Thirty years in and Six Feet Under return with refocused, groove power assault that pushes back against recent criticism.

SIX FEET UNDER

Whether Chris Barnes left Cannibal Corpse voluntarily or was pushed in 1995 is subject to debate, though his focus on Six Feet Under at the time suggests the latter.  Three decades on, SFU remain with Metal Blade Records and continue to prove that there is a market for SFU’s death metal.  With 18 albums plus a slew of EPs and live releases the band’s discography is comprehensive and cements their place in the death metal landscape.  

Despite their longevity the band has been continually maligned since 1995’s Haunted which I have found misplaced, though I accept the band has some dodgy releases in their history. Much of the criticism has been aimed at Barnes’ vocals, which whilst possessing a decent growl has seen him add squeals which has long divided listeners reaching a peak with 2020’s Nightmares Of The Decomposed. That album was widely vilified, not only for the vocals, but for what many deemed as terrible cover art, a sentiment I share, though I did like the overall music on the album. Fortunately, 2024’s Killing For Revenge offered some rectification to put the band back on a steady trajectory.

NEXT TO DIE

Next To Die, the band’s 15^th non-covers album, continues the refocused energy on Killing For Revenge with twelve tracks of stoner fused deathly groove as Barnes has abandoned the much-criticised squeals thankfully. SFU have always been about grisly down-tuned sonic gore as Approach Your Grave lumbers in with an Obituary like riff before shifting into chug-filled groove. Despite my reservations at using this track as the opener, which makes sense when you hear the closer, its sludge soaked aura sets the stage for the far more aggressive and speedy Destroyed Remains that follows.

MUTILATED CORPSE IN THE WOODS

SFU’s trademark for groove infested riffs is intact as Mutilated Corpse In The Woods delivers thick weighty riffs and heavier drum work while Unmistakable Smell Of Death ups the pace with borderline double kick blasts. Stop-start riffing injects melody alongside Barnes’ guttural growling, without a squeal in earshot. Like the opener Wrath And Terror Takes Command drops into an Obituary styled crawl, the treble-starved production steeped in choking darkness as fans of the band’s death ‘n’ roll edge will relish the sludgy swagger of Skin Coffins.

GRASPED FROM BEYOND

Detractors will no doubt scoff at the familiar gore-drenched lyrics, yet Grasped From Beyond delivers strong deathly groove that carries into the penultimate title track. While much of this album follows a similar template, the title track uses an eerie lead break to leave Ill Wishes as the albums closer.  Like the opener it slows into stoner-tinged disembowelling riffage where a whispered growl and calm guitar bleeds into the oppressive doom-death heaviness. Referring back to album’s opener, and whether deliberate or not, they create sonic bookends enshrouding the body of the album with an oppressive creeping darkness.

In the end Next To Die stands as a cohesive reminder that SFU’s sludge soddened death metal still has bite and has kept them alive for decades. 

Six Feet Under: Bandcamp

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