“October Rust” the Perfect Album

Twenty-seven years ago this month, gothic metal band Type O Negative released their fourth studio album, “October Rust”. This album is by far one of the Brooklyn-based band’s most beloved, and for good reason. “October Rust” is haunting yet romantic, it’s a perfect mix of moody ballads and heavy instrumentals, making it one of the most satisfying goth records out there.

“October Rust” was produced by Type O Negative’s lead singer, bassist, and lyricist, Peter Steele, as well as the band’s keyboardist and backing vocalist, Josh Silver. It was the first of the band’s albums with Johnny Kelly credited as the drummer. This album was highly anticipated as Type O Negative had gained a large, predominantly female fan base partially due to Peter Steele’s nude feature in the August 1995 issue of “Playgirl Magazine,” and his appearance on “Jerry Springer” around the same time. This paid off a year later because “October Rust” quickly became very successful as it reached Number 42 on Billboard’s Top 200 following its release on August 20th, 1996. It also became Type O Negative’s second album to reach certified gold. 

The record starts off as a joke from the band with the first track titled “Bad Ground,” being 38 seconds of what sounds like a blown speaker. It then transitions into the second track which opens with the band members laughing and introducing themselves as well as the record. The 21 second track ends with guitarist and backing vocalist, Kenny Hickey telling listeners to enjoy the album, before fading seamlessly into the first song, “Love You to Death.”

“Love You to Death” is truly a masterpiece of a song. It is completely justified that this song is one of Type O Negative’s best known and loved. It is seven minutes of passionate vocals and lyrics, as well as ethereal instrumentals. “Love You to Death” flawlessly introduces Peter Steele’s chillingly deep voice and distinctive style that is heard throughout the rest of the album. This song also perfectly encapsulates Steele’s abilities as a lyricist. It is a sensual ballad of incredible devotion. 

The next track, “Be My Druidess” is far more fast paced and erotic, introducing the supernatural and occult themes present within the rest of the album. 

The album then takes a sharp turn with the next song, “Green Man,” which starts off with the sounds of blowing leaves and chirping birds. This song is an homage to Steele’s love of nature and his old occupation as a sanitation worker for the New York City Parks and Recreation Department. “Green Man”’s peaceful and idyllic melody is interrupted by its very abrupt ending as the next song “Red Water (Christmas Mourning)” begins. 

“Red Water” tells something of a story and it is the perfect song for when that ghastly holiday depression hits, however it too has an abrupt ending, and it is followed by what is perhaps the second most beloved song on the album, “My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend.”

“My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend” starts out with a simple drum beat mixed with Josh Silver’s legendary keyboard. This is the type of song that immediately makes the listener want to get up and dance and the repetitive chorus makes this the catchiest track Type O Negative has ever released. Although Peter Steele has stated that he regrets the release of this song due to the controversy it received for depicting a polyamorous relationship, “My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend” is arguably one of the best songs on the album and its placement between two slower and moodier songs makes it even more memorable.

The next three songs on “October Rust” all portray situations of unrequited love in which Steele finds himself in love with a woman who shockingly does not feel the same about him. Track eight, “Die with Me” is a ballad about how the woman he loves leaves him behind to pursue an education somewhere in Europe. While Steele is undoubtedly proud of her, he still can’t help but miss her. This song starts off as acoustic with uncommonly soft vocals from Steele. It builds up in instrumentals towards the middle when the vocals get harsher and more emotional, before winding back down to the softness of the beginning. The ending of “Die with Me” builds back up with heavier instrumentals but quickly becomes another song to fall victim to the album’s deliberate yet abrupt endings. 

Although the next song “Burnt Flowers Fallen” is painfully repetitive, track ten, “In Praise of Bacchus” tells more of a story. 

“In Praise of Bacchus” is melodic and melancholy as it involves Steele reminiscing about a past suicide attempt and yet another relationship gone wrong. However there is a spiritual element to this song as he is calling upon “Bacchus” or Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of wine, vegetation, and ritual madness among other things. This in itself ties perfectly into the album’s underlying mystical themes.

The album once again transitions from a sorrowful song, into a surprisingly upbeat one, with track eleven being a cover of Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl.” The harder tones and strong vocals arguably make this cover better than the original song. 

Track twelve acts almost as an interlude for the songs to come, as it unexpectedly transports listeners into a warzone of sorts with the audio consisting of people shouting and jets flying overhead. These unusual sounds subside as it fades into track thirteen, “Wolf Moon (Including Zoanthropic Paranoia).” 

“Wolf Moon” begins with an almost sinister keyboard solo from Josh Silver. The mood is set by melodic violin and the sounds of rustling trees in the background. As Steele begins singing, the keyboard continues as drums are introduced. There is a perfect buildup from the eerie melody of the beginning, to the band’s signature metal style in the middle. The mystic elements of “October Rust” are the most prominent in this song. “Wolf Moon” is yet another song that tells a story. It does an excellent job of romanticizing the female menstrual cycle, something typically treated as shameful, while also entertaining mythical and supernatural concepts. “Wolf Moon” as well as “Die with Me” are the only songs on the album to feature acoustic guitar. 

The final song on the album “Haunted” is exactly as its title suggests. Beginning with soft piano and quickly transitioning into brassy metal, this song is a perfect example of exactly what Type O Negative can do as a band. Peter Steele’s vocals on this track are much more subdued in comparison to his vocals on other songs in the album. Soft vocals coupled with metal instrumentation is something that unexpectedly works very well for this song. “Haunted” progresses at a slow pace, being the longest song on the album at ten minutes and seven seconds. While the beginning of the song is romantic and tranquil, the middle of the song takes a turn when Steele’s voice becomes hollow and booming and the instruments become louder. This quickly subsides as an eerie melody begins to play and Peter Steele delivers a chilling poem in two minutes of spoken verse. The last few minutes of “Haunted” wrap up the song with another bout of the chorus before fading back into the piano heard at the beginning of the song. 

As the last song ends with yet another sudden cut off, the listener is transported from the mystifying realm established throughout the entirety of “October Rust,” back into reality. 

Track fifteen ends the album how it began, with an untitled spoken track as Peter Steele says, in his signature thick Brooklyn accent, “Well, that’s about it. That’s all we have. I hope it wasn’t too disappointing.” After promising a tour, Steele signs off by telling the listener to “take care.” 

On the initial release version of “October Rust,” the record ends there, however on the later special edition version listeners are blessed with one more song, which acts almost as an encore for the musical epic that is the album. 

After having participated in a tribute album for the legendary Black Sabbath with their cover of the song “Black Sabbath” in 1994, Type O Negative decided to re-release the song, this time with their own twist on its story. “Black Sabbath (From the Satanic Perspective)” is exactly as the title suggests, as Steele delivers his own sinister version of the original song from the perspective of Satan. While this track was not on the original release of “October Rust” it does allude to where Type O Negative received some of their inspiration from when it comes to heavy instrumentals and religious undertones, which can be seen all throughout the album.

“October Rust” is an album that is far from disappointing. It is a beautiful collection of songs and ballads containing elements of rock, metal, and gothic styles. With devotion, tranquility, lust, and heartbreak being recurring themes throughout, “October Rust” really encapsulates key aspects of the human condition all while romanticizing it with supernatural elements. The chemistry of the band’s four members is evident throughout the entirety of the album as each of them deliver such complementary instrumentation. This is the record that showcased Peter Steele’s true ability as a lyricist and established the band as goth metal icons. Each and every song on the record is completely unique, making for an exciting and compelling musical journey. “October Rust” is a masterpiece to say the least and the outstanding legacy of Peter Steele and Type O Negative lives on within every single track.