Individual Biographies:
Peter Steele
Kenny Hickey
Josh Silver
Johnny Kelly
Sal Abruscato
1989...Nearly 2 years after the split of Carnivore, Sal Abruscato, a drummer who had lived in the same neighborhood as Peter Steele for years approached Peter (who was still working for the New York Department of Sanitation) to see if he was interested in playing music again. Peter, reportedly, had 'not even touched his bass for two years'. They met up with Josh Silver again whom Peter had known since high school. They now needed a guitarist. They asked John Campos, formerly Peter and Josh's Fallout guitarist if he was interested. He respectfully declined. Alas they asked Kenny Hickey, a younger lad than the boys, whom they had known for years, and who was pretty good at guitar scraping to join. He accepted because of Peter's musical reputation around the Brooklyn area. So they formed a band and called themselves Repulsion (Nu-Minority was chosen when they first got together, but later decided on a more serious name). They were interested in making a record, so RoadRacer (now RoadRunner) asked for a demo tape. Peter was drunk and depressed one night and wrote five songs (apparently in 4 hours) . The band recorded the demo songs, RoadRunner (as their usual rushing way) took over said "let's make an EP out of this". So they made a few demos to hand out to radio stations. 2 weeks before the scheduled release of their album to be titled, "Repulsion- None More Negative", the band found out that the name 'Repulsion' was already being used by a European band. They had to choose a new name before they released their album. So they decided to call themselves 'Subzero'. However, after 'about ten minutes' (source: Josh Silver), they found that name had already been taken also. Peter heard of a blood drive where they wanted donors who had type o negative blood. The flyers and phonebooks, ect. read: "Wanted: Type O Negative"
Peter answered their pleas in his own way...thankful we are now!! He also changed the name of "None More Negative" to 'Slow, Deep and Hard' obviously describing a pun: the type of music they play, and the way he likes to have sex. The album is beautifully raw...basically the perfect mix between Carnivore and Type O Negative as we know them now. RoadRunner asked them for a live album so that people could hear what they sounded like live after most of their shows in Europe got cancelled apparently due to the song 'Der Untermensch". Peter still had his park cleanup job, Kenny to my knowledge was still a plumber, and Josh was living at home again. So they made a live album to show off their live performance ability (which is unbelievable by the way). The band only accepted because they were offered $100,000 for it. It wasn't going too well, so they instead went into a studio, played everything in a single session as if they were on stage, then added in the crowd and all their comments later (some friends came into the studio and made out like a crowd). This was the release of "Origin of the Feces" in 1992. The original cover was, of course, an extreme closeup of Peter's spread anus, a photo taken by Phlogiston Verdigris...a conductor. I have no idea if he is close to the band still. The album cover was refused by many record stores, so production of the album was short. They toured some more around the NY area..
One year later: As Peter still had his cleanup job, he had been writing some songs that were a lot more of a depressed nature than that of a pissed off attitude. The band at this time had made good friends with a band called Life of Agony. RoadRunner, of course, wanted another album, so on with the recording. The release of Bloody Kisses in 1993...didn't go too well at first. Sal at this time leaves the band to join Life of Agony because he thinks the potential for a tour is better (oops), and the band hires Johnny Kelly, the drum tech, to be the new skin beater. They played some local places... then more and more people began hearing the songs "Christain Woman", and "Black No. 1" and began coming up to Peter saying, "Man, great tunes!"...something he hadn't heard much before (mostly because of the lyrics that were then pretty violent but have since become very acceptable). One year, one month later, Bloody Kisses hits the Billboard top 200 at number 137...completely unexpected. Type O Negative starts selling out larger venues. RoadRunner asks them to tour around the country because of this. Peter asks the band if they are in. Because they were all so willing, Peter quits his $40,000 a year job to tour with bands such as Motley Crue, Queensryche, and Nine Inch Nails...and another with Pantera. RoadRunner then decides to re-release Origin Of The Feces, for fans hungry for the "new" group. They enjoy much success, eventually reaching PLATINUM status for Bloody Kisses! By the summer of '95, Peter poses nude for Playgirl magazine...and is still a hot seller in auctions usually going for more than $50 every time.
The long awaited October Rust was released in Septermber of 96, debuting at number 43(?) on the Billboard 200. It was a much slower, delicate album with completely different tuning in their guitars. It has an overall emphasis on sex in the woods. Beautiful nonetheless. Most fans of OR like to call it "LUSH". What that means is that it is a very complex album...some of the songs were layed down with 32 tracks (the TOOL Aenima album was recorded with an 8 track recorder) that seem to flow so smoothly and perfectly. OR seemed, however, to lack the depression that everyone seemed to recognize with Bloody Kisses, and some people began to think that Peter had possibly had found the peace of mind he had been searching for (...the next album would kill that thought). The album eventually went GOLD, a disappointment as far as the band was concerned (they were expecting more than what came, unfortunatey. The general public sucked as usual). Basically 2 full years of touring followed this release.
Another long wait, however, for the fans who were dying to hear their new album as early rumours started flowing in the Summer of 1998...however we had to wait until September of 1999 before "World Coming Down" was finally released... In this album Peter seems to have went back to the Bloody Kisses days of depression (man, when Peter is depressed what beautiful music he makes). As far as depression goes, this is by far the most depressive of all. Deep, dark, and riff-oriented, it comes at you full force. Peter's anger and sadness towards dying family and friends comes out in each and every song...and you almost feel like you're listening to Bloody Kisses pt II. as far as the music and singing go. But the lyrics come from a place deep inside Peter that have never come up publicly before this album. WCD debuts on the Billboard 200 at number 39. They headlined 2 tours in a one year span.
At this time, they decide to release a "greatest hits" album...and they fittingly call it, "The Least Worst of Type O Negative". The reason for such an early GH album was apparently to finish off their shitty contract to get a new one. They now only have one more studio album and one more live album due with RoadRunner. On the album, they released 3 outtakes from the World Coming Down sessions...all of which are masterpieces that I, personally, felt should have replaced some of the songs released on WCD. I was surprised to hear that they were so good and not on WCD. That's how good they are. Anyways, like most GH albums that sell more moderately than quickly, debuted at number 99 on Billboard. They had another headlining tour at the end of 2000, and then took the holidays off. Peter worked hard at the end of 2000 and the beginning of 2001 to work on the remastering of the Carniovre re-issues. The band is currently in production of their next album...
In essence, the band accidentally came out of the underground scene not to be mainstream, but to be the leaders of the Goth/Metal scene...nobody even comes close to Type O Negative in this type of music. Fans from both sides flock to see them. I visited a website just the other day where the writer was slamming metal and goth...but it was a Type O Negative site. Peter himself said their music is "...gothadelic". And who are their main influences? Sabbath, Doors, Floyd, Cocteau. One metal and 3 rock/psychedelic groups. I wouldn't say that they are actually 'gothic', but they do have some gothic subtleties in many of their songs...METAL IS NOT DEAD, however. Know that.
UPDATED LAST 12/18/1
(Thanks to Josh Silver, Ken Kriete, and Steve: the Webmaster of TON.NET) for all of the above info. If you find any of the above statements inaccurate, e-mail the band to have me change it. Thank you.