Okay, I’m off by just a few short days. My apologies. However, I’m sure as hell not going to miss the chance to celebrate the beginning of the career of one of my favorite bands! Type-O Negative have a storied history in the world of Heavy Metal, and one that thankfully hasn’t been forgotten even over 11 years after the passing of legendary frontman Pete Steele. The subject of today’s celebration just so happens to be the slightly late 30th anniversary of Type-O’s first ever release, and I don’t have to say the name again since I said it above. So let’s cut the cake & celebrate!
Background
When Carnivore split up soon after their second release, Pete Steele was already spinning his creative wheels in regards towards his next musical venture. Feeling that he needed different people to explore this new avenue, he called upon the services of Kenny Hickey (Guitars, backing vocals, and a prior bandmate from an older venture), Josh Silver (Keyboards, backing vocals, samples), and Sal Abruscato (Drums). After assembling this crew, a name was needed. At first, it was Repulsion, but that bottomed out because there already was a Repulsion. Then they changed it to Subzero, but there was also a Subzero already out there. After taking a bit for the name, it was decided that it would be Type-O Negative after spotting a blood donation ad in the newspaper. Pete got the guys, and then got the name.
With everything solidified, the boys went into Systems Two in Brooklyn, 1989, and recorded the beginning of their infamous career. Originally titled None More Negative, it would originally be released in 1990 under the group's former name Repulsion, but ultimately come one on June the 11th a year later under their new name to much fan-fare. According to Hickey, Peter based the main rift of Gravitational Constant: G = 6.67 × 10-8 cm-3 gm-1 sec-2 (Yes, that’s a song name) off of the theme song to The Munsters, and in 2009 Roadrunner Records put out a remastered version on March 24, 2009.
Basic Description
Raw, hard, and fun.
Now, I should point out that this isn’t a full-blown Gothic Metal album. Hell, a lot of the band’s patented gothic tones isn’t here necessarily. Slow, Deep, and Hard comes across more like Carnivore-grade punk, but with a metallic edge that still brutally cuts. Much like the equally iconic Motorhead release Overkill, this release is just as good among the fans of Punk as it is among the fans of Heavy Metal. I do think this is a flaw, but I’ll save that for later. I will say that this is an absolute headbanger of a record for the most part, but leaves room for some oddly sophisticated musicianship, and expands Pete Steel’s musical skill most definitely.
Best Track
Xero Tolerance is a perfect example of the dark & dry humor that Pete Steele was known for throughout his life. Basically, the Green Man is singing about wanting to kill his girlfriend who happens to be cheating on him, while also speaking about the “little green monster” egging him on to commit this violent act. Instrumentally, it goes between raw punk and gothic, and the transition between the two is practically seamless. Vocally, Pete is violent, furious, and oddly light-hearted when he gets to the more comedic portions. It’s a weird little track that’s hard to explain, so click on the link below to give it a listen!
Xero Tolerance
Worst Track
I find that the album’s only fault lies with it’s identity. Much like Life Is Killing Me, I’m not sure what Slow, Deep, and Hard wants to be. However, LIKM’s identity issue comes with it’s tone, while the identity issue with this album comes from it’s style. At times this record comes across like a 3rd Carnivore release that’s more sophisticated than what came before, and other times it feels like a sloppy Type-O Negative album. It’s this bipolar nature that can make this record a little confusing to watch, as it sometimes shifts between these two personalities seemingly at random.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, click on the link below:
Slow, Deep, and Hard
Overall Impression & Rating
Slow, Deep, and Hard was the album that set Type-O Negative on the path to success. It may not have a solid identity, but it does have solid craftsmanship & talent behind it. Pete Steel already proved that he was a creative force with Carnivore, but it’s on this album that showed he was capable of much more. If you want to see an example of how Heavy Metal didn’t “Die” in the 90s, and you want a nice mashing of Metal & Punk, then this is definitely for you.
Slow, Deep, and Hard gets an 8 out of 10.
And that was my review for Slow, Deep, and Hard. Again, I feel a little bad for being slightly late with this review, but I hope you didn’t mind. Anyways, we got a little more traveling in Japan to do, so see me next week when I’ll be reviewing Anthem first release of the new millennium. Until then, take life nice & slow.
No comments:
Post a Comment