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Type O NegativeKNOWN FOR melodically lush, overblown funereal dirges, equally infectious pop-hooks, tireless self-deprecation and an outlook on life alarmingly free of optimism, goth metal quartet Type O Negative are one of the most gloriously morose and amusing bands on the planet. Originally named Subzero and Repulsion before settling on their final monicker, the 'Drab Four' were formed from the remnants of thrash band Carnivore in Brooklyn in 1990 by singer/bassist Peter Steele. They had a grim start. Their 1991 debut 'Slow, Deep And Hard' elicited scathing reviews and accusations that their frontman was a homicidal sexist Nazi by those unappreciative of Steele's pitch-black sense of humour (1992's 'The Origin Of The Feces' - an intentionally rough-sounding, faked live-album featuring a close-up of Steele's anus on the cover - did little to help matters). That all changed with 1993's 'Bloody Kisses', which saw the introduction of far better production and Steele's trademark baritone growl. It would win over fans and critics alike, achieve platinum status - a first for Roadrunner Records - and establish Type O Negative as one of goth metal's most influential yet inimitable bands. But beyond the music, it's these New Yorkers' ability to simultaneously uphold and astutely satirise goth music's gloomy ethos without ever falling into parody that makes them unique and so very fucking entertaining. 
Name: Bloody Kisses
Label: Roadrunner
Year: 1993
Review: VILLE SAYS: "Type O Negative were probably the first band that I'd heard who brought sarcasm into their music. 'Bloody Kisses' changed my world in the same way Black Sabbath changed my world. When I heard it for the first time I didn't know whether to laugh or cry or both! It's the kinda record you can enjoy on both a Friday night and on a Saturday morning." 
Name: October Rust
Label: Roadrunner
Year: 1996
Review: VILLE SAYS: "In a way it's probably my favourite Type O Negative album. I remember when I heard the album for the first time - we had a pre-release cassette and a small boombox and we all sat around it, not saying a word to each other for five hours in a row. It was a beautiful moment. Plus, 'Wolf Moon' is the greatest song Type O have ever written." 
Name: Slow Deep and Hard
Label: Roadrunner
Year: 1991
Review: VILLE SAYS: "If you want to get into Type O Negative you buy 'Bloody Kisses' to hear their 'Paranoid'. But if you want to hear their '...Wheels Of Confusion' you buy 'Slow Deep And Hard'. That said, essentially Type O Negative's first two albums, 'Slow Deep And Hard' and 'Origin Of The Feces' (Roadrunner, 1992) are more or less the same." 
Name: Life Is Killing Me
Label: Roadrunner
Year: 2003
Review: VILLE SAYS: "I really love the synth break on 'Anesthesia' and all the other interludes on the record. There's brilliant riffs and there's brilliant songs. This whole album sounds like a band approaching their peek, and then going back over the other side to make something fresh, almost like a demo in a way." 
Name: World Coming Down
Label: Roadrunner
Year: 1999
Review: VILLE SAYS: "It's just one of those albums that you put on and it makes you feel really depressed. It sounds like someone coming down off cocaine and drinking too much and being on the road too much. There's something missing from it. There are a couple of really nice songs like 'Everyone I Love Is Dead' and 'Everything Dies', but it doesn't have the humour of the other records."
Key Type O Negative Tracks |
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