Going to University with a CD collection that was relatively small, consisting mainly of Aerosmith, Guns N Roses and such like, there was plenty of scope for different elements of rock and metal to be discovered. There were a handful of bands that opened my eyes to some of the less mainstream music, and two albums specifically that influenced my musical taste more than any others, Life Of Agony’s Ugly and Type O Negative’s Bloody Kisses. Of the two I have chosen Bloody Kisses as one of my most influential albums; the reason being that it led me into the whole gothic side of metal that I now love.   

It is a classic album that Type O Negative have not managed to surpass since (although October Rust does come close).  The quality of songs on the album are immense, “Christian Woman” and “Bloody Kisses” set the scene for what is to come with their haunting tunes and dark lyrics.  “Too Late: Frozen” then kicks in at a faster pace and shows an almost cheerful side to their sound, which also creeps into some of their other songs, such as “Blood & Fire”. There is not a bad song on the album, the cover of “Summer Breeze” is brilliant and “Black No 1” is the classic song on the album. Catchy, especially considering the length, as well as dark and humorous. It is worth pointing out that I recently discovered that Bloody Kisses was released in many different formats with different track listings. The version that I have is an imported digipack with the following running order: “Christian Woman”, “Bloody Kisses”, “Too Late: Frozen”, “Blood & Fire”, “Can’t Lose You”, “Summer Breeze”, “Set Me On Fire”, “Suspended In Dusk” and “Black No 1”.

As mentioned Bloody Kisses is the album that helped me discover a new sound, although to be fair I discovered both Paradise Lost and Danzig at a similar time, between these band I went onto even more unusual acts such as Sirrah and Cemetary within the gothic metal scene, from the heavier end to the more melodic, now making up a large portion of the music I own and listen to.   

My T-shirt of the album cover is still in a wearable condition so gets an airing now and then. Sadly, given the diabolical fiasco that was Type O Negative’s Birmingham show earlier this year, they have put me off actually listening to their albums these days. Bloody Kisses only finding it's way on to the CD player of the sake of this article, which is a shame as Bloody Kisses shows what Type O Negative were, and probably still are, capable of.

Let us know your views on Bloody Kisses

Track Listing

Machine Screw
Christian Woman
Black No.1 (Little Miss Scare-All)
Fay Wray Come Out and Play
Kill All the White People
Summer Breeze
Set Me on Fire
Dark Side of the Womb
We Hate Everyone
Bloody Kisses (A Death in the Family)
3.O.I.F.
Too Late: Frozen
Blood & Fire
Can't Lose You

Line Up

Peter Steele – Vocals/Bass
Josh Silver – Keyboards
Kenny Hickey – Guitars
Sal Abruscato – Drums