Peter Steele

Peter Thomas Ratajczyk (January 4, 1962 – April 14, 2010), known professionally as Peter Steele, was an American musician.

He was best known as the lead vocalist, bassist and composer of the gothic metal band Type O Negative.

Before forming Type O Negative, Steele had created the heavy metal group Fallout and the thrash metal band Carnivore.

As the frontman for Type O Negative, Steele was known for his vampiric appearance, 6ft 8in stature, rich bass vocals, and a dark, often self-deprecating sense of humor.

His lyrics have been described as "often intensely personal, dealing with subjects including love, loss and addiction."

Steele credited Black Sabbath and the Beatles as his key musical influences.

He has been listed among the "66 Best Hard Rock and Metal Frontmen of All Time" by Loudwire.

Steele was born on January 4, 1962, in Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York City, to a Catholic family, His father (1921–1995) was of Polish and Russian descent and his mother (1922–2005) of Scottish-Irish, Norwegian, and Icelandic ancestry.

He was raised in the Bensonhurst and Brighton Beach neighborhoods of Brooklyn.

Steele was the youngest of six children, with five older sisters.

His father fought in World War II and later worked at a shipyard.

Steele started taking guitar lessons at age 12, before moving on to bass six months later.

Though Steele was naturally left-handed, he played right-handed bass guitars throughout his career.

This came about when one of his earliest bands, Aggression (also featuring Josh Silver), for which Steele played left-handed rhythm guitar, threatened to kick him out unless he switched to bass guitar.

As a left-handed bass guitar proved to be too expensive at the time, Steele purchased a right-handed bass and taught himself how to play it.

Steele attended Edward R. Murrow High School in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn.

In 1979, Steele formed the heavy metal band Fallout.

In 1982, after the split of Fallout, Steele formed the thrash metal band Carnivore.

With Carnivore, Steele's lyrics were often harsh, dealing with religion, war, race and misogyny.

Carnivore released their debut self-titled album in 1985.

In 1986, Steele wrote lyrics for several songs on hardcore punk band Agnostic Front's second album Cause for Alarm.

In 1987, Carnivore released Retaliation, before splitting up later that year.

Steele formed the band in 1989 along with his childhood friends Josh Silver, Kenny Hickey and Sal Abruscato (later replaced by Johnny Kelly).

Steele had written the music in the space of one night in the aftermath of a relationship break-up, and this was reflected in the lyrical topics of heartbreak, fantasies of revenge, and the contemplation of suicide; something Steele had himself attempted: "On October 15th, 1989, I slashed my wrists. All I can say is that I fell in love with the wrong person."

Steele caused some controversy when touring in Europe to support Slow, Deep and Hard, thanks to rumors about his social and political views, with some critics going so far as to brand him a Nazi sympathizer, even though his bandmate, Josh Silver, is Jewish.

Steele suggested that the European press had misunderstood his humor, and that his sarcasm was sometimes lost in translation to print.

The band originally used the name "Repulsion", but had to change it in 1990 due to legal issues with the American grindcore band of the same name.

The band then used the name "Subzero".

Steele had a tattoo in mind of a minus sign contained within the number 0 that he originally intended to represent the Subzero band logo.

After discovering that another band was already using the Subzero name, and with his tattoo in mind, Steele came up with the name "Type O Negative" after hearing a radio advertisement requesting donations of type O negative blood.

When Type O Negative signed with Roadrunner Records, Steele signed his recording contract with a mixture of Suave hair conditioner and chocolate syrup mixed with food dye, contrary to popular belief that it was his own blood and semen.

Type O Negative's debut album, Slow, Deep and Hard, was released in 1991.

The album incorporated the thrash elements of Carnivore merged with doom metal.

In 1992, Type O Negative released the "live" album The Origin of the Feces.

The album included a fictitious hostile audience and an evacuation of the venue after a bomb threat had supposedly been called in.

This simulated some of the real-life responses Steele and Type O Negative had recently received while on tour in Europe.

The original album cover featured a close-up shot of Steele's anus.

Steele worked for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation until he began touring with Type O Negative in the summer of 1994.

He was based at Brooklyn Heights Promenade, where his job involved park maintenance, driving vehicles including garbage trucks and steamrollers, and eventual promotion to the role of park supervisor.

Steele considered his days working for the parks department to be among his happiest.