Artist: Type O Negative
Label: Roadrunner Records
Release Date: 1996
Rating: 5 Skulls
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Title: October Rust Artist: Type O Negative Label: Roadrunner Records Release Date: 1996 Rating: 5 Skulls |
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Kefka X's Review:
Seldom can bands do what Type O Negative has done throughout their nearly 15-year lifespan. Where most bands are able to have a healthy and consistent discography of music, Type O is able to do this and, in addition, release albums that have no resemblance to one another. And each one is so damned good at that. One could argue that World Coming Down was a total disaster, but as an album there was not one flawed track on it.Of course, I may be a bit biased because for 12 years, Type O Negative has been my favorite band. Ever since I heard "Christian Woman" on the radio I've been hooked. I could go on for hours about how they have the most personality out of any metal (or rock) band in our current day and age, all the obscure Beatles references they throw in their music, how Peter Steele is a misunderstood genius, but this would just make me sound really gay.
So moving on. October Rust was one of the last albums I bought from the band's catalogue. I'm not too sure why it had taken me so long to purchase this. I think it might have been because I was nervous to hear what the follow-up to Bloody Kisses would sound like. Maybe because I didn't think it would have been as metal as Slow Deep And Hard. Regardless, after the album's purchase three years ago, it still remains in one of my CD changers and is played at least once a week in its entirety. Not only that, but like every Type O album ever released, it's in my top 20 favorite albums ever released. And it's back-to-back with Bloody Kisses as my all-time favorite.
As mentioned earlier, each Type O album maintains the same atmosphere and premise although there are no two albums alike. October Rust takes things down a notch, losing the heft and heavier influence that Bloody Kisses and Slow Deep and Hard had and going for a more accessible, gothic rock touch to it, much like you would find in Moonspell's or Tiamat's earlier catalogues. The album starts with a cute gimmick, followed by an opening monologue delivered by the band and jumps into "Love You to Death," the band's best known track from the album. Following that track are "Be My Druidess" and "Green Man," which honestly aren't the best songs to come out of the band. The refrain for "Be My Druidess" comes across as maybe a bit too tacky and cliché, with Peter singing in a ridiculously low voice, "I'll do anything . . . to make you cum." Perhaps it's a part of the band's personality coming out. I'm not too sure. It just bugs me in contrast to the rest of their songs prior to this. "Red Water" is the next song that comes off with an undeniable desperation and sadness. This is another decent song, but not the best to come from the band. Then of course there's "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend," which is easily their quintessential love/hate song. Both the song and the complementary video for this are tongue-in-cheek and nostalgic of mid-60's British pop culture. The lyrics are even more laughable. "My girlfriend's girlfriend / she looks like you / my girlfriend's girlfriend / she's my girl too." Certainly I appreciate the band's sense of humor but sometimes things can get over the top. So there you go. Half of October Rust.
So with all of these songs ranging from alright to good, how is October Rust still one of my all time favorites? Because the second half of the album is so powerful, so well-written, so intense, and so painful that it's undeniable. From the sound of a jet plane opening the track "Die with Me" to the 10-second long epilogue made by Peter, this is Type O Negative's greatest (and most unappreciated) work. Suddenly the tone of the album enshrouds itself in a violent yet erotic passion before becoming black like cancer and eroding into inevitable suicide. "Die with Me," "Burnt Flowers Fallen" and "In Praise of Bacchus" are the band's most sexual songs and cover a large range of keyboards, sounds, and even touch on the inclusion of female vocals.
The Neil Young cover of "Cinnamon Girl" and a short instrumental serve as a brief and effective intermission to build up for the album's two final tracks. "Wolfmoon" follows in the same vein as the last three original songs, but also hinting at a pending, severe depression before transitioning into "Haunted," the album's closer. This 10+ minute opus is undoubtedly the most depressing and powerful song ever written by the band. A single piano melody leads into a crash of devastatingly slow music that reminds one of the last minutes of being alive, or the eternity of darkness that lies herein after. Halfway into the song nearly everything cuts out and is followed by one of the most haunting (no pun intended) narratives ever read in music. The music comes back in and rounds out to a close. The last two minutes consist of ambient chanting that is almost angelic, like sunlight breaking through a windowsill. The track stops suddenly and is followed by the band thanking you for listening to the album. And it's over.
Seldom is an album released that holds such emotion and power that it leaves you speechless. October Rust is one of them. While the first half of the CD hardly compares to the second half, I can still come to appreciate it, as well as the album's diversity and strange yet effective flow. This may not be as accessible as Life is Killing Me or Bloody Kisses, but the listening experience is rewarding and through time will become a favorite of yours. I can't say enough good things about this band. The attention they receive is justified.
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