11/13 @ Empire Underground, Albany
Photos provided
“We were all good friends and we were peers. We all influenced each other. At this point, it feels like we're representing that era just as much as paying tribute to the original Carnivore lineup.”
Pete Steele passed away at the young age of 48 in 2010, not without leaving a lasting impact on heavy music through his bands Carnivore and Type O Negative. The earlier band was short-lived, only lasting 1982-1987; however, they released two groundbreaking thrash metal albums, with the first Type O Negative album consisting of material that was supposed to be the third album of Carnivore. After a few reunions and Steele’s passing, original members decided to bring the band back as Carnivore A.D. out of respect for Steele’s legacy and the Carnivore catalogue in 2017, introducing a new bass player and vocalist in Steele’s place, Baron Misuraca, who has now been the band leader for almost a decade. I had the chance to speak with him in anticipation of their show at Empire Underground on November 13.
Part of two one-offs (one being in Rochester on the 14th), Carnivore A.D. makes their debut at Empire Underground after two previous trips to Albany. With them, they bring a moment with them; Brooklyn’s heavy music scene from the 80s will be on full display. Misuraca wasn’t tapped to be Steele’s “replacement” at random. He was actually a contemporary of Steele and the band through the scene, and he and the band see it as a tremendous honor.
“We take this very, very seriously. We all came from the same music scene in New York City as Pete and Louis (Beato), so it's more, uh, it's almost more like a family thing,” he explains. “We were all good friends, and we were peers. We all influenced each other. At this point, it feels like we're representing that era just as much as paying tribute to the original Carnivore lineup.”
Naturally, a huge piece of that tribute is playing the classic Carnivore repertoire from their two historic albums, Carnivore and Retaliation. Albums that are both cerebral and barbaric at the same time, combining a high level of musicianship with at times extremely dark, satirical examinations of society. Misuraca tells me that it’s something he hopes the band is able to convey to younger generations.
“I hope the newer generation picks up on the quality of music that was produced by Pete and the original band— the intelligence of the lyrical content and the dedication to its fans.”
Of course, the lyrical content caused a lot of controversy, something that has not escaped this new iteration either. Carnivore A.D. released a critically acclaimed EP in March of ‘25, which unfortunately had many accusations of AI use levied against it— particularly with the cover art. The backlash received was baffling to the band, as they worked with a digital artist in Europe through their label, Apostasy Records, who went over pre-existing designs with a stylus attached to software.
“I'm a very fierce critic of AI. The final product was done by an artist. A lot of people got that wrong, and quite frankly, we were surprised to hear that there was any backlash about that.” He goes on to say, “Obviously, we're obviously in support of real musicians and real artists, and this is a very crazy time right now with AI, no question about that. But that is the final word on that.”
Joining Carnivore A.D. on the bill are Blindsided, Remnants of Nothing, Brainwasher, and Alder Creek, a local band who “is about playing heavy-ass deathcore and kicking some ass— moshing till you can’t mosh anymore. Tuning to drop F and playing heavy as shit,” according to guitarist John Shahen. Demonstrating the lasting impact Carnivore and Peter Steele have had on younger artists, Shahen adds
“It’s really cool to be on the bill with guys who were in the New York metal scene with guys who would go on to become legends, now paying tribute to them— and it’s always good to be back at Empire Underground.”
There are still tickets remaining, which you can purchase here or get physical tickets directly from one of the opening bands (at a discounted rate).
