Formed by ex-CARNIVORE frontman Pete Steele, TYPE O NEGATIVE premiered as a quartet in 1988 going by the formative titles of REPULSION and SUB ZERO. The Gothic influence and nihilistic experimental bent afforded onto their distinct brand of Metal has enabled the band to find their own unique placing in the Rock field. Steele is also unafraid to address deliberately provocative issues and record cover artwork featured a blurred close up of the vocalist's anus for 1992's 'Origin Of The Faeces'.

Brooklyn's FALLOUT would prove to be a catalyst for launching vocalist / bassist Peter Steele (a.k.a. Peter Ratajczyk) and Josh Silver onto the New York scene. FALLOUT also included John Campos on second guitar with the AGNOSTIC FRONT, and later CARNIVORE, drummer Louie Beateaux. Pre-FALLOUT both Steele and Silver had operated with formative act AGGRESSION. FALLOUT, having been assembled in 1979, issued the now highly collectable 'Rock Hard' 7" single in 1981. Only 500 copies were pressed through Silver Records. Gigs locally included a notable support to TWISTED SISTER but in 1982 the band folded. Whilst Steele and Beateaux initiated CARNIVORE, Silver and Campos duly forged ORIGINAL SIN.

As frontman for CARNIVORE, Steele went under the stage name 'Petrus Steele' with Louie Beateaux opting for 'Lord Petrus T'. CARNIVORE's early gigs made quite an impact with Steele often resorting to self mutilation carving crosses into his face. His talents in other areas were also much in demand as he is credited with penning the lyrics on the debut AGNOSTIC FRONT album. Following the self-titled debut album, released in 1985, CARNIVORE fractured as guitarist Keith Alexander left the fold in 1986 to create PRIMAL SCREAM together with ex-HELLICON vocalist Steve Alliano and former BLACK VIRGIN bassist Rob Graham. He was replaced by Marc Piovanetti for 1988's 'Retaliation' album. Subsequently, Steele set about completely re-inventing the band through REPULSION to SUB ZERO evolving eventually TYPE O NEGATIVE. This new band title was lifted from the New York telephone directory, Steele being intrigued by an advertisment offering cash payments for type O negative blood donations.

The band debuted in June 1991 with 'Slow, Deep And Hard', a record crafted under a proposed working title of 'None More Negative'. Antecedent to this, the tracks had originally been formulated over a six week period at Brooklyn's Systems Two Studios for a mooted third CARNIVORE album bearing a project title of 'Jesus Looks Like Me'. To promote 'Slow, Deep And Hard' TYPE O NEGATIVE toured the USA as part of a package billing alongside fellow New Yorkers BIOHAZARD and Scottish Punk veterans THE EXPLOITED throughout November 1991.

The second album, 'The Origin Of The Feces (Not Live At Brighton Beach)', a pseudo-live offering channeled via a solitary microphone in the studio, found the band taking self degradation to the limits with live audience cat calls of 'You suck' mixed in. Besides the infamous anus cover art, the band members photographs were tellingly obscured by excrement. Naturally the sleeve design created controversy and subsequent versions came packaged in a less offensive format, also adding an additional track with a rendition of BLACK SABBATH's 'Paranoid', the first song recorded with Johnny Kelly on drums.

1993's 'Bloody Kisses', which boasted studio contributions from members of LIFE OF AGONY, tamed the act as they prepared to muscle in on the mainstream. The album's commercial success, driven by club plays of 'Black No. 1' and 'Christian Woman', was recognised when TYPE O NEGATIVE gave the Roadrunner label its first gold sales certified album. It would then go one better to hit the million sales mark to earn a platinum award. Even though the band had a hit on their hands, tensions between co-founders Pete Steele and Sal Abruscato forced out the latter, the guitarist promptly joining LIFE OF AGONY.

Touring in the summer of 1993 found Johnny Kelly manning the drums for a truly exhaustive, near two year expedition that witnessed supports to the likes of DANZIG, QUEENSRYCHE, MÖTLEY CRÜE, GODFLESH, NINE INCH NAILS and PANTERA. Honouring their mentors, TYPE ON NEGATIVE donated their interpretation of 'Black Sabbath' to the all star BLACK SABBATH tribute album 'Nativity In Black'. To renew momentum in 'Bloody Kisses', Roadrunner requested a re-vamp, resulting in the removal of tracks 'Kill All The White People' and 'We Hate Everyone' with 'Suspended In Dusk'. Meantime, 'Blood And Fire' saw inclusion on the 'Mortal Kombat' movie soundtrack.

Steele earned himself a following from both female and gay male fans when appearing in the January 1996 issue of 'Playgirl' magazine. 'October Rust', self-produced by the band at Systems Two in Brooklyn and issued in August 1996, made significant headway into both the US and British album charts. The band's sense of humour foxed some fans, It was discovered that fans had been returning the album to stores thinking the CD disc was blank when, in fact, TYPE O NEGATIVE had deliberately started the record with a lengthy spell of complete silence for the first track. Road work included gigs with OZZY OSBOURNE and SEPULTURA. The world of celluloid beckoned once again in 1997, TYPE O NEGATIVE cutting a cover of British Boogie legends STATUS QUO's 60s Psychedelia hit 'Pictures Of Matchstick Men' for use in Howard Stern's 'Private Parts' biopic and, stepping up a decade, lent their take on the 1970s SEALS AND CROFT's 'Summer Breeze' to the soundtrack to the Jennifer Love-Hewitt film 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'.

TYPE O NEGATIVE was inactive during late 1997, allowing Kelly to keep his hand in stepping into the breach for PIST. ON drummer Jeff McManus. his colleague having suffered a serious respiratory illness in the midst of PIST. ON's American tour.

In 1998 Steele shared lead vocals on the track 'Finale' with Kay Bjelland of BABES IN TOYLAND as part of the Sci Fi cartoon series soundtrack album 'Songs Of The Witchblade'. The following year TYPE O NEGATIVE gained inclusion on yet another major movie soundtrack, 'Haunted' being requested for the huge horror hit 'The Blair Witch Project'. Film goers also experienced TYPE O NEGATIVE with 'Die With

Me' on 'Carrie 2: The Rage' and 'Love You To Death' on 'Bride Of Chucky'. European dates in December saw the band packaged with COAL CHAMBER and STATIC-X. Touring in February 2000 once again saw COAL CHAMBER, FULL DEVIL JACKET and DEADLIGHTS as support.

The 2000 drolly titled compilation 'The Least Worst Of' included three new songs in 'It's Never Enough', 'Stay Out Of My Dreams' and '12 Black Rainbows'. At the same juncture 'October Rust' slipped past the half million sales marker.

During 2001 leading German Gothic Rock act LOVE LIKE BLOOD would cover 'Black No. 1' for their covers album 'Chronology Of A Love Affair'. TYPE O NEGATIVE themselves re-emerged in 2002 touting a version of the old DEEP PURPLE warhorse 'Highway Star' as their contribution to the NASCAR 'Crank It Up' album. Steele's presence would also be felt on the 2002 'Fight' opus of leading German Metal queen DORO, the TYPE O NEGATIVE frontman duetting with Ms. Pesch on the track 'Descent'. Drummer Johnny Kelly acted as stand in for DANZIG on their November 2002 European gigs. The drummer would also partake in gigs with his LED ZEPPELIN covers band EARL'S COURT.

Reports in early 2003 put the new TYPE O NEGATIVE studio album title as ''The Dream Is Dead'. This would later be switched to 'Life Is Killing Me'. Initial UK copies included a bonus CD comprising rare B sides plus two previously unreleased tracks 'Out Of The Fire (Kane's Theme)' and 'Haunted'. TYPE O NEGATIVE's US tour commenced in Worcester, Maine on 25th July. A further bout of November co-headlining US shows saw the band partnered with premier British Black Metal band CRADLE OF FILTH, Portuguese act MOONSPELL and Sweden's SOILWORK.

Meantime Pete Steele established an outside band project working with drummer Steve Tobin of DUST TO DUST and guitarist Paul Bento. The DUST TO DUST connections continued as both Kenny Hickey and Johnny Kelly too teamed up with DUST TO DUST vocalist / bass player Rob Traynor in yet another spin off band entitled SKYND. This title would subsequently be dropped in favour of BLACK WATER RISING. TYPE O NEGATIVE revealed tour plans for an October run of US shows partnered with AMORPHIS. The band, having cut a cover of SANTANA's 'Evil Ways' for donation to a tribute to the science fiction/fantasy writer Neil Gaiman, switched labels from Roadrunner to German concern SPV. A European tour in December in alliance with CRADLE OF FILTH was announced, and then postponed. The US October dates too would be pulled when a management statement in mid September revealed a medical exam on Pete Steele resulted in "undisclosed anomalies" being discovered.

In December Johnny Kelly hooked up with Eric Griffin from MURDERDOLLS, Mike Duda of W.A.S.P. and Mayuko Okai from the DIZZY REED band for a batch of HAPPENIN' HARRY midwest shows. Johnny Kelly once again temped with DANZIG for February 2005 US touring. Josh Silver would act as one of five high profile writers contributing to the ROADRUNNER UNITED 25th anniversary album 'The All-Stars Sessions', featuring with the track 'Roads' fronted by OPETH's Mikael Åkerfeldt.

Progress was interrupted when Steele was imprisoned, the frontman being found guilty of assault on a love rival. Upon his release, family members staged an intervention and insisted he check into a mental institution to deal with cocaine induced paranoia and psychosis.

As TYPE O NEGATIVE revealed a further studio album was underway for a 2007 release, it was learned Steele had landed an acting role in the Horror movie 'Tao Of M', portraying the vampire Viktor Baine. The movie, directed by James L. Bills and shot by Velvet Life Productions, also starred Stevie Blaze of LILLIAN AXE and members of TWISTED SISTER.

TYPE O NEGATIVE members Kenny Hickey, taking the lead vocal role, and drummer Johnny Kelly working with SUPERMASSIV guitar player Matt Brown and bassist Ryan Jurhs, announced the SEVENTH VOID project in May. Former PANTERA and DAMAGEPLAN drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott alongside longtime PANTERA producer Sterling Winfield mixed the debut set of recordings. In September both guitarist Kenny Hickey and drummer Johnny Kelly joined the touring line-up of DANZIG.

A new album, entitled 'Dead Again', emerged in March 2007 hitting number 27 on the US charts. Back on the road in North American, the band forged a union with CELTIC FROST and BRAND NEW SIN for dates in April.

TYPE O NEGATIVE and HATEBREED put in a seven week co-headlining US tour in mid 2008. Kenny Hickey then joined Jamey Jasta's KINGDOM OF SORROW for a portion of dates as live guitarist on their 2008 North American tour with GWAR and Relapse labelmates TOXIC HOLOCAUST. Hickey filled in for Kirk Windstein, who was on tour with DOWN in late October and November.