:: The Discovery ::
The year 2001, somewhere around the month of june..enjoying my summer vacations, i was busy doing what i loved the most, “Downloading Music using P2P softwares”.
I, being an ardent music lover, always wanting to explore the depths of harmony and percussions, was desperately trying to search and download Metallica’s songs. Apparently they were the coolest band around and metal was the genre to listen. Back then listening and liking Metallica was more of  an eligibility criteria for “cool gang try outs!!” lol
Hence, like any other 14 year old, i searched for metallica and metal genre on my favourite p2p software, limewire. It displayed a never ending list of random metal songs including various sub genres such as doom, power, death, brutal, symphonic, gothic and melodic metal. But, Like a smart lad that i was, i narrowed my search by adding various filters. I opted to look for the most downloaded songs and artists.
I was driven by the sole motto of listening to as much of metal as possible and hence, i kind of ended up downloading lots of random metal anthems including almost everything from Metallica, Megadeth, AC/DC, Type O negative, Manowar, Kiss, Motley crue to The 69 eyes and so on.. I tried listening to each one of them with unbiased heart and ear.
I must have heard everything from the likes of ‘master of puppets’ to ‘highway to hell’, but somehow nothing struck a chord in my head! Until, i heard my first gothic metal track, ‘Christian Woman’ by Type O negative from the album Bloody Kisses. It marked my first step in the genre of metal.

That track had one of the most   A Cross Upon Her Bedroom Wall
freaky lyrics i had ever come            From Grace She Will Fall
across till then.Yet, it had            An Image Burning In Her Mind
something which compelled me        And Between Her Thighs
to listen to it again and again.                       ~
It was nothing but sheer power                     ~
of voice of the legendary,                            ~
Peter Thomas Ratajczyk.                       For Her Lust   
better known as Peter Steele.          She Will Burn In Hell
Little did i know back then,        Her Soul Done Medium Well!!!
that i would end up
worshiping this man, his band and this particular genre of music.                   

:: Savoring The Flavor :: 
I soon got hold of their album, Bloody Kisses – (1993) and instantly fell in love with it. Every track had a distinct aura to it and overflowed with emotions!  The tracks emanated almost everything from melancholy and serenity to felicity and rage. The Album teemed with evergreen classics like Black No.1, Bloody Kisses, Christian Woman, We hate everyone and  Blood&Fire which collectively made this album a true masterpiece and a must have record on every Gothic shelf.
I still remember being fascinated and addicted to their track Can’t loose you from the very same album…. probably because it was the first time i ever heard an english band using Sitar and Tambura for rhythm and leads. This song till date happens to be one of my favorite Goth Track!!

Post Bloody Kisses, the name Type O negative soon became a religion for me and I, like an avid follower heard every thing they ever composed. They as a band had an amazing sense of humor and always managed to keep us listeners on our toes with their witty and slapstick intros.
Peter, being the lyricist for majority of the tracks often conveyed everything  from his feelings to his beliefs. Thanks to him, every album of theirs was so saturated with emotions that it would instantly grip a man with a shaken up life. He was a man with a tormented soul who just kept writing and singing to get rid of his haunting past. Little did he know that, it’s this practice of his which would unveil a great musician to this world!

“I think anyone who has an opinion, and voices it, will definitely offend someone.”
                 ― Peter Steele              

:: Remembering The Legend ::
The Name Type O negative would be meaningless for me, had it not been for Peter’s vocals which played the most pivotal and vital part of  Type O negative. Peter’s song delivery always emitted strong emotion and passion, while being able to have actually a relatively wide vocal range. He seemed to just glide from mid-bass range to the higher end of baritones seamlessly..which often acted as sole pillars of fantastic dynamics for the song.  His voice, along with his fuzzy bass tone, happened to be the USP of their instantly recognizable baritone graced seven albums.
Despite of his massive structure and chiseled muscular frame, it was his voice that represented him: big, soulful and unfiltered! and in his lyrics, the giant was revealed to be gentle, wounded but smirking and a little paranoid. 

~~Peter Steele was 48 when he passed away on April 14, 2010~~ 

His words were often dark, ominous, threatening, misogynistic and sardonic but they weren’t fiction. They were part of his journey through hardships.
His voice was deep and booming. He loomed over most people like a fleshy obelisk of self-deprecation. But he seemed to carry the light with him, regardless. 
You will be sorely missed and I can only hope that right now you are up in heaven letting the almighty fully experience the impact of one of his greatest creations.
R.I.P Peter!
~

~

~

Green light is on, red wine in hand..  drinking to a legend who walked this land!

“If it doesn’t upset people, it is NOT rock music.” ― Peter Steele