Page 57 - Metal Hammer Issue 334 - UK (May 2020)
P. 57
PETER STEELE
Type O Negative (left to right): last-ever show falling on a date so
Kenny Hickey, Johnny Kelly, Peter
Steele, Josh Silver in 1999 perfect it borders on ridiculous. “Our
final show was at Harpos in Detroit on
Halloween,” Johnny says. “After the
show we drove straight back to New
We asked Peter’s friends York on the bus. Kenny and I had our
for their memories of wives there and we just stayed up late
the great man hanging out, singing Elton John songs
along the highway – nobody knew it
was the last show we’d ever play. At
that point, we’d got past the feeling of
a tour ending and thinking the band
was gonna break up; we thought Peter
was going to be like Lemmy and do it
until we physically couldn’t.”
Seemingly in a healthier and happier
CAPTAIN OF INDUSTRY
“Peter had this chain around his place than he’d been in years, Peter had
bass and all this industrial hardware set about reconnecting with friends and
to create this insane look. He would bandmates of the past as 2009 drew to
also sometimes rip the strings
off his bass at the end of the set a close, sharing old stories, rebuilding
with his bare hands!” relationships and expressing excitement
Richard Termini, producer in new ideas. This also meant that news
HARDCORE PERFORMER of Peter’s death came as an enormous
“We were up against the original shock. “There was a lot of discussion
hardcore audience to start with, of the past that let us get over things,”
because Carnivore would always Sal says. “Then, all of a sudden he was
end up playing at CBGB’s with Sheer
Terror, Crumbsuckers and Whiplash. gone. That’s how the universe plays
During the early days, Type O would things – it takes away some of the most
play three or four Carnivore songs talented people on the planet and we
in our set, because the hardcore
guys still showed up expecting the can never replace them.”
wild moshpits of Carnivore. They On announcement of his death,
demons he’d struggled with throughout didn’t really understand songs like tributes poured in from some of the
I Know You’re Fucking Someone Else
his life, kickstarting a reflective period - going from thrashy to half-time biggest figures in the metal scene,
that set some major life changes in suddenly, or following it up with including Henry Rollins, Tony Iommi,
motion towards the end of the 00s. Prelude To Agony which was really Jamey Jasta and Phil Anselmo, while his
slow – they hated it!”
“One time in Germany Peter had a real Sal Abruscato, drummer iconoclastic approach influenced the
rough night,” Joey says. “The next day likes of Code Orange, Chelsea Wolfe and
he was just broken – he wanted to talk, DIY SAVIOUR Trivium. Peter Steele was an at-times
alone in a room. He spilled his guts to “Life Of Agony were at [keyboardist] contradictory figure, but with a creative
Josh Silver’s house demoing stuff
tears, talking about how he hadn’t had that would become [1993 debut spark that allowed him to transcend
the opportunity to have a family or album] River Runs Red. We’d hear all scenes and subgenres, deftly mixing
children. He had his arm around me, these tools clanking, and it was Pete goth, hardcore and doom metal culture
in the backyard building a gigantic
told me he loved me and that I was his crucifix for use in the Christian in a way no band before – or since
angel. I’ll never forget that connection.” Woman video. He walks up in really – has matched, taking four guys from
Type O’s final record – 2007’s Dead short cut-off denim shorts, with Brooklyn and turning them into one of
these really long, skinny legs and
Again – saw more of a return to the tube socks, looking for something the biggest metal bands in the world for
hardcore fury of the band’s debut as to eat. It was such a scene!” a time. “It felt more like surviving than
a result of Peter’s time returning to Alan Robert, bass, Life Of Agony creating a legacy!” laughs Johnny. “But
Carnivore, but also due to extensive MUSICAL MADMAN here we are, 2020, and people still talk
writing sessions at a studio in “Peter had this crazy idea – and about the band.”
Rockaway (the same Queens peninsula if anyone wants to try this, I wish “It’s crazy to think this all stated
them good luck. He wanted to rig
that inspired Ramones’ ‘Rockaway up giant cable fencing, and you with me knocking on Peter’s door,”
Beach). Sadly it got reclaimed by the sea could strike the cables and they’d Sal adds. “People are talking now about
during [2012’s] superstorm Sandy,” says be electrified, so you’d hit them that first Black Sabbath record again for
Johnny. “We’d go there five, six nights and they’d make noise and fire its 50th anniversary; kids who’ve never
sparks off. I have no idea how that
a week for, like, four to six months, was gonna work, but he knew he heard a note of that music are going
working in the studio on new ideas and wanted to do it!” to be checking it out. I don’t see any
spent a lot of time jamming, which Joey Z, guitars, Life Of Agony reason why that wouldn’t happen for
I think came across on the record.” AUTOMOBILE ANARCHIST Type O too, you know?”
Even with its longer run-times and “I’d sometimes drive Peter home Hail and Farewell to Peter Steele
decidedly more metallic bent, Dead in my car, but other times we – a true metal icon.
would take his crazy car that he’d
Again became Type O’s highest-charting put together himself. It had wooden
album on release in the US, climbing to boards for a bumper and the doors TYPE O NEGATIVE – THE COMPLETE
No.27 on the Billboard 200. “We’d been wouldn’t lock, so he used this huge ROADRUNNER COLLECTION BOX SET
bungee cord to keep the door
together for so long, but we weren’t just closed while he drove. A gas mask IS OUT NOW, VIA ROADRUNNER
RECORDS. MEMBERS OF TYPE
slapping some shit together to head
hung from the mirror, and he’d put
SHUTTERSTOCK back out on the road!” Johnny says. a train horn in the car, so that if he O NEGATIVE NOW PLAY IN THE
honked all the car alarms would go
BANDS A PALE HORSE NAMED
Type O’s final tour started in New
off in the area!”
DEATH AND SILVERTOMB
Jersey on October 16, 2009, with their
Max Ross, engineer/producer
METALHAMMER.COM 57
