Since today is Valentine’s Day how about a little Type O Negative to go with the day! Type O Negative are seriously underrated. Their catalog is seriously top notch and like a fine wine/scotch/whiskey their albums/songs only get better with age. I’ve had this internal debate for a long time about what my favorite album of theirs is and each time, I always wind up with October Rust as my go to. You’d probably be surprised by my second favorite being World Coming Down. That album is masterfully dark and beautiful. October Rust though, that album really does it for me when it comes to Type O. To me, this album seemed a bit more focused on songs and songwriting and it truly shows. The deep cut that I find as my go to more often than not is track 9, “Burnt Flowers Fallen.” I love this song. It’s dark, dreary and the right amount of goth bits to it that lets the melody shine. Not to mention the middle section of the song… WOW! Enjoy this Type O Negative deep cut!
Type O Negative, one of rock er I should say one of heavy rock’s coolest and very influential bands has quite the catalog. The band was quite the group incorporating metal, goth, post punk, and doom to their sound. They left a profound imprint on the scene. And since the passing of frontman and bassist Peter Steele in 2010, the heavy music world hasn’t been the same. Type O Negative have two albums that really stand out and are often debated as to which one is best. I too have long debated these two albums as well and go back and forth as to which one is best. So lets break it down and finally come out with a winner.
First up is Bloody Kisses, the breakthrough album that put the band on the map. This was also the first album for Roadrunner Records to achieve gold and platinum status. Bloody Kisses also saw the band fully move towards the “goth metal” realm and incorporate samples and humorous (though often dry humor) interludes. Certain songs like “Christian Woman,” “Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All),” “Bloody Kisses (A Death In The Family),” “We Hate Everyone,” and “Blood and Fire,” are tremendous stand out songs and really showcase the greatness of this album. Also included on the album is a cover of the Seals and Crofts song “Summer Breeze” which is actually quite a cool version. All in all, Bloody Kisses is a landmark album that really set a bar and influenced so many.
The follow up to Bloody Kisses is October Rust. This album saw the band move more toward a solemn wavelength and get more into the goth side of things and departing a bit from the “metal” that a lot of fans had come to equate with the band. Similar themes are still present on October Rust like life, death, sex, sensuality, romance and depression. Only on this album it seems that it comes across as more personal and darker than on previous albums. Songs that have always stood out to me on this album are “My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend,” “Love You To Death,” “Green Man,” “Die With Me,” “Haunted,” and the very excellent cover of Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl.” Since Bloody Kisses set the bar, October Rust is the logical follow up but also the chance the band needed to take.
Choosing between these two albums is quite hard, and if pressed to pick one, I’m going to have to go with October Rust. It’s just a personal preference but, to me there is a lot more depth and darkness to this album than Bloody Kisses. Don’t get me wrong, Bloody Kisses is great and its quite possibly the bands best work but, October Rust is the one I gravitate to more and connect with.
Finally in 2000 after nearly 5 years in the making, Tony Iommi released the be all end all of solo albums featuring guest vocalists. All of the songs on the album were written by Tony Iommi, producer Bob Marlette and each of the vocalists that appear on the songs.The album features Phil Anselmo, Dave Grohl, Henry Rollins, Billy Corgan, Serj Tankian, Billy Idol, Ian Astbury, Peter Steele, Skin, and Ozzy. According to Tony Iommi, he and Phil Anselmo had recorded three tracks together for the album, but only one was put onto the album. Phil had later on said that there was a chance that they might have done a full album had time permitted amongst other things. The album peaked at number 129 on the Billboard chartsand its only single released, “Goodbye Lament” featuring Dave Grohl reached number 10 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. This album is quite a remarkable album, as it shows what Tony Iommi’s playing sounds like with different types of singers. Slash tried to do something similar with his first “solo” album, but to me he failed miserably mainly because he is overrated and picked the wrong people to have on his album. Tony Iommi is a true legend and master of his craft, and this album is a testament to his legacy
Iommi- Album:
Tony Iommi and Phil Anselmo- Invasion Of The Saviours:
Neil Young is one of my favorites ever. Type O Negative gave new life to this song and totally changed the mood. They made it darker, eerie and vulnerable. R.I.P. Peter Steele!
audioeclectica 