The first album is more traditionally metal-sounding, drawing inspiration from Black Sabbath, Motörhead and 1970s Judas Priest, while the second has significant hardcore punk/crossover influence. Both are fit neatly into the speed thrash genre, however. The lyrical themes include nihilism, anti-religious sentiment, a mockery of racism, intolerance, and general human stupidity, a heap of cynicism, and explicit tongue-in-cheek depictions of gore and despair. For example, this line from "Ground Zero Brooklyn" sums up the band fairly well: "I shit my pants as I wait for the reaper!". Song titles like "Jesus Hitler", "Race War", and "God is Dead" are also representative.
The first Type O Negative album, Slow Deep and Hard, was partially composed from material originally written for Carnivore.
Several reunion shows took place over the years. One of the shows was at Wacken Open Air 2006, where they had an 1.25 hour setlist.
Original Carnivore guitarist Keith Alexander died in a biking accident on July 11, 2005.
Peter Steele died on April 14, 2010, at the age of 48.
Predator
Carnivore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Anxiously wait to see the sun and a land as of yet unknown
Gone below to escape the death of the nuclear winter
Ice and darkness due penance for the sinners
Six generations two hundred years later
Their ancestors crawl from their holes
Hungry and frightened and barely surviving
They're tired of living like moles
Than dying meeting the end of the food chain
Teeth yielding pain
I sense that living human beings dwell below my feet
An important source of protein, you are what you eat
Post Armageddon, neo-barbaric,
The nuclear warriors due battle
To satiate our hunger we breed human beings as cattle
Hunting in packs ready for the attack
We eat our prey raw-rabid animals
Frothing and ripping the carcass
We're stripping our own yes we're cannibals
Eat or eaten beat or beaten
I am on my life rest assure a predator
Broken splintered bones, boiling blood
Torn and bleeding skin
Blackened burning flesh melting fat
Amputated limbs
Eviscerated, lungs torn out
Heart ripped from the chest
Decapitated, a meal of
Vagina and breasts
Eyes plucked from sockets, gaping holes
Through which picking brains
Phlebophilia love of blood
Life spills from the veins
I detect the scent of prey by
Her menstruation
You have been chosen the main course
Congratulations!
The song "Predator" by Carnivore talks about a post-apocalyptic scenario where humans have been forced underground by a nuclear winter. The song describes a group of people who have lived in the subways for six generations, waiting anxiously to see the sun and escape the darkness of their lives. They are portrayed as tired of living like moles and waiting to find a way out. Meanwhile, the people on the surface are depicted as struggling to survive, becoming prey to those who now live below.
The lyrics suggest that in this dystopian world, humans have become the main source of food, as suggested by the line "an important source of protein, you are what you eat." The predators described in the song are not only hungry but also cannibalistic. They hunt in packs and eat their prey raw, showing no remorse or empathy for their victims. The graphic verses that follow paint a picture of a society that has lost all morality and humanity, where the strong prey on the weak, and life has no value.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the destructive nature of humanity and the potential horrors that could arise from our disregard for the planet and each other. It also serves as a warning of the consequences of not controlling our actions and respecting the world we live in.
Line by Line Meaning
They live beneath the ruined city call the subways home
These creatures reside in the subway tunnels below the destroyed city and consider it to be their home
Anxiously wait to see the sun and a land as of yet unknown
They eagerly look forward to the prospect of venturing out into the world above and seeing sunlight for the first time
Gone below to escape the death of the nuclear winter
These creatures went underground to avoid the catastrophic effects of the nuclear war and its aftermath experienced above ground
Ice and darkness due penance for the sinners
Surviving in the harsh conditions of the underground is their punishment for the sins of those who brought about the nuclear devastation
Six generations two hundred years later
It has been two hundred years and six generations since their ancestors first moved underground
Their ancestors crawl from their holes
The current generation of these creatures emerges from their underground tunnels
Hungry and frightened and barely surviving
These creatures are struggling to survive and are fearful due to their situation
They're tired of living like moles
These creatures are tired of living underground like animals and want to escape their subterranean existence
Up on the surface a fate worse
Living above ground is a worse fate than the one they currently face underground
Than dying meeting the end of the food chain
There is the constant fear that they would become prey for other animals and be killed
Teeth yielding pain
The only outcome of being hunted above ground would be a painful death
I sense that living human beings dwell below my feet
The artist is aware that there are human beings living underground in their vicinity
An important source of protein, you are what you eat
Humans are seen as a valuable source of protein and these creatures consume them as a means of survival
Post Armageddon, neo-barbaric, The nuclear warriors due battle
After the apocalypse, these creatures have reverted to a primitive state and now engage in battles for resources
To satiate our hunger we breed human beings as cattle
They breed humans like cattle so they can continue to have a source of food
Hunting in packs ready for the attack
These creatures hunt in groups and are constantly on the lookout for their next victim
We eat our prey raw-rabid animals
They eat their human prey raw and are as vicious as rabid animals in doing so
Frothing and ripping the carcass
These creatures are so savage in their attack on humans that they often froth at the mouth and violently rip their prey apart
We're stripping our own yes we're cannibals
These creatures are so desperate for food that they sometimes resort to cannibalism and eat their own kind
Eat or eaten beat or beaten
Their way of survival is to either kill and eat or to be killed and eaten
I am on my life rest assure a predator
The artist is confident in their abilities as a predator and will do whatever it takes to stay that way
Broken splintered bones, boiling blood
When they attack humans, they leave behind a gory scene with crushed bones and hot blood spilling on the ground
Torn and bleeding skin
The humans they attack suffer severe injuries with torn and bleeding skin due to the ferocity of the attack
Blackened burning flesh melting fat
Their preferred method of consuming human flesh results in it becoming burned and blackened, with melting fat and other gruesome effects
Amputated limbs
In some cases, these creatures will amputate human limbs during their attack
Eviscerated, lungs torn out
During their attack, they may eviscerate their human prey and tear out their lungs
Heart ripped from the chest
Their attacks often result in the heart of the human being ripped from their chest
Decapitated, a meal of vagina and breasts
In some cases, these creatures may decapitate their human prey and consume only their private parts
Eyes plucked from sockets, gaping holes
They may pluck out the eyes of their human prey, leaving gaping holes in their faces
Through which picking brains
These creatures sometimes eat the brains of their human prey through the holes left by their removed eyes
Phlebophilia love of blood
These creatures have a fascination and love for human blood, which they believe is essential to their survival
Life spills from the veins
The sight of human blood flowing from their veins is mesmerizing to these creatures
I detect the scent of prey by her menstruation
These creatures can detect the presence of human females through their menstrual scent, marking them as possible prey
You have been chosen the main course congratulations!
The artist has singled out a particular human as their main course and finds it to be a worthy and congratulatory feat
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PETER THOMAS STEELE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
NP138
They live beneath the ruined city call the subways home
Anxiously wait to see the sun and a land as of yet unknown
Gone below to escape the death of the nuclear winter
Ice and darkness due penance for the sinners
Six generations 200 years later
their ancestors crawl from their holes
Hungry and frightened and barely surviving
they're tired of living like moles
Up on the surface a fate worse
than dying meeting the end of the food chain
Teeth yielding pain
I sense that living human beings dwell below my feet
An important source of protein, you are what you eat
Post-Armageddon, neo-barbaric,
the nuclear warriors do battle
to satiate our hunger we breed human beings as cattle
Hunting in packs ready for the attack
we eat our prey raw-rabid animals
Frothing and ripping the carcass we're stripping
devour our own yes we're cannibals
Eat or be eaten beat or be beaten
I am on my life rest assure a predator
Broken splintered bones, boiling blood
Torn and bleeding skin
Blackened burning flesh melting fat
Amputated limbs
eviscerated, lungs torn out
Heart ripped from the chest
Decapitated, a meal of
vagina and breasts
Eyes plucked from sockets, gaping holes
through which pick the brains
Phlebophilia love of blood
Life spills from the veins
I detect the scent of prey by
her menstruation
You have been chosen the main course
Congratulations!
Bon Appetite!
Nick Cirillo
This album saved my life..
It taught me how to survive underground throughout the NYC subway system tunnels while nuclear warheads blasted man kind back into the stone age above ground. Then the battles with half-man half savage man mutants from the fallout followed. Was hell on earth.. Flesh eating carnivore beasts wanted my ass. I did not see the sky nor sun for years.. But, us humans fought & bred and overcame WW4..
Rachel Moore
I honestly thought type o was a middle aged girl band thing, but it is pretty cool to see all you young stuffs paying attention to "our lord and savior." He was a very considerate and gentle person with the most dismantling and self deprecating sense of humor. Loved cats and toilets.
nsr
don't make fun of it. It happened. I was there.
Xanys
Chris McDaniel fuck yeah
Chris McDaniel
@hostile graveyard That's when our Lord and savior Pete Steel come a back from hell to cross the Danube on a dragon head boat to fight the Chinese to give every American the right to pillage aboriginals.
Benedictine Convulsions
this record kicks so much fucking ass i literally have gone full speed with my bike down on steep hills with this track best shit to come out of late 80s hands fucking down
Mike Philp
One of my all time favourite bands.🤘🤘🤘🇨🇦
Machias Music Man
55 and still cranking this!
MrBizzac0110
Long Live Peter Steele!
R.I.P.
Ryan L
this version sounds so much more organic, since its a vinyl upload oh the clarity is amazing the cd cannot duplicate this sound. i can literally hear each guitar chord clearly. i need to hit ebay or the used vinyl market for a copy of this no matter how much the cost is....