That October Rust — Type O Negative’s stunning fourth full-length — ended up being released at the tail end of August in the summer of 1996 may remain one of life’s great mysteries. Less obtuse is the fact that the gothic-metal record still crushes.
There was a lot riding on October Rust, the first Type O album to be released following the unexpected mainstream success of 1993’s Bloody Kisses. Following MTV exposure and after packing out clubs more than ever before, all eyes were on the Drab Four, and damned if they didn’t deliver. The record only heightened the Brooklyn foursome’s brooding, breathtaking approach to detuned, effects-soaked gloom with a dash of romanticism.
Heavy, heart-eyed and horny, it’s become a perennial favorite with the fan base. Between their originals and a sensually sludged-out cover of Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s “Cinnamon Girl,” it’s clear that this Rust never sleeps.
With the record having just crossed its 30th anniversary, and with another autumn just around the corner, we asked our readers to rank the greatest cuts on October Rust. This is their top 5.
“Green Man”
A deep poetic contemplation of the turning of the seasons, “Green Man” waxes on the cycle of life as it circles from loamy springs, to crisp orange autumns to the blue-lipped winter chill. It also doubles as a sly nod to Steele’s old job working for the New York City Department of Park and Recreation, and the green uniform he wore each shift.
It’s a chlorophyll-fresh, melody-heavy piece on the album. A natural inclusion in this week’s poll results, the fans do indeed love their “Green Man.”
“Be My Druidess”
“Be My Druidess” is yet another exhibitionist display of sex-scented goth metal, a groaned-and-grunted display of Type O’s lunging prowess, as powered by flicking bass leads, slapping drum machines and Steele’s wily tongue. And, truly, many fans have gathered round this pyre to gawk and listen to these “ecstatic screams.”
“Be My Druidess” initially blazes high with its mid-tempo pace and outdoorsy scenes of paganistic erotica, then drops into a Stonehenge-heavy back section of combustible Kenny Hickey solos and Steele’s desperate moaning (“I’ll do anything to make you cum”).
“Love You to Death”
Confoundingly — but on brand with Type O’s weird and trollish sense of humor — October Rust begins with two bite-sized gag tracks: the 60 cycle-humming “Bad Ground” noise blip, and then a lil’ thank you message where the band explain that the previous track was indeed a joke. But then they finally cut to the chase and proceed to melt our hearts with one of their most profoundly passionate and show-stopping anthems: “Love You to Death.”
The record’s first proper song is a gothic pound that sets the stage for the super-sexual nature of the rest of the album. Lit by candlelight. Fueled by red wine and carnal devotion. Irresistibly wreaking of pheromones, breast sweat and Pink Floyd references. The whole thing is aquiver with Type O-style sensuality, and it’s aged like a fine bottle of CabSav.
This is all to say, “Love You to Death” is good enough for our readers, and then some.
“Wolf Moon”
If October Rust teaches us anything about Peter Steele, it could be that the guy was hopelessly, endlessly horny. And while the record is arguably Type O’s musical masterstroke, Hickey also told us in 2010 that it was “designed to score [Peter] women.” In particular, “Wolf Moon” is an album classic that fully illustrates how the bassist-vocalist was always eager to please.
Above a slow-booming arrangement, “Wolf Moon” finds Steele in serious bloodlust-mode, howling of his “sanguine addiction” while cross-referencing menstrual cycles with the transformative nature of the werewolf myth. He’s carnally campaigning to know a woman’s “rusted essence,” basically dropping down on all fours to “kiss the curse away.”
A staggering, hot-under-the-collar epic about keeping the flame alive, it’s a song our readers likely listen to more than every 28 days.
“In Praise of Bacchus”
Steele was in tune with his emotions across the Type O catalog — from states of ecstasy to periods of depression — and October Rust’s “In Praise of Bacchus” stands as one of his most personal and shockingly vulnerable statements.
The song’s origins stem from a drunken suicide attempt after he’d parked a car in the Red Hook neighborhood. A “furry vino-tinted slave” weaves through various memories, as Steele acknowledges to Greek God Bacchus that someone has left him (“She hates me”). The title is cruelly ironic, the scene sadly anything but Bacchanalian. The party, as it were, is over.
This song cleared all other October Rust numbers by a wide margin in this poll. Its rawness makes for a viscerally memorable Type O moment like no other.