Type O Negative

An influential heavy metal throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Type O Negative formed in 1989 in Brooklyn, New York. Peter Steele — the band's frontman, bass player, and main songwriter — was responsible for much of the group's musical aesthetic, which combined elements of doom metal, thrash metal, goth rock, and dark humor. He was joined by guitarist Kenny Hickey and keyboardist Josh Silver, both of whom remained with the band until its split in 2010, as well as drummers Sal Abruscato (who appeared on Type O Negative's first three albums) and Johnny Kelly (who joined the lineup in 1994). The group's 1991 debut, Slow, Deep, and Hard, failed to chart in America, as did 1992's The Origin of the Feces. Things changed with 1993's Bloody Kisses, which reached Number 166 on the Billboard 200 and eventually went platinum, thanks in large part to the single "Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)." By 1996, Type O Negative had become a mainstay of American heavy metal, and the group charted at Number 42 with its fourth release, the gold-certified October Rust. 1999's World Coming Down, 2003's Life is Killing Me, and 2007's Dead Again were all Top 40 hits in the US and fared even better overseas, where they charted within the Top 5 in Finland and the Top 20 in Germany. While working on a follow-up release to Dead Again, frontman Steele passed away at the age of 48 on April 14, 2010. The band broke up following his passing, with Johnny Kelly going on to perform with Danzig and Quiet Riot. Even in retirement, Type O Negative continued to enjoy popularity, with a 2024 reissue of Bloody Kisses reaching the Top 40 in Germany, Austria, and Hungary.

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