Today would have been the “Green Man’s” 60th birthday, and we want to honour both him and the band, Type O Negative, who had a ripple effect over the decades. Type O Negative, which established in Brooklyn, New York in 1989, defined goth metal and added new emotional depths to the genre. Peter Steele and his bandmates led the way for bands looking to forge their own path, and Steele was admired for his musical talent, sense of humour, and raw, emotional expression.
To commemorate such a significant birthday, we will go over some of the highlights of Peter Steele’s and Type O Negative’s careers.
Behind the Music – Musically, Type O Negative bridged the gap between mainstream and slow, mournful metal. Type O Negative made being melancholy, moody, and metal acceptable by fusing doom, sludge, gothic, and classic rock elements together. Metal did not have to be just party music, roughness, or strong politics; it could also be emotional, agonising, and, at times, suicidal. Type O Negative’s visceral bitterness influenced all subsequent bands. Type O Negative had a significant impact on following generations of bands, from HIM and Pallbearer to Trivium, Oceans Of Slumber, and Code Orange; they were among the first true genre-blending pioneers.
Bloody Kisses – Type O Negative’s seminal album, Bloody Kisses, released in 1993, was the first Roadrunner album to achieve gold and platinum status, selling over a million copies in various forms. The album catapulted Type O Negative and Roadrunner into the spotlight, with hits like “Christian Woman” and “Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)”. “Bloody Kisses was the first record to go gold in Roadrunner’s history – it was a dream come true!” Monte Conner beams. “For two years, Type O Negative surpassed King Diamond as the most popular band on Roadrunner. For all the fantastic tracks Roadrunner released in the 1990s – Machine Head, Fear Factory, anyone – I’ll always be most proud of collaborating with Type O Negative on Bloody Kisses.”
“Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)” – Arguably the band’s most iconic song, Peter Steele penned “Black No. 1” while driving a garbage truck, stating, “I was waiting in line for three hours to dump 40 cubic yards of human waste at the Hamilton Avenue Marine Transfer Station, and I wrote the song in my head.” “I am not kidding you.”
Retaining Control – When Roadrunner requested an outside producer for their album, Bloody Kisses, Type O Negative refused. The CD was recorded live in the studio with no producer at all. Despite Roadrunner Records’ persistence, Peter and Josh rejected. Finally, Type O Negative’s DIY approach to making the album helped it become Roadrunner’s first platinum album. Type O did not even provide a demo of their forthcoming album, instead sending it whole. Monte Conner, previously of Roadrunner, recalls: “After the band self-produced their masterpiece and it blew up, they suddenly had the power.” They were hesitant to listen to us again and refused to offer us the pre-production demos for October Rust. Their attitude was, “We demonstrated that we know what we’re doing, right? You are merely a record label. We will provide the album to you. You sell it. “Let us do our jobs.” The success of Bloody Kisses put them in that situation, which was OK because they knew precisely what they were doing and proceeded to deliver results.
Mötley Crüe chose Type O Negative as their support act following the release of Bloody Kisses. Despite objections from management and booking agencies, Mötley Crüe members insisted on having the band open for them. Despite Type O’s scepticism, they increased their audience from 100 to 200 individuals per night to over 5,000.
The Playgirl Shoot: Peter Steele was once featured on the cover of Playgirl magazine. While this should not – and will not – be considered one of Type O Negative’s or Peter Steele’s greatest achievements, it does demonstrate their relevance in the mainstream. Peter Steele helped to define the personification of sexuality in metal, which had not yet permeated (pun intended) the darker genres. Plenty of 80s bands attempted to sell their sex appeal, but many would question if those bands were even “metal” at all, and they certainly lacked Type O’s gloomy appeal.
October Rust was the pinnacle of Type O Negative’s commercial success. The record, which debuted at #42 on the US Billboard 200 (and #26 in the UK), quickly became a classic. What Bloody Kisses had begun, October Rust solidified Type O Negative and Peter Steele as goth icons.
Type O Negative has been on a number of soundtracks throughout the years, including “Blood and Fire (Out of the Ashes Remix)” on the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie soundtrack, “Love You to Death” in Bride of Chucky, and “Summer Breeze” in I Know What You Did Last Summer.
International Success – Despite never winning an award, Type O Negative achieved and continues to achieve great success. The group maintained an international presence with 1996’s October Rust, 1999’s World Coming Down, 2003’s Life Is Killing Me, and 2007’s Dead Again. According to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, Type O Negative has sold over 2.5 million albums and surpassed 100 million streams in the United States.
Sobriety – While not a topic many people want to address, it is an accomplishment that should be celebrated. After many years of dealing with drug and alcohol addiction, Peter Steele found sobriety and abandoned his self-destructive path. In prior interviews, bandmate John Kelly emphasised two very clear points: One of the most important things to him was Steele’s sobriety at the time of his death. Second, the fact that people are still talking about Type O Negative after years is “the greatest testament” to what the Drab Four accomplished.
