Type O Negative DVD

The attitude of the international press towards New York band Type O Negative has not always been unanimously positive. The group’s unconventionality, their austere, occasionally even unwieldy songs were a thorn in the flesh of many a journalist. Despite all this opposition, Type O Negative have released several classics which even their fiercest detractors respect and admire. “No other album pairs metallic maliciousness, self-contemptuous cynicism, world- and love -weariness, epic melancholia and danceable pop appeal as perfectly, and the result is an enduring classic with a weeping willow romanticism that is persistent enough to still be sympathized with on the dance floors in ten to twelve years’ time,” commented the German music magazine, Rock Hard, on Bloody Kisses in 1993; and they were right. More than twelve years later, Type O Negative are still the most important act on the gothic metal scene. In 2006, their mostly melancholy songs continue to sparkle with great melodies and dramatic atmospheres. Since the early Nineties, band mastermind Peter Steele has been steering his troupe through the choppy waters of the music scene, never changing course, even in difficult times. The result is certainly respectable: gold and platinum awards, sold-out tours and cover stories galore. Steamhammer/SPV are about to release Type O Negative’s new DVD, Symphony For The Devil (The World Of Type O Negative), on March 20, 2006 (US: March 14), featuring recordings from the 1999 Bizarre festival plus a bonus single CD with a Santana medley, rather an unusual choice for Type O Negative. In other words, a well rounded-offering, not only for the band’s fans, but for aficionados of the genre in general.

The core of the DVD consists of cuts from a Type O Negative show at the Cologne Bizarre festival in summer 1999, when cameras documented the unique live merits of Peter Steele (vocals, bass guitar), Josh Silver (keyboards), Kenny Hickey (Guitar), and Johnny Kelly (drums). The concert consists of sixteen tracks, all of them in brilliant sonic and visual quality (stereo PCM and Dolby Digital 5.1). In a concert atmosphere typical for Type O Negative, the band presented most of their classics at the Bizarre, ‘Cinnamon Girl,’ ‘My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend,’ ‘Christian Woman,’ ‘Too Late: Frozen,’ ‘Love You To Death,’ and ‘Black #1’ among them. Exclusive bonus material includes interviews, hilarious backstage and private footage, and a band biography, all filmed and compiled by the band itself. For the first time, the musicians have also allowed insights into the goings-on behind the stage.

As a bonus, Type O Negative have included a special single CD, featuring a previously unreleased studio session of a Santana medley, consisting of ‘Evil Ways,’ ‘Oye Como Va,’ and ‘Black Magic Woman.’ All in all a comprehensive retrospective that proves that Peter Steele is definitely capable of seeing beyond the limitations of doom metal. “Everything but rap,” he comments on his life-long inspirations. Particularly – next to Black Sabbath and the Beatles – Laibach, Devo and Depeche Mode. Steele: “I get bored quickly and tire easily listening to songs by other acts. It’s difficult to keep me interested for a long time.” That’s why he isn’t rooted in the past but optimistically looks to the future in 2006. “I’m getting older with every year, and I’ve noticed that I can’t change that. So what am I to do? I’ve come to terms with the situation, joke about it and look at it from an ironic angle. Can there be a better way to accept aging than to take it with a sense of humour?”

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