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!
The year is 1997 and the auto-biographical film Private Parts about Howard Stern is drawing in audiences. While the film went on to be a success, there was another element of the whole thing that often gets overlooked and that is the soundtrack.
2003 saw the release of an anticipated movie that sort of (well not sort of) fell flat on its face. That movie was Freddy vs Jason. There was so much potential as to what that movie could have been but instead we got what we got. One thing that actually was cool about the movie was the soundtrack. Over the 20 songs featured on the soundtrack, you got to hear the end of the “nu-metal” era and the beginning of the “metalcore” era. You had bands like Slipknot, Killswitch Engage, Chimaira, Sevendust, Lamb Of God, Spineshank, Ill Nino, DevilDriver, Stone Sour and even Type O Negative, to name a few. Something else about this soundtrack that is worth noting is that 14 of the 20 songs on this soundtrack were previously unreleased songs by that bands.
I’ve said this many times before but, I really dig when a band does a cover and makes it their own and pays homage to a great band and song. I want to share a cover Pallbearer did of the classic Type O Negative song “Love You To Death.” While the vocals aren’t Peter Steele, you can still get those “dark” tones from singer Brett Campbell. Pallbearer is definitely one of those bands that just keeps getting better and better. I love that they took a chance on a song like this. Take a listen and let me know what you think. I’m quite interested to hear your opinions on this one.
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.
I’ll admit I was late to the party with Type O Negative. Any of the songs I heard growing up I enjoyed but I never delved into their albums until a few years ago. With all that in mind going back and listening to albums such as Bloody Kisses and October Rust, really cemented in my mind that, Type O Negative is one of those bands that were underrated and influenced so many bands. Peter Steele’s voice was something special. His deep monotone voice carried bits of melody making it gentle to listen to but also presented a sensual experience while the music of Josh Silver, Johnny Kelly and Kenny Hickey was sonically dark, heavy and beautiful. The haunting eerie soundscapes that were a part of their sound made listening to them quite pleasant. Sadly in 2010, Peter Steele passed away from heart failure. This also meant the end of Type O Negative. Thankfully their catalog is so good and still packs quite a punch to this day, that Peter’s legacy carries on.
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!
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