Today is the day where the spirit world and our own intertwine. Where spirits of the past come to mingle with the living, where creatures of darkness prey upon the innocent, and where many of us scutch up to the TV or computer for some of our favorite horror movies/anime. Sadly, most of us don’t think of music on this holiday, which is a shame since there are plenty of bands that fit in perfectly with this time of year. Rob Zombie & Black Sabbath are just two examples of singers/bands that have a macabre feel to their songs. Today, however, I’m covering a release from a band well versed in the Gothic Metal genre. An album that could have only come from the 90s. An album steeped in gothic imagery, paganism, and sensuality. Such an album could only come from one band’s mind, and that mind....is Type-O Negative.
Ah yes, Type-O Negative. It was a great tragedy when Pete Steele passed away back in April of 2010: The band was getting ready to write new material in May of that year, when heart failure took the life of one of metal’s most powerful front-men. Despite that, the band left a legacy of powerful & classic Gothic Metal albums. Albums that are still talked about today by fans, and celebrated by individuals who have discovered them more recently. Today’s review is of their 1996 hit, October Rust. An album that certainly lives up to it’s name. Without further delay, let’s begin the review!
Background
Coming off of their success of Bloody Kisses, the band toured Europe & the United States to promote their (At the time) new album. During the touring, the band started work on what would later become October Rust, and in doing so introduced some radical changes in the process. First, the album took a departure from the punk vibes that previous album had within them, and decided to go in a more ballad direction. Secondly, the band decided to add a little bit of humor to the album: The opening track Bad Ground is just 38 seconds of low-level buzzing (Which was made to trick the listener into thinking that the speakers weren’t plugged in properly), and the 2nd & 15th tracks were that of the band members themselves.
On the more technical side of October Rust, Type-O Negative employed two interesting techniques. For some of the songs on the album, the band implement very abrupt endings and segues, which created a kind of whiplash for the listener. Perhaps more curious was the drumming on this album: this marked the first time that drummer John Kelly was credited with his role. However, the actual drumming used on this album was done with a drum machine. Listeners didn’t know about this for a long time, until an interview in 2007 with dreadcentral.com, where he stated that the drumming wasn’t necessarily his. Ironically, it would be their final album, Dead Again, where he would be actually playing the drums (The last he did was with Bloody Kisses, and that was back in 1993).
Basic Description
A Gothic Metal masterpiece!
If Type-O Negative’s first three (Two, if you don’t count Origin of the Feces) album built up the band, then October Rust kicked things into high gear. Although a little more melodic & ballad based that their first releases, the quality on this album is stunning! The instrumentation is fantastic, with nary a hiccup to be heard. The vocals are great, especially when you consider who’s primarily singing. Pete Steele is a man who always managed to sound depressed, erotic, and dryly humorous when he’s singing, and he certainly doesn’t disappoint on this album. Last but not least, the atmosphere on October Rust has to be one of the most varied & flavorful I’ve ever felt! Equal parts dark, sensual, sorrowful, and funny, listening to October Rust is an experience that anyone who enjoys Heavy Metal should go through at least once!
Best Song
This.....was a difficult task. It’s not because there isn’t any one song to pick, because there actually is. It’s just that this album is jam-packed with really high-quality music! From the dirge-like Love You To Death, to the tragic Die With Me, and finally to the ethereal Haunted, October Rust has some of the best songs that Gothic Metal can provide. Even the worst song of the album, which I’ll get into in a moment, is a well-crafted piece of music! Eventually, however, I did manage to locate what I consider to best the best song of the album, and I think I might be turning some heads with this choice.
My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend, at least for me, is the best song off of October Rust. Not only was it the first song I’ve ever heard from the band, but it was also the first music video I ever saw from them. Both the song & video mix in some 60s psychedelic funk rock, and the end result is perhaps the most positive-sounding tune on the album. The story in the song is simple: it’s about a dude, who loves a girl, and another girl that loves the first girl, who also happens to love to dude as well. It’s about a Manajatwa people!
My Girlfriend's Girlfriend
Indeed, My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend is the best song on the album, but in reality just about everything else on here is also great. If you aren’t a fan of more peppy music, then chances are there’s probably another song on October Rust that will surely be to your liking.
Worst Song
Red Water (Christmas Mourning) takes the spot for worst song of October Rust, but not for the reasons you would think. Red Water has the same great instrumentation, wonderful vocals, and dripping with just as much atmosphere as every other song on here. There’s even Christmas bells & chimes used in this song, which simply add to the already somber nature of this song. The problem with it is theme: with a name like October Rust, you’d expect the nature of the album to be tied to Autumn & Halloween. For the most part this is true, but the inclusion of Red Water is a rather big anomaly, especially when compared to everything else. Not a bad song, but it shouldn’t have been put on October Rust.
Red Water (Christmas Mourning)
Overall Impression & Rating
October Rust has to be in your collection! The instrumentation is superb, the vocals are top-notch & instantly recognizable, and the atmosphere that was created is just remarkable. Coupled with fantastic songs & an good production overall, this is perhaps the first Type-O Negative album you should buy & listen to. Just be sure to have some warm clothing on, because things might be nippy in the meantime.
October Rust gets a 9 out of 10
With this review up, the Halloween season has now ended. The final two months of the year are upon us, and then, 2014 will be no more. Before then, however, I’ve got some good stuff planned in the meantime. See you soon!
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