Carnivore

Larger than life metal bassist/singer Pete Steele got his start as the frontman for Brooklyn's hardcore metal trio Carnivore (which also included members Louie Beateaux on drums, and two different guitarists -- first Keith Alexander, then Marc Piovanetti) in the mid-'80s. Much more straight-ahead thrash metal than Steele's future goth outfit Type O Negative, Carnivore created some controversy among timid listeners with such song titles as "Jesus Hitler" and "Angry Neurotic Catholics." But unlike most other similarly styled bands of the era, Carnivore didn't take themselves as seriously: just check out the gross-out album opening track, "Jack Daniels and Pizza," from their sophomore effort. The trio issued a pair of recordings during their brief career -- 1986's self-titled debut and 1987's Retaliation (both issued on the Roadrunner Records label) -- before splitting up. Steele was able to retain Carnivore's following (as well as vastly expanding on it) with Type O Negative, a group that he launched in the early '90s. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi