Type O Negative's Peter Steele was one of the greatest musicians, singers and songwriters who ever walked this earth. Though it's been more than a decade since Peter left us, far too soon, the legacy of Peter and Type O Negative continues to grow. There will never be a replacement for Peter. Not even close. Certainly there are some bands who clearly took/take their cues from Type O, for example Woods of Ypres (which was the brainchild of David Gold, who also died far too young), but none yet have risen to the level of straight up Type O Negative worship that comes at the hands of the mysterious new act, Neon Nightmare.
We don't know much about Neon Nightmare other than the fact that this individual (assuming it's one person) wants to create a tribute-like experience to the Drab Four without being a cover band. Certainly Type O cover bands exist, such as Dead Again, but Neon Nightmare plays a unique card here, straddling the liminal space as something between a tribute band, a parody and, perhaps, a clone.
The first single released by Neon Nightmare was "Lost Silver." Right from the get-go you're going to hear shades of "Love You to Death" from Type O's legendary October Rust record. There's a little "September Sun" in there as well about six minutes in. Even a hint of "Anesthesia" in the keys here about 45 seconds in as well, which is ironic, given the song title, "Lost Silver" and the fact that Josh Silver was the famed keyboardist for Type O.
"It's All Over (For You)" sounds a great deal like "Green Man." "LATW2TG" is going to remind you of "An Ode to Locksmiths." "She's Drowning" will bring back thoughts of "Be My Druidess." The resemblances are uncanny, by design, it appears.
Neon Nightmare trades Type O's famous Pantone Green 369 for an unknown shade of blue, and the band's merch parodies Type O's merch from back in the day. Everything about this band is derivative, but for me, that's ok. I know I'll never hear music from Peter and Type O Negative again. And with this notion, Peter might say "I can't believe how cruel life is." So given the fact that Peter will only live on in our hearts, I'll take Neon Nightmare. While the keys don't quite sound as full as Silver's and the vocals are close to Peter – but not quite there, I can't help but to really like the songs on this record.
If you've been following the internet chatter about Neon Nightmare (and there is much of this), there's been a great deal of speculation exactly who is behind this band. Is it former members of Type O? Is it Youtuber Dennis Pauna (who does an amazing Peter imitation). Is it a combination of both? Is it someone else? Neon Nightmare's label is keeping this under wraps. And if you're wondering if I know who it is, I don't. But I do know this – while Faded Dreams is no substitute for Type O, I'll certainly take it.
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