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Six Feet Under originally started as a side project of Cannibal Corpse vocalist Chris Barnes and former Obituary guitarist Allen West. Eventually Six Feet Under became a full-time band after Barnes quite Cannibal Corspe. The band also featured ex-Death bassist Terry Butler and drummer Greg Gall.
Six Feet Under - Alive & Dead (Metal Blade) 1996
1. "Insect"
(3:00)
2. "Drowning" (3:02)
3. "Grinder" (4:03)
4. "Suffering in Ecstasy" [live] (2:35)
5. "Human Target" [live] (3:10)
6. "Lycanthropy" [live] (4:30)
7. "Beneath a Black Sky" [live] (3:01)
I must confess I am not much of a fan of death metal. There are a few bands I dig, but my interest in this album was purely for the Judas Priest cover, "Grinder." (Cookie Monster would be proud of S.F.U.'s interpretation of the song.) I saw this used for $2.99 and decided to pick it up for that song alone. However, the whole disc ended up being pretty darn good and I started a quest to find other CDs by this band. Six Feet Under are good old school, grunt and grind death metal!
Six Feet Under - Warpath (Metal Blade) 1997
1. "War Is Coming" (3:15)
2. "Nonexistence" (3:34)
3. "A Journey Into Darkness" (2:17)
4. "Animal Instinct" (4:49)
5. "Death or Glory" (2:52)
6. "Burnnig Blood" (3:58)
7. "Manipulation" (2:51)
8. "4:20" (4:24)
9. "Revenge of The Zombie" (2:50)
10. "As I Die" (3:54)
11. "Night Visions" (3:07)
I posted on a metal discussion board about these guys not to long ago and the verdict was pretty much unanimous, "Six Feet Under sucks". Hmmm, why is that? "Warpath" is certainly not sellout mall metalcore. There is nothing complicated, nothing progressive nor anything symphonic about Six Feet Under. They are not following any popular trends. Rather they just play riff primitive, bang yer head, fists in the air, never gonna leave the garage, sloppy, grunt death metal. The mix is thick and heavy and the overall mood is aggressive. So why the heck does everyone I asked hate them? Seems people think they are too simplistic. OK, I can see that! So what! Shoot, look at AC/DC! They have rocked us for decades playing the same basic blues based boogie formula. Judas Priest has had some of the most simplistic drumming ever recorded. Not everything has to be complicated to be enjoyed. Perhaps Six Feet Under are not the greatest or most seasoned musicians in the world, but they sure can get your head to banging. My particular copy comes in a neon green jewel case. Have read that "Warpath" was also released in a regular clear jewel case.
Six Feet Under - Graveyard Classics (Metal Blade) 1999
1. "Holocaust"
(4:39)
2. "TNT" (3:29)
3. "Sweet Leaf" (5:22)
4. "Piranha" (3:50)
5. "Son of a Bitch" (3:39)
6. "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" (2:39)
7. "Confused" (2:51)
8. "California Über Alles" (3:40)
9. "Smoke on the Water" (5:24)
10. "Blackout" (3:43)
11. "Purple Haze" (2:52)
12. "In League With Satan" (3:58)
In general I think death metal bands covering classic metal songs is a bad idea. Just about every track I have ever heard sucked royally. In general the death growls along with guitars that are tuned way to low just ruin the songs, rather than make them heavier or more brutal. However, I really dug Six Feet Under's cover of Judas Priest's "Grinder" that was released on their "Alive & Dead" EP a few years ago. I also thought that Arch Enemy's version of Priest's "Starbreaker" and Iron Maiden's "Aces High", were awesome. So it was mostly for novelty sake that I picked up this disc. Chris Barnes is one of the originators of death metal, so I sort of figured if anyone could pull off quality death metal versions of Savatage, Scorpions and Accept, he could. Well, for the most part this album is nothing more than what I originally had thought, a novelty. Listen to it once or twice and the novelty wears off. For the most part the music to the songs is played note for note, sounding much like the originals. However, when the growling vocals begin, they just sound, well, dumb. This is especially true on songs like Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf", AC/DC's "TNT", Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" and especially Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze." This particular song is just horrendous. Savatage's "Holocaust" and Accept's "Son of A Bitch" don't sound bad. I actually think the inclusion of Savatage was quite cool, as few bands have paid homage to those guys. The song that was the best on this disc, and the one song that does seem to lend itself better to death metal is Exodus' "Piranha." I suppose since death metal was an offshoot of thrash metal, this explains the successful marriage. Another song that was interesting to me was "Blackout". On this particular song the record company brought in Anthrax/Armored Saint vocalist John Bush to sing the verses and some of the choruses. The mix of vocal styles actually makes for an interesting cover although Chris had to mess things up with his impromptu expletive. Death vocals are just too one dimensional and unexciting for most of these classic songs, but then that has been my beef with death metal from the very beginning. Oh, there is also the Venom track, which sucked to begin with.
Six Feet Under - Graveyard Classics II (Metal Blade) 2004
1. "Hell's Bells" (5:11)
2. "Shoot To Thrill" (5:18)
3. "What Do You Do For Money Honey?" (3:36)
4. "Givin' The Dog A Bone" (3:33)
5. "Let Me Put My Love Into You" (4:15)
6. "Back In Black" (4:24)
7. "You Shook Me All Night Long" (3:30)
8. "Have A Drink On Me" (3:58)
9. "Shake A Leg" (4:04)
10. "Rock 'N' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" (4:19)
Check any metal review site for a review of this CD and you will find nothing but negative remarks, many that are even hostile. Everyone and their mother seem to hate this CD with a passion. However, I find it to be freakin' hilarious!!! This album is AC/DC's "Back In Black" covered in its entirety with death metal vocals and downtuned guitars! The band sticks pretty close to the original songs, but man, those vocals. What a riot! Yes, I suppose this CD is a bit of a novelty, but so what! It's fun. I think people have forgotten that aspect of heavy metal. I think metalheads have lost sight of what rock and metal is all about due to their obsession with technical ability, mass production, and taking themselves just a bit too serious. Metal was about raw unbrideled passion, energy, emotion and fun. Six Feet Under have released something that I think embodies this attitude. I find "Graveyard Classics" to be fun and funny at the same time. I wouldn't doubt that Chris Barnes and his grunt and grind crew knew that they would ensure the wrath of 95% of the death metal community with this release. For that I applaud them. Count me in with the 5% that get it. Keep 'em coming SFU. "YOU shook me allll night looong..."