Type O Negative guitarist Kenny Hickey reflected on 30 years of the band’s album “October Rust” in a conversation shared by Metal Injection. Hickey explained why he thought some of the material “sounds like crap” and detailed his current work revisiting the tracks.
Hickey was asked, “I mean, when you go back and listen to October Rust, what are you hearing that we’re not?” He opened up about the process of going through the old recordings.
“It’s funny you say that, because now I’ve been going deep into tracks and stuff and editing this live stuff, which is a trip back in time, man,” Hickey said. “I feel like I’m on stage next to Johnny, hearing him count on his hi-hat while he’s drinking beer, you know?”
He then went on to describe the work he’s been doing to touch up some of the material, along with his broader feelings about revisiting old recordings.
“And, you know, some of the stuff I’m layering a little bit of guitar over, trying to enhance a little bit because some of the shit sounds like crap, you know?” Hickey continued. “But revisiting it, I always feel like it could have been better. Always, you know? But I guess I feel like that about everything.”
Hickey’s reflections come amid a broader push to revisit Type O Negative’s archives. This push fits squarely into the legacy of “October Rust” and the band’s ongoing efforts to preserve its live history.
“October Rust” was released in 1996. It remains one of Type O Negative’s defining records. The album peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard 200. It went on to earn a gold certification, cementing it as the band’s strongest commercial showing outside of “Bloody Kisses.” It’s an album widely regarded by fans and critics alike as a high point in the band’s catalog, one that helped define the goth metal sound the band pioneered.
That legacy is now tangled up with the very tape-editing work Hickey described. The “live stuff” he’s layering guitar over is part of a broader project the band has been quietly assembling: a new live album built from vintage recordings, including performances featuring the late Peter Steele.
Hickey has been candid about the album’s progress in recent months. He described it as being in the mixing stage while the band also works on the accompanying artwork. The material draws from the same era of shows Hickey references when he talks about standing next to drummer Johnny Kelly onstage. This explains why revisiting these tapes feels like “a trip back in time.”
“We’re actually working on a live album right now,” Hickey said in a separate conversation. “Yeah, we’re in the mixing process…working on the artwork now.”
The project gives fresh context to Hickey’s admission that some of the older material “sounds like crap.” Rather than simply archiving old shows, he appears to be actively restoring and enhancing them. He’s adding layers of guitar to bring the live recordings closer to the standard he always felt “October Rust” and the band’s catalog deserved.
