Carnivore was a crossover thrash metal band from Brooklyn, NY, who existed from 1982 until 1990. The band was fronted by vocalist/bassist/songwriter Peter Steele and formed from the ashes of Steele's previous band, , which also included Carnivore drummer Louis Beateaux. The original band was rounded out by guitarist Keith Alexander, who was replaced in 1986 by Marc Piovanetti. Carnivore released 2 albums and often came under fire for their lyrical content, which critics deemed as sexist, racist, and/or anti-religious, although most of the band's songs were done tongue-in-cheek and meant to outrage listeners. The band also had ties to Agnostic Front. Steele contributed lyrics to AF's 1986 LP "Cause For Alarm", which also featured Louis Beateaux playing drums. After Carnivore's split, Steele formed Type O Negative. Type O Negative's first album, "Slow, Deep, And Hard", featured a number of songs originally written for Carnivore.

In 2006, Steele resurrected the band with a whole new line-up for live shows.

Original Carnivore guitarist Keith Alexander died in July, 2005 in a bicycle accident.
Peter Steele died in April, 2010, from heart failure.