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nhlghst's review
3.0
I bought this book fully knowing about the controversy surrounding it, but I wanted to form my own idea.
First the writing is really not that great, I think there's words missing in some parts because some sentences do not make sense. The pictures are crap, it's only available on ebook now so idk about the printed version, but don't expect to be blown away by never-seen-before photos. I didn't have tremendous expectations but I was still disappointed.
The beginning was really interesting and the part I had less trouble believing without question. I had no idea about what came before Type O and learned many things. (And Fallout's Rock Hard in now on my list of favourite songs)
I was really annoyed by the not at all factual tone of the rest though. There was too much input from the author, he over analyzed everything (and had no legitimity to do so) and it made me question the truthfulness of the whole thing. The last third was especially iffy.
I'm still glad I read it, but I wish someone compiled a biography with actual input from the band members and his family, and not transcripts from interviews I had already seen on YouTube...
First the writing is really not that great, I think there's words missing in some parts because some sentences do not make sense. The pictures are crap, it's only available on ebook now so idk about the printed version, but don't expect to be blown away by never-seen-before photos. I didn't have tremendous expectations but I was still disappointed.
The beginning was really interesting and the part I had less trouble believing without question. I had no idea about what came before Type O and learned many things. (And Fallout's Rock Hard in now on my list of favourite songs)
I was really annoyed by the not at all factual tone of the rest though. There was too much input from the author, he over analyzed everything (and had no legitimity to do so) and it made me question the truthfulness of the whole thing. The last third was especially iffy.
I'm still glad I read it, but I wish someone compiled a biography with actual input from the band members and his family, and not transcripts from interviews I had already seen on YouTube...
twerkingtobeethoven's review
5.0
#books_that_need_reprinting
Peter Steele passed away ten years ago. I first heard of him back in 1986 - aye, I'm an old fart - and he'd go by the name of "Lord Petrus Steele" when a friend of mine came to my place bringing the vinyl record of Carnivore's self-titled first album. The cover was pretty straight-forward, showing the band's blood-red logo on a black background, and the music was...kind of rough, but in a good way. The production wasn't too good either, it wasn't audiophile material, all right. But I was a teenage metalhead back then, and absolutely loved the music I was listening to, plus the lyrics were so over the top, it was just the right thing for 15 year old pox-ridden Twerks, you know.
"Retaliation" came out in 1987 but I got my hands on a copy only a couple of years later. I do remember placing that record on my cheap turntable (as I didn't own a cd player yet), and right from the start "Jack Daniel's and Pizza" (lol) and "Angry Neurotic Catholics" let me know that, once again, Carnivore meant business. "Retailation" was much faster than its predecessor and I loved it.
Then came Type O Negative and it was another story altogether, they were totally different, both musically and conceptually, this band was really something else. I was in my very early twenties and, when I first listened to "Unsuccessfully Coping with the Natural Beauty of Infidelity", I laughed so hard I nearly broke a couple of ribs. Well, it's 2020, and I still think that song is fucking hysterical, especially the "I said I know! He says he knows!" bit and the way Peter pronounces the word "whore" (trivia: the same song was re-recorded on thelive album "The Origin of the Feces" with the title "I Know You're Fucking Someone Else" and, besides "whore", Peter came up with utterly er...revolutionary and hilarious pronunciations to the words "slut" and "cunt"). Same goes for "I Like Goils" off "Life Is Killing Me", I still buy me own ale every time I listen to that song...aye, I'm all about politically incorrect humour, hey.
Anyways, here we go. Another bio that's been out of print for some time now and can only be purchased on the second-hand market for a ludicrous amount of money. Once again, in order to read it, I had to order my copy at Tsunami Edizioni, and read it in Italian. Was it worth it? Oh yes, absolutely. The book covers everything, it explains exhaustively why Peter Steele really was a gentle giant. He had his demons, all right, especially in his final years, but he was always willing to help his friends...which made him prone to being taken advantage of. As you'd expect, some parts of the book are hilarious, some are really touching & poignant, and some others plain fucking sad.
The bits about the music and the way records were made tell everything in great length, in that the author goes into meticulously detailing every single song, how it was composed, arranged and recorded, and it's never boring.
So, at the end of the day, if you stumble upon a copy of "Soul on Fire", and the price is right, buy it. Seriously, buy it. Even if you're not a fan.
OK, here's a short clip of Peter working on a Ford Mustang. The caption reads 1984 but, given you can clearly hear Carnivore's "God is Dead" in the background, I'm sure the video was shot at least in 1985. https://youtu.be/bgxRyZ6KfYY
Peter Steele passed away ten years ago. I first heard of him back in 1986 - aye, I'm an old fart - and he'd go by the name of "Lord Petrus Steele" when a friend of mine came to my place bringing the vinyl record of Carnivore's self-titled first album. The cover was pretty straight-forward, showing the band's blood-red logo on a black background, and the music was...kind of rough, but in a good way. The production wasn't too good either, it wasn't audiophile material, all right. But I was a teenage metalhead back then, and absolutely loved the music I was listening to, plus the lyrics were so over the top, it was just the right thing for 15 year old pox-ridden Twerks, you know.
"Retaliation" came out in 1987 but I got my hands on a copy only a couple of years later. I do remember placing that record on my cheap turntable (as I didn't own a cd player yet), and right from the start "Jack Daniel's and Pizza" (lol) and "Angry Neurotic Catholics" let me know that, once again, Carnivore meant business. "Retailation" was much faster than its predecessor and I loved it.
Then came Type O Negative and it was another story altogether, they were totally different, both musically and conceptually, this band was really something else. I was in my very early twenties and, when I first listened to "Unsuccessfully Coping with the Natural Beauty of Infidelity", I laughed so hard I nearly broke a couple of ribs. Well, it's 2020, and I still think that song is fucking hysterical, especially the "I said I know! He says he knows!" bit and the way Peter pronounces the word "whore" (trivia: the same song was re-recorded on the
Anyways, here we go. Another bio that's been out of print for some time now and can only be purchased on the second-hand market for a ludicrous amount of money. Once again, in order to read it, I had to order my copy at Tsunami Edizioni, and read it in Italian. Was it worth it? Oh yes, absolutely. The book covers everything, it explains exhaustively why Peter Steele really was a gentle giant. He had his demons, all right, especially in his final years, but he was always willing to help his friends...which made him prone to being taken advantage of. As you'd expect, some parts of the book are hilarious, some are really touching & poignant, and some others plain fucking sad.
The bits about the music and the way records were made tell everything in great length, in that the author goes into meticulously detailing every single song, how it was composed, arranged and recorded, and it's never boring.
So, at the end of the day, if you stumble upon a copy of "Soul on Fire", and the price is right, buy it. Seriously, buy it. Even if you're not a fan.
OK, here's a short clip of Peter working on a Ford Mustang. The caption reads 1984 but, given you can clearly hear Carnivore's "God is Dead" in the background, I'm sure the video was shot at least in 1985. https://youtu.be/bgxRyZ6KfYY
fyrrea's review
4.0
Ocena: 4, bo mało zdjęć
Wrażenia: Co tu dużo gadać, uwielbiam Petera, muzyka TON towarzyszyła mi w wielu nieciekawych chwilach życia. Cóż, misery loves company, a towarzystwo muzyki panów z Brooklynu to przynajmniej good company.
Dla kogo: Dla fanów, Kapitanie Oczywistość.
Wrażenia: Co tu dużo gadać, uwielbiam Petera, muzyka TON towarzyszyła mi w wielu nieciekawych chwilach życia. Cóż, misery loves company, a towarzystwo muzyki panów z Brooklynu to przynajmniej good company.
Dla kogo: Dla fanów, Kapitanie Oczywistość.
martinga's review
5.0
That's probably my biggest regret in life: I never got to see Type O perform live. :-( Maybe that's why I enjoyed reading this book so much! I read it twice as soon as I got it and I was truly surprised how many anecdotes and stories from friends it contains since it's an unauthorized biography. The author also managed to keep a respectful tone throughout the book while describing Peter's struggles, which I didn't expect to be honest.
As a lifelong Type O fan I might be a little biased but this is for sure the best biography I've read in a long time. I'm definitely gonna hold this dear to my heart!!!
As a lifelong Type O fan I might be a little biased but this is for sure the best biography I've read in a long time. I'm definitely gonna hold this dear to my heart!!!
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