Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses (1993)

Its October, the leaves are changing colors and falling to the ground, the temperatures have finally cooled down and although I'd like to keep my otherwise happy disposition I'm sure I'll fall into one of my grim misanthropic slumps soon enough. I'll probably listen to a lot of black and doom metal from here on, but before all that, lets talk Type O Negative.

It would be more ideal, considering the month, to review, 'October Rust,' but I figure I'd not be typical and go with 'Bloody Kisses' instead. After all its one of my favs.

I've got tons of memories linked to 'Bloody Kisses' and Type O Negative in general. I remember seeing the band on Halloween weekend during the 'World Coming Down' tour and absolutely having one of the best concert experiences of my life, as well as laughing my ass off at ol' Pete's jokes and the simple fact that the man drank down an entire bottle of Jack Daniel's by the time they hit the stage for their encore. Back around this time the song, 'Black No. 1' was a regular in our drunken playlists as well a friend did a fairly decent impersonation of Pete's voice, which will for ever be etched in my brain, even though I have no connection to said friend any longer. Its also simply just a staple of excellence in the Gothic metal sub-genre, even though the album is fairly diverse and features tons of different moods and tempos throughout its fourteen song seventy three minute duration. Yes, my friends, 'Bloody Kisses' is timeless.

Jesus Christ looks like me

Released in '93, 'Bloody Kisses' was Type O Negative's third album (the fake live album, 'The Origin of the Feces' is apparently considered the second), and it launched the band into the Gothic limelight, as it was Roadrunner Record's first album to go both Gold and Platinum. Brawny lead vocalist/bassist Peter Steele also won the hearts of legions of young Gothic gals through his sharp looks, towering height ( 6'8" tall), jet black hair and baritone styled vocal delivery. That of course all lead to Petey eventually posing for Playgirl Magazine in '95 and appearing on The Jerry Springer Show in '94 and The Ricki Lake Show in '95, where he discussed the struggles of having to deal with his obsessive female fans who constantly stalked him. Fun.

That aside, let's honestly talk about this album. Admittedly I was never fan of the bands debut, 'Slow, Deep and Hard,' or the aforementioned fake live album, but here on this record everything came together in a unique and special way. The album kicks off with, 'Machine Screw,' which is one of a few intros/interludes within the album meant to perhaps rouse attention since this particular one has the erotic female moaning paired with some sort of robotic creature of sorts that bleeds directly into, 'Christian Woman.' At almost nine minutes long its a mid-paced and spooky sort of song with soft atmospheric keys in the beginning and Pete's spoken voice, before slightly picking up in pace and diving into a melodic doom-ish sort of territory. The song continues on in this manner for several minutes until it reaches a point of calm melancholy alongside acoustics and eventually Pete speaking the words, "Jesus Christ looks like me," over and over again as the song gains its original stride. 'Black No.1 (Little Miss Scare-All)' is by far the bands classic and most known song, which is largely about a hair dye that Gothic folks used as well just sort of about a Gothic relationship in general. Although clocking in at over eleven minutes in length its quite honestly one of the most catchy and singable songs I know.

'Kill All the White People' is a sarcastic and amusing song that partially recalls Pete's earlier years with thrash/crossover band, Carnivore, while 'Summer Breeze,' is a highly ethereal, relaxing and sombre sort of variation of the Seals and Crofts song, which I swear I've been hearing at my job every single day for the past decade, but I usually pretend its Type O's version when it comes up. 'Set me on Fire' is again different as the mood feels quite upbeat and lively, almost like a change of season, whereas 'We Hate Everyone' is just a fast and fun paced song about, well hating. We don't care what you think!

'Bloody Kisses (A Death in the Family)' stands as the albums most poignant and depressing song with crushingly heavy guitars and gorgeous keyboards as well also a total funeral dirge of absolutely perfect doom metal mastery. 'Too Late: Frozen' again brings back a more lighthearted mood initially, though it has some doomier parts that make it a downer, while 'Blood & Fire' is just an absolutely colossal song about a failed relationship with a sort of classic rockin' vibe to it that I just adore, with 'Can't Lose You' as the albums ending track its a return to the more doomy and depressing feelings.

In the end, 'Bloody Kisses' is and will always be one of my favorite albums. Its a total mixed bag from start to finish with both its amusing and depressing moments as well as a variety of musical styles both common and even quite esoteric at times. Kenny Hickey's guitar work is full of character with tons of memorable riffs as well as a few brilliant well placed solos and occasional acoustics, while Josh Silver's keyboards are atmospheric and powerfully emotional, Sal Abruscato's drum work is impressive and has a few flashy moments and of course Peter Steele's thundering bass guitar, booming voice and lyrics centered around love, loss, relationships and dark humor are among some of the best ever performed.

'Bloody Kisses' as previously mentioned catapulted Type O Negative into the immediate attention and hearts of fans worldwide, though it also seemed to trigger a sense of melancholy within Pete that he'd never overcome. Type O Negative would of course go on to release the brilliant, 'October Rust' in '96 and the often overlooked 'World Coming Down' in '99. The bands final two efforts, 'Life Is Killing Me' and 'Dead Again' were decent, but seemed to lack something in the whole picture. Unfortunately as many know, Peter Steele would die of heart failure in mid-2010 just as he and the band were about to start writing new material and of course with Pete the band was eternally laid to rest too.

This is definitely an album I'll keep with me for life. The Dream Is Dead, long live Type O Negative!