (in homage to The Beatles' "Fab Four" moniker). The band went Platinum with 1993's Bloody Kisses, and Gold with 1996's October Rust, and has gained an enormous following with seven studio albums, two best-of compilations, and concert DVDs. Their most recent album is 2007's Dead Again.
On April 14, 2010, lead vocalist, bassist, and principal songwriter Peter Steele died, reportedly from heart failure. No official statement from the band has been made about its future but member Kenny Hickey, alongside member Johnny Kelly, has stated in an November 2010 interview with French music magazine Rock Hard that the band is no more. The band's official website continues to have periodic updates.
Type O Negative's members were originally in a band called Fallout, formed in 1979 by then-teenager Peter Steele. He was joined by fellow teens John Campos, Louie Beato, and Josh Silver. The band released one EP in 1981, titled Batteries Not Included. It enjoyed modest success on college radio.
Shortly thereafter, Silver left Fallout to form Original Sin, which combined the sounds of eighties hair metal and new wave. Meanwhile, Steele went on to found the thrash metal band Carnivore. Carnivore spent much of the mid-eighties playing venues in and around the East Coast, including the now defunct CBGB's on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and the now defunct L’amours in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The band's lyrics were harsh and very politically incorrect, dealing with race, religion, war, and misogyny, with a sound reminiscent of speed metal mixed with hardcore break-downs and three-chord punk rock.
Following the release of their second album, Retaliation, Carnivore went on hiatus. Two years later, Steele recruited long-time friend, Sal Abruscato, Type O Negative's original drummer. Soon after, Silver was convinced to join, with fellow childhood friend Kenny Hickey following suit. They originally named themselves "Repulsion" (not to be confused with the death metal band of the same name) and "Sub-Zero," but after an extensive search through the Yellow Pages for potential names, they realized "subzero" had already been taken. Due to the band already having the "o" negative tattoos for subzero, they decided to name the band "Type O Negative." The band released a demo, which caught the ear of executives at Roadracer Records which later became Roadrunner Records, a prominent American label for metal and hard rock in the late eighties and early nineties. Roadrunner signed them to a five-album record deal, and in 1991 the band quickly released their debut, Slow Deep and Hard.
Type O Negative's true second album, Bloody Kisses, was released in 1993 to critical and listener acclaim, and eventually became the first record for Roadrunner to reach certified Platinum status in the US.
Bloody Kisses mostly addressed loneliness and heartbreak, with songs like "Too Late: Frozen," "Blood & Fire," and "Can't Lose You." The organ-driven "Set Me On Fire" is vintage sixties garage rock, while "Summer Breeze" covered the 1972 Seals and Crofts hit. "Christian Woman" and "Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)" became the most popular tracks, after having been edited down to radio-friendly lengths (the album versions were 8½ and 11 minutes long). In order to promote the album, Type O Negative embarked on a two-year world tour. Steele, who stood over 6' 8", had a signature action during concerts of playing a double bass slung over his shoulder with a large chain, instead of an electric bass (this also appears in the "Black No. 1" music video). During this time, the band was featured on MTV, VH1, and in Rolling Stone. In the midst of this media blitz, drummer Sal Abruscato quit the band to join another Brooklyn quartet, Life of Agony. Johnny Kelly, the band's drum technician, was therefore hired as a full-fledged member.
Bloody Kisses was re-released a year after the original release in a limited-edition Digipak form, including eight of the musical tracks from the original (omitting the "filler" tracks) and the previously unreleased "Suspended In Dusk."
The unexpected success of Bloody Kisses brought on the pressure of recording a successor. The record label, suddenly capitalizing on the revenue being generated by Type O Negative, began pressuring Steele and company to write even more commercial-friendly songs. The band tried to strike a balance between the commercial and the creative, and the result was 1996's October Rust. Picking up where Bloody Kisses left off, this album continued to explore themes of sex and sensuality, explored in a humorous sense on the single "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend" and then taken much darker with "Love You To Death." This record also saw a cover of Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl," as well as the fan favorite, semi-serene "Green Man." While not quite as successful as Bloody Kisses, the album was certified Gold in the US, and was the first Type O Negative album to enter the top half of the Billboard Top 200, debuting at No. 42. It was also around this time that the band garnered some controversy. On The Howard Stern Show, Steele admitted having fantasies of murder-suicide involving girlfriends, and confirmed claims that Kurt Cobain was his "hero" for "having the balls to shoot himself." He also appeared in Playgirl, although he regretted the decision after finding out via Kenny Hickey's publishing contacts that "[only] 23% of the magazine's subscribers are female." Steele was reportedly "very disheartened" when he found out about the magazine's demographics, and made light of the situation on the track "I Like Goils" on a later album, to underline his purely straight stance on his sexuality.
With the completion of another successful world tour, writing for a fourth album began. In the period immediately following the release of October Rust, Steele experienced several deaths in his immediate family, and he began drinking heavily to mask the bereavement and pain. This epoch of self-loathing would eventually manifest itself in the next album, 1999's World Coming Down (working titles included Prophets Of Doom and Aggroculture).
The vibe of the album was a significant change from October Rust; this time the band revisited the more dooming sounds of Slow Deep & Hard. This time around, instead of sex and romance, lyrics focused on death, drug addiction, depression, and suicide. Songs such as "Everyone I Love is Dead," "Everything Dies," "World Coming Down," and "All Hallows Eve" were not meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but rather true life reflections of Steele's mindset at the time. It was nowhere near as accessible as Bloody Kisses or October Rust, but despite its morbid subject matter, World Coming Down debuted at # 39 on the Billboard Top 200 charts.
A 'best of' album followed in 2000, entitled The Least Worst of Type O Negative. Although most songs appear on previous albums, many are unreleased remixes or B-sides on previously released singles. Along with these songs are some unreleased numbers from the World Coming Down sessions, the band's cover of "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath, and a cleaner version of "Hey Pete" (originally released on the mock live album The Origin of the Feces).
On April 14, 2010 frontman and bassist Peter Steele died, reportedly from heart failure. The following statement concerning Steele was released on the 15th of April on the band's official website:
“... It is with great sadness that we inform you that Type O Negative front man, bassist, and our band mate, Peter Steele passed away last night of what appears to be heart failure. Ironically Peter had been enjoying a long period of sobriety and improved health and was imminently due to begin writing and recording new music for our follow up to "Dead Again" released in 2007.
The official cause of death has yet to be determined pending autopsy results.
The funeral services will be private and memorial services will be announced at a future date. We’d like to share our thoughts and those of Peter’s family below. We are truly saddened to lose our friend and appreciate the tremendous outpouring today from around the world...."
Sincerely,
Josh, Kenny and Johnny
Members
• Peter Steele – lead vocals, bass guitar (1989–2010)
• Kenny Hickey – guitars, backing vocals (1989–present)
• Josh Silver – keyboards and synths, programming (1989–present)
• Johnny Kelly – drums, percussion (1994–present)
• Sal Abruscator – drums, percussion (1989–1994)
Although commonly viewed as a gothic metal band, Type O has also incorporated elements of doom metal and thrash metal. Their dramatic lyrical emphasis on themes of romance, depression, and death has resulted in the nickname "The Drab Four" (in homage to The Beatles' "Fab Four" moniker). The band went Platinum with 1993's Bloody Kisses, and Gold with 1996's October Rust, and has gained an enormous following with seven studio albums, two best-of compilations, and concert DVDs. Their most recent album is 2007's Dead Again.
On April 14, 2010, lead vocalist, bassist, and principal songwriter Peter Steele died, reportedly from heart failure. No official statement from the band has been made about its future but member Kenny Hickey, alongside member Johnny Kelly, has stated in an November 2010 interview with French music magazine Rock Hard that the band is no more. The band's official website continues to have periodic updates.
Type O Negative's members were originally in a band called Fallout, formed in 1979 by then-teenager Peter Steele. He was joined by fellow teens John Campos, Louie Beato, and Josh Silver. The band released one EP in 1981, titled Batteries Not Included. It enjoyed modest success on college radio.
Shortly thereafter, Silver left Fallout to form Original Sin, which combined the sounds of eighties hair metal and new wave. Meanwhile, Steele went on to found the thrash metal band Carnivore. Carnivore spent much of the mid-eighties playing venues in and around the East Coast, including the now defunct CBGB's on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and the now defunct L’amours in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The band's lyrics were harsh and very politically incorrect, dealing with race, religion, war, and misogyny, with a sound reminiscent of speed metal mixed with hardcore break-downs and three-chord punk rock.
Following the release of their second album, Retaliation, Carnivore went on hiatus. Two years later, Steele recruited long-time friend, Sal Abruscato, Type O Negative's original drummer. Soon after, Silver was convinced to join, with fellow childhood friend Kenny Hickey following suit. They originally named themselves "Repulsion" (not to be confused with the death metal band of the same name) and "Sub-Zero," but after an extensive search through the Yellow Pages for potential names, they realized "subzero" had already been taken. Due to the band already having the "o" negative tattoos for subzero, they decided to name the band "Type O Negative." The band released a demo, which caught the ear of executives at Roadracer Records which later became Roadrunner Records, a prominent American label for metal and hard rock in the late eighties and early nineties. Roadrunner signed them to a five-album record deal, and in 1991 the band quickly released their debut, Slow Deep and Hard.
Type O Negative's true second album, Bloody Kisses, was released in 1993 to critical and listener acclaim, and eventually became the first record for Roadrunner to reach certified Platinum status in the US.
Bloody Kisses mostly addressed loneliness and heartbreak, with songs like "Too Late: Frozen," "Blood & Fire," and "Can't Lose You." The organ-driven "Set Me On Fire" is vintage sixties garage rock, while "Summer Breeze" covered the 1972 Seals and Crofts hit. "Christian Woman" and "Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)" became the most popular tracks, after having been edited down to radio-friendly lengths (the album versions were 8½ and 11 minutes long). In order to promote the album, Type O Negative embarked on a two-year world tour. Steele, who stood over 6' 8", had a signature action during concerts of playing a double bass slung over his shoulder with a large chain, instead of an electric bass (this also appears in the "Black No. 1" music video). During this time, the band was featured on MTV, VH1, and in Rolling Stone. In the midst of this media blitz, drummer Sal Abruscato quit the band to join another Brooklyn quartet, Life of Agony. Johnny Kelly, the band's drum technician, was therefore hired as a full-fledged member.
Bloody Kisses was re-released a year after the original release in a limited-edition Digipak form, including eight of the musical tracks from the original (omitting the "filler" tracks) and the previously unreleased "Suspended In Dusk."
The unexpected success of Bloody Kisses brought on the pressure of recording a successor. The record label, suddenly capitalizing on the revenue being generated by Type O Negative, began pressuring Steele and company to write even more commercial-friendly songs. The band tried to strike a balance between the commercial and the creative, and the result was 1996's October Rust. Picking up where Bloody Kisses left off, this album continued to explore themes of sex and sensuality, explored in a humorous sense on the single "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend" and then taken much darker with "Love You To Death." This record also saw a cover of Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl," as well as the fan favorite, semi-serene "Green Man." While not quite as successful as Bloody Kisses, the album was certified Gold in the US, and was the first Type O Negative album to enter the top half of the Billboard Top 200, debuting at No. 42. It was also around this time that the band garnered some controversy. On The Howard Stern Show, Steele admitted having fantasies of murder-suicide involving girlfriends, and confirmed claims that Kurt Cobain was his "hero" for "having the balls to shoot himself." He also appeared in Playgirl, although he regretted the decision after finding out via Kenny Hickey's publishing contacts that "[only] 23% of the magazine's subscribers are female." Steele was reportedly "very disheartened" when he found out about the magazine's demographics, and made light of the situation on the track "I Like Goils" on a later album, to underline his purely straight stance on his sexuality.
With the completion of another successful world tour, writing for a fourth album began. In the period immediately following the release of October Rust, Steele experienced several deaths in his immediate family, and he began drinking heavily to mask the bereavement and pain. This epoch of self-loathing would eventually manifest itself in the next album, 1999's World Coming Down (working titles included Prophets Of Doom and Aggroculture).
The vibe of the album was a significant change from October Rust; this time the band revisited the more dooming sounds of Slow Deep & Hard. This time around, instead of sex and romance, lyrics focused on death, drug addiction, depression, and suicide. Songs such as "Everyone I Love is Dead," "Everything Dies," "World Coming Down," and "All Hallows Eve" were not meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but rather true life reflections of Steele's mindset at the time. It was nowhere near as accessible as Bloody Kisses or October Rust, but despite its morbid subject matter, World Coming Down debuted at # 39 on the Billboard Top 200 charts.
A 'best of' album followed in 2000, entitled The Least Worst of Type O Negative. Although most songs appear on previous albums, many are unreleased remixes or B-sides on previously released singles. Along with these songs are some unreleased numbers from the World Coming Down sessions, the band's cover of "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath, and a cleaner version of "Hey Pete" (originally released on the mock live album The Origin of the Feces).
On April 14, 2010 frontman and bassist Peter Steele died, reportedly from heart failure. The following statement concerning Steele was released on the 15th of April on the band's official website:
“... It is with great sadness that we inform you that Type O Negative front man, bassist, and our band mate, Peter Steele passed away last night of what appears to be heart failure. Ironically Peter had been enjoying a long period of sobriety and improved health and was imminently due to begin writing and recording new music for our follow up to "Dead Again" released in 2007.
The official cause of death has yet to be determined pending autopsy results.
The funeral services will be private and memorial services will be announced at a future date. We’d like to share our thoughts and those of Peter’s family below. We are truly saddened to lose our friend and appreciate the tremendous outpouring today from around the world...."
Sincerely,
Josh, Kenny and Johnny
Members
• Peter Steele – lead vocals, bass guitar (1989–2010)
• Kenny Hickey – guitars, backing vocals (1989–present)
• Josh Silver – keyboards and synths, programming (1989–present)
• Johnny Kelly – drums, percussion (1994–present)
• Sal Abruscator – drums, percussion (1989–1994)
Friday, 18 March 2011 07:23
