Ex-TYPE O NEGATIVE Guitarist KENNY HICKEY Would 'Absolutely' Be Into Playing 'A Dozen Shows' In Tribute To PETER STEELE

In a new interview with Cassius Morris, ex-TYPE O NEGATIVE guitarist Kenny Hickey once again spoke about the possibility of teaming up with the other surviving members of TYPE O NEGATIVE to stage a Peter Steele tribute concert with various guest musicians. Asked if former TYPE O NEGATIVE keyboardist Josh Silver, who is married to Kenny's wife's sister, is still unwilling to commit to a Steele tribute project, having spent a long time working for New York City as a paramedic, Kenny said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "He doesn't wanna do it. So maybe it'll take some convincing…"

Asked why he thinks Josh doesn't want to do it, Kenny said: "He would have to answer that question. He was always the kind of guy who's 150% guy. If he's not 150%, then he's not gonna do it. He's got other things going on. So, we'll see. We'll see how things pan out. Maybe he won't have other things going on in the near future."

As for whether he and ex-TYPE O NEGATIVE drummer Johnny Kelly are still open to taking part in a Peter Steele tribute, Kenny said: "We would be into doing it in a tribute fashion, yeah. Yes. It would be cool to do maybe a dozen shows or something like that. Have some great stand-in singer — [or] singers — it would be a cool thing to do. Absolutely."

Kenny also once again confirmed that a full-length concert recording from the long-defunct band is being prepared for an official release. "It's in the works right now, so it might take a month or whatever to get it together," he explained. "And then it will probably be at least a couple of months after that before it's released. Hopefully [it will be out] by the end of the year."

TYPE O NEGATIVE effectively broke up after the passing of frontman Peter Steele in April 2010 from heart failure at the age of 48. Born Petrus T. Ratajczyk on January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York, he stood 6' 7" (201 cm) tall, and had a low, bass-heavy voice, which was one of the most recognizable features in TYPE O NEGATIVE's music.

Before forming TYPE O NEGATIVE, Steele played for the metal group FALLOUT and the thrash band CARNIVORE.

TYPE O NEGATIVE, known for its brooding soundscapes and cult status in the 1990s and early 2000s, has recently seen a cultural resurgence as new generations discover the band's genre-defining music.

TYPE O NEGATIVE was a New York–based goth metal band formed in 1990 by Steele, alongside Hickey, Silver and drummer Sal Abruscato — later replaced by Kelly. Their 1991 debut, "Slow, Deep And Hard", introduced their brooding style, followed by the provocative "The Origin Of The Feces" (1992). TYPE O NEGATIVE achieved breakthrough success with "Bloody Kisses" (1993),which earned a cult following and featured the single "Black No. 1". The band continued to evolve with albums such as "October Rust" (1996),"World Coming Down" (1999),"Life Is Killing Me" (2003) and "Dead Again" (2007).

Revered for their distinctive blend of goth and metal, as well as Steele's deep, iconic vocals, TYPE O NEGATIVE left a lasting legacy in heavy music. The band concluded in 2010 following Steele's death, but their influence endures across the alternative and metal landscape.

Last October, Hickey told Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio that "a lot of people" had approached the surviving members of TYPE O NEGATIVE about staging some kind of Steele tribute. "There are a lot of agents [contacting us]. There's money in it, so the more the value goes up, the more they're gonna hound us."

As for Silver's unwillingness to commit to the project, Hickey said: "Josh is really, at this point, he's very resistant. But we'll see. We don't know what's gonna happen. Josh is about to retire [from his job as a paramedic] soon, so we don't know what's gonna happen. It all depends on how much money it's worth and how much is waved [in front of us]."

Asked if he has a particular singer, or several vocalists, in mind as far as whom he would want to front TYPE O NEGATIVE for such a concert or tour, Kenny said: "No, no. It's a very hard thing to get my head around. If something really gets concrete, then I'll really start thinking about it and painting over it, because there's [also] the issue of the bass playing. [Peter's] bass playing was more unique than his vocals. Deep, baritone vocals — a lot of people with a deep voice could do that shit and roll your Rs… But his bass plan was very, very unique."

Back in June 2023, Hickey was asked by Loaded Radio if he was surprised by the enduring popularity of his former band, now 15 years after the passing of the TYPE O NEGATIVE frontman. He responded: "Yeah. It's surprising, and I'm very grateful for it. I mean, the band has transcended, which is amazing. It's reached a whole new generation. We're doing better than we were doing before Peter passed. [Laughs] [There's] a whole resurgence on it. Which is good. It's a testament to the work we put into it and the honesty we put into it and the years of sweat. There was realism to the music."

Hickey also once again talked about the possibility of him and the other surviving members of TYPE O NEGATIVE staging a Peter Steele tribute concert with various guest musicians. He said: "People have approached us to try and reform the band with a singer and go on the road. 'Cause everybody wants a money grab. We personally don't think Peter is replaceable by anybody, and it just wouldn't work."

He continued: "A tribute I'd love to do. I'm sure Johnny would love to do it. I know Josh wouldn't do it, because Josh is picking up body parts in East New York [during his work as a paramedic]. He's not gonna stop that to start rehearsing. But yeah, we would do it with guest musicians and stuff. If somebody had the idea and got it together and got the logistics together, sure — I would be into it."

When Penfold noted that Kelly previously picked HEART's Ann Wilson as a singer he would like to tackle Steele's parts during a hypothetical tribute concert, Hickey said: "Ann Wilson would be great, but she probably never heard of us."

As for whom he would choose to sing at such an event, Kenny said: "Axl Rose [of GUNS N' ROSES]." He added that "it would be very fucking cool" to hear Axl sing a song like TYPE O's "Love You To Death".