Carnivore was an American Thrash Metal band formed in Brooklyn, New York by Peter Steele (of Type O Negative fame), and was formed out of the ruins of the Brooklyn hard rock group Fallout in 1982.
The band released Carnivore in January 1986. For the first album, the band spelled their names in what they thought were "exotic" ways. For instance, Louis Beateaux instead of Beato. In September 1987 they released Retaliation. Soon after the second album was released, the band broke up and Peter Steele formed a new band called Subzero, which would later be renamed Type O Negative. According to the sleeve notes of the "Top Shelf Edition" of their second album, the first Type O Negative album, Slow Deep and Hard was composed largely from material originally written for Carnivore.
Despite being disbanded for many years, the band has been reactivated on several occasions, including a brief tour in 1996 and a longer one (which included a European leg) in 2006-2007. The former members of Carnivore performed sporadic concerts in New York during the 1990s, but no formal tours or new releases were undertaken. However, a new lineup of the band performed at the Wacken Open Air in 2006 at the request of the promoters and subsequently undertook an extensive international tour.
Peter Steele died April 14, 2010, thus ending the reunion.
The first Carnivore album was heavily influenced by the contemporary New York metal scene. It also drew inspiration from Black Sabbath and 1970s Judas Priest, whereas the second album had significant crossover influences. The 'post-apocalyptic' theme that dominated the first album and was carried onto parts of the second album, was apparently inspired by a dream Pete Steele had and which became the basis for the lyrics of "Predator", the first song from the original album. The lyrical theme was then expanded on to describe human society (or the lack of one) between imaginary World Wars 3, 4 and possibly 5 (as referenced in the song 'World Wars 3 & 4'). Other lyrical themes included nihilism, anti-religious sentiment, cynicism, and explicit but tongue-in-cheek depictions of gore and despair. Song titles such as "Jesus Hitler", "Race War", and "God is Dead" reflect these themes.
- Keith Alexander - guitar (1984–1986) "Carnivore" the 1986 LP studio release.
- Peter Steele − vocals, bass guitar
- Louie Beato − drums
- Marc Piovanetti − guitar, vocals (Crumbsuckers)
- Peter Steele − vocals, bass guitar (Type O Negative)
- Paul Bento − guitar (Metal Health Association)
- Steve Tobin − drums (Metal Health Association, Mike Orlando's Sonic Stomp, Dust to Dust)
- Joey Z. − guitar, additional vocals (Life of Agony/Stereomud)
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