Peter Thomas Ratajczyk [ 4 ] January 4, โ April 14, , known professionally as Peter Steele , was an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist and composer of the gothic metal band Type O Negative.
As the frontman for Type O Negative, Steele was known for his vampiric appearance, [ 7 ] [ 8 ] 6 ft 8 in 2. 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 , Steele formed the heavy metal band Fallout. In , 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 In , Steele wrote lyrics for several songs on hardcore punk band Agnostic Front 's second album Cause for Alarm.
In , Carnivore released Retaliation , before splitting up later that year. The band then used the name "Subzero". The album incorporated the thrash elements of Carnivore merged with doom metal. Steele had written the music in the space of one night in the aftermath of a relationship break-up, [ 29 ] 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, , I slashed my wrists.
