On _OR_, Type O have somewhat shifted their darkened, aggressive tendencies into a more eloquent and seductive method of pleasing the listener this time out. The music on _OR_ is a very sinister, yet ethereal dose of gothic mayhem (VERY Sisters Of Mercy-ish) bounded by overwhelming guitar riffs, haunting vocals, and atmospheric keyboards. The band has once again set their goals on achieving success with their latest long player, and to tour extensively, something they did (2 years of touring) with _BK_.

Sitting with keyboardist/producer Josh Silver (the band is rounded out by bassist/singer Peter Steele, drummer Johnny Kelly, and guitarist Kenny Hickey) it isn't hard to sense the compassion and the admiration he has for Type O's new release and the direction the band is now headed.

"The album we have created is a natural evolution. I think many bands find a click or sound that works with them and they stick with it," points out Silver. "We don't do that. We try to be as different as we can and we never try to repeat ourselves and what we do. Just because _BK_ was successful or did well doesn't mean we are going to make _BK II_. We have such an admiration for bands like The Beatles who put out a variety of stuff."

The album, which Silver calls "psychedelic, sexual, smooth, and satirical," is a rather assorted supply of melodic pieces of music and full of trademark Type O sounds. Silver agrees. "I think that this album has some of the elements we used with _BK_, and some of the ideas and sounds of _Slow, Deep and Hard_ (1991). To me this is where the band was always going." He adds, "It was never intentional to write melodic or commercial songs. We do what we do and I think that will bring in more fans, ultimately, than be what we are not."

"Recording is an experimental process that never ends," states Silver about the making of the record. "I mean, when we were in the studio mixing the record, we were changing things around. I don't think this record came easier or harder for us. We were under a different set of conditions to work under and we adapted to it."

The album _OR_ was recorded in a short period of time following the finale of the _BK_ tour and the start up of this tour. The band, with Silver and Steele producing, took time to get the mood and sounds right for them on _OR_. Sure there was some pressure from labels and fans to repeat success, there always is, but Silver says there are ultimate methods to block those pressures out. "We take lots of drugs trying to forget about the whole business end of it while recording. If it sounds good to us then we'll do it but if we are not happy, then there is no point in doing it."

Silver also notes that bands do change, and the years of touring and road experience do bring about changes, something Type O has witnessed. He smirks and says, "Man... if you are the same person you were six years ago, then you are in deep shit and something is really wrong."

Silver, who is 33, says that as things evolve and the band grows, his views of the industry shift. He has been exposed to the ways of the industry and has had to find ways to get by and still remain the same person. But things have changed. Confident that he will be involved in the music industry in years to come, whether it be in the band or behind the table twiddling knobs as a producer, Silver is still figuring out what his role will be. "We are not seventeen year-olds in a band thinking, 'I want to do this for the rest of my life.' I don't know what I will be doing in the years to come. I know it will have something to do with music. I know that being in a band is tough; I chose this way to go, but being on the road 3 or 4 years does rip apart your life. It was my choice to do this and in your life you make lots of choices and sometimes you don't know what the consequences will be. You give it a shot, go out on a limb, and take it from there. What else is there to do in life? You are here, this is the waiting room for death so try to make something good out of it."

About the whole view of the band being seen as evil, women hating racists, Silver says, "I think people misunderstand us or take us way too seriously. We don't take ourselves seriously as well. We are not out to preach, think we are gonna move people or change the world. We are not setting out to do that and we don't plan to do that. We express our feelings, but there is also a lot of camp and satire in what we do."

He closes by saying, "Sometimes misconception works for you and sometimes it works against you, but either way it is funny to see people's interpretation of your music and what you do."