OCTOBERFEAST – October Rust
[OCTOBERFEAST is the greatest celebration of the year, a revelry dedicated to pop-culture’s most nutritious Halloween detritus. Plastic screams and artificial sweeteners have never been more bountiful. In the old country, villagers refer to the extended party as Satan’s Snacktime]
The heavy iron gates have been torn asunder. Children howl, fire in their eyes and sugar in their guts. Geezers don masks, chuckling their emphysema chuckles and launching bottle rockets at the Hunter’s Moon. Women hike up their skirts, tempting the menfolk to make decisions most unwise. The torrent of maniacs has flooded the campgrounds – there’s no mistaking this dark carnival for any other event.
Welcome back to the OCTOBERFEAST!
Today’s festivities feature musical accompaniment, a score to facilitate the fermentation of the parishioners’ blood from a vital red to a syrupy orange-and-black. Yes, instead of bat wings flapping and incantations groaned, the revelers tap their toes to a sludgy Gothic manifesto. One born out Brooklyn, no less.
Let us all raise the fist of the metal child to October Rust.
Although Type O Negative had already established themselves as rockers of the most sordid variety, tackling issues like sex and religion and suicide with a tongue-in-cheek nonchalance, 1996’s release of October Rust made proselytes out of even the most obstinate nonbelievers. The headbangers came for the punk and metal sections, but found themselves wrestling with their feelings during the ballads – the mopey drama kids were lured in by the sounds of dirge-organs, but enjoyed the catharsis provided by rockin’ out to the aggressive shit.
And, of course, they all loved the lyrics. Peter Steele, Satan rest his soul, knew just how to blend horror and sexuality so that everyone could sing along, but those who understood what he was writing about smiled a little harder. Or threw up, depending. Take for instance, this excerpt from Wolf Moon (Including Zoanthropic Paranoia):
The 28th day
She’ll be bleeding again,
And in lupine ways
We’ll alleviate the pain.Unholy water
Sanguine addiction,
Those silver bullets
A last blood benediction.It is her moon time
When there’s iron in the air,
A rusted essence
Woman may I know you’re there?
If you think that tune’s just about dating a she-wolf, you ain’t exactly right.
Of course, not all of the tracks are concerned with presenting double entendres. For example, fan-favorite My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend doesn’t pull any punches or rely on any sleeve-hidden aces. Instead, a humorous tone sets the stage so that it can all hang out:
Her and me an her and she and me
An uncrowded couple
are we three?Hey we don’t care what people say,
When walking hand in hand down Kings Highway
Two for one today.
And still, other songs employ neither humor not word-play, but opt to take social taboos full-speed ahead down much darker roads. One of the bleakest compositions on October Rust is Die With Me, in which the speaker wishes he could die in a plane crash with his departed lover rather than watch her walk away:
At JFK
who played the fool?
self-pity sick
jet fuel perfume.Still I miss her
yeah I miss her
since she’s gone.Girl I want to die with you,
in each other’s arms
we’ll drown in flame.
October Rust is a perfect soundtrack for a day’s worth of OCTOBERFEASTing. This album is Type O Negative at their best, offering a truly unique sound that isn’t afraid of itself. Or anything, really. This is music for those who want to indulge in their dark sides, whether that means thinking thoughts murderous, envious, adulterous, or even just silly.
Grab a piece of pumpkin pie, swig some hard cider, and blast October Rust.