Undead

Although I’ve always enjoyed most dissonant and chaotic technical death metal acts such as Suffocation or Nile for instance, I also appreciate bands that sacrifice part of their potential brutality for the sake of catchiness. In the end, good ol’rock ‘n’ roll songs had it all, didn’t they? I’m positive that’s exactly the kind of logic that groovier rocker metal musicians follow when writing their shit. That’s also the reason why Chris Barnes leading SFU receives my attention whenever releasing new stuff.

Know something starting right now: not everybody hates SFU for not being Cannibal Corpse, nor for the lots of heavy metal and rock covers they’ve put out over the years. Au contraire, some of us have actually dug those ones. But I ain’t to discuss anything to do with covers here, as “Undead” consists on twelve DM new tracks. In Barnes’ himself words, “I’m super excited about the new record. It’s a rejuvenation…”, so let’s see.

May I say the term rejuvenation appears to me as an exaggeration (it rhymes!), as what one can listen at first is a back to the basics record withdrawing back to a very traditional form of death metal. First six tracks encompass simpleton riffs and super bass growls as expected in almost any DM release… 20 years ago. Like it or not, I don’t think this qualifies as a new youth for this veterans.

As to me, the album is divided into two, although this is just a personal view; as said above, first six tracks are quite conventional death metal, which DOESN’T mean at all they’re bad, just… conventional, while tracks 7-12 sound much more like groovy death ‘n’ roll songs, and therefore, catchier and less aggressive. You just need to listen to the opening riff for “Reckless”, and you’ll know exactly what to expect from the rest of the album.

Perhaps the only thing that’s sort of new here, and perhaps again it has to do with the addition of guitar player Rob Arnold, bass player Jeff Hughell, and drummer Kevin Talley, who all together add a certain air of technicality truly new in a S.F.U. record. In the guitar department, it’s more evident that whoever of the two spent some more time writing and arranging figures, and choosing the right pedal effect for each one.

So, is “Undead” a must record this year? Maybe not, yet it’s quite enjoyable. Simply put, if you’ve hated Barnes ever since kicked out from CC, SFU’s clear tendency to play catchy DM tunes, and their previous releases, you’re gonna hate this one too; if you haven’t, it might be a good idea to check it out. If you asked me, I’d say it’s exactly the kind of record I would listen while having a cold beer. By the by, I’m having one of those at the moment, so… Cheers! My fave song? I almost forgot! “Delayed Combustion Device” it is.

—Originally written for www.globaldomination.se

Six Feet Under has never been a band that many people, including myself, ever took seriously. From their own written work to their cover albums, they have been pretty much the laughing stock of the death metal genre. However, that was before they released their 12th album. “Undead”, the first part of a double album, shows more maturity, musicianship, and determination in any of their previous efforts.

Believe it or not, vocals are much more tolerable. Let's face it, Chris Barnes has not had a good vocal performance since his work on "Tomb of the Mutilated". In this record, however, it seems like he pushed himself a lot more. He has not in any way regained his previous vocal level, but they are at least tolerable. There aren't any highs in the album, which is a huge plus. For many of the songs, Barnes tends to chant the choruses. The lyrics are typical Barnes, so no changes there. The growls are pretty good, and have an interesting sound to them that is quite unique. I'm not sure if this was planned, or if they are so shot that they come out that way. Whatever the case may be, they sound pretty cool.

The riffs are quite, maybe even very catchy. On the second track of the album, "Formaldehyde", the rhythm is pretty much present throughout, until you get to the solo. The solo is very brief, but gives the song a nice little change to it. Many of the songs on the record have cool and catchy elements, and makes for a nice album to head bang to, if that's your thing. There aren't any amazing guitar solos or drum solos or anything like that. This record seems to be just a lot of catchy riffs and tolerable/somewhat cool growls. There really isn't much to say, it's a very simple record, but it's good. The riffs have to be the highlight. I love catchy riffs on any album, which is probably why I enjoyed this so much. If you like riffs, you should love "Undead", so give it a chance.

When I heard "Six Feet Under" put out a listenable record, my first reaction was "yeah, right." However, it's true. "Undead" is a decent album, and in "Six Feet Under" standards, is a great album. I never thought I would ever say it for as long as I lived, but I am looking forward to their next album. The second part of the album, "Unborn", comes out in early 2013, and will most likely have the same elements that were present in "Undead". One thing I would like to hear in "Unborn" that was lacking in "Undead" are guitar solos. There were very few, and putting more in make for a more dynamic and better album all around. But for "Six Feet Under", this is good work.

With this album, Six Feet Under has indeed chosen to kill you slowly, methodically, and brutally with unrelenting old school death metal. Opening with one of the heaviest songs on the album, 'Frozen at the Moment of Death' rips your skull in half with fast guitar riffs and blast beats that are brought to perfection through Chris Barnes signature vocals, which sound more corpse-like and demonic than recent efforts. The song is subtlety complimented with 'bass drops' that are delivered at the most opportune times in order to increase the heaviness tenfold and put a wicked smile on my face in the process. The production is death metal exemplified with a hint of sludge added for good measure.

The next song titled 'Formaldehyde' jumps straight into solid blast beat before filling into crushing riffs. Such a intro showcases the new drummers beastly talents which can be highly appreciated throughout this entire album. The new drummer is an upgrade indeed and brings to the table unseen skill. This song, like all of them, is short and sweet (no bullshit or overstayed welcomes).

Once the song '18 Days' comes around you are treated with groove-laden and times slightly chugging guitars with lyrics that nostalgically remind you of the old days of Cannibal Corpse and also delivered in a similar fashion vocally. The lyrics on the whole album cover the usual topics of murder, necrophilia, and all-out gore but written in the unmatched style of Chris Barnes who dominates in such categories.

The song 'Molest Dead' (a great fucking title) will have you no doubt head banging to the well executed groove only to break into the catchy chant "Out drains your blood in buckets!" This is just one example in which you will find yourself succumbing to the infectious lyrical/vocal arrangements and singing (or should I say growling) along.

Other songs such as 'Delayed Combustion Device' or 'Vampire Apocalypse' are phenomenal because they deliver old school death metal laced with lively groove. Overall this album is a perfect blend of classic Six Feet Under and Barnes-era Cannibal Corpse with no filler! Not to mention the cover art is quite unique and really compliments the atmosphere. I've heard people say this album is only decent because it does not reinvent the wheel but if you are looking for something progressive then you are obviously looking in the wrong place. This is old school metal to the fucking bone and should be reviewed as such. If you are a fan of Barnes or old school death then you should highly enjoy this release.

Since their inception Six Feet Under has undergone lots of legitimate and harsh criticism about their style of death ‘n’ roll, yet Chris Barnes (vocals; ex-Cannibal Corpse) and friends never seems to let it bother them too much. The last work of Six Feet Under I checked out was back in 2003 when “Bringer Of Blood” was hot off the presses, which resulted in one of the most ham-fisted and unintentionally hilarious music video ever being produced for ‘Amerika the Brutal’, and like the rest of the world I was greatly underwhelmed by it. I honestly have not been able to make it through an entire Six Feet Under album whilst completely sober in years. I just thought it couldn’t be done because each one of their albums are as abysmal as the last. There has always been something so ridiculously mediocre about the way the band took their musical approach. But what about now?

It is my belief that Six Feet Under wishes for ”Undead” to be an olive branch to the unmerciful legions that the band has subjected their uninhibited musical terror upon during their near twenty year existence, and do you want to know something? This will make me sound crazy, but they may very well be on their way to crafting a respectable death metal album for the first time in their career.

‘Frozen At the Moment of Death’ and ‘Formaldehyde’ open up the album with straight-forward death metal, if not a little melodic in nature, but none-the-less is engaging, which is a major surprise in of itself. I was even tapping my feet to the rhythmic older Cannibal Corpse-like flow of ’18 Days’. I was amazed that while the rock-and-roll elements were still very much present in Six Feet Under‘s compositions that they were taking a much needed backseat to their death metal counterpart. Unfortunately once I had gotten to ‘Missing Victims’ things were getting a little less consistent.

One of the major reasons why I was never a fan of Six Feet Under is because I have not enjoyed the way they implement the their death ‘n’ roll. Bands like Gorefest and Entombed were able to do it just fine, but, in my opinion, Six Feet Under has never been able to make that concept work for them. The entire second half of “Undead” (with the exception of ‘Near Death Experience’) is the exact reason why I never pay this band any attention. I was nearly falling asleep during it, particularly ‘Delayed Combustion Device’ and ‘Vampire Apocalypse’. Not to mention that I am really struggling to try and find words to talk about any of this portion of “Undead” which is very telling in of itself and nearly impossible considering I am such a long-winded bastard.

This is one of Metal Blade’s biggest bands, so of course the production is going to be top-notch. Everything does sound great and the engineers did their jobs well. The only real problem I have is with Chris Barnes. Outside of his work with Cannibal Corpse, I have never enjoyed his vocal style in Six Feet Under. There is just something about it that just grates on my every nerve and sounds like he can’t hold a note that is longer than two seconds. But, that’s just me venting, and I’m sure others may have differing opinions.

While “Undead” may not be the saving grace that Six Feet Under hoped it would be, this is still leagues ahead of anything else they had ever recorded. The first five songs are an amazing transformation for what could have been a great album, but alas, it was just not meant to be. If the band ever decides to go in that more straight-forward direction then I can see them creating something much longer lasting. If not, then I guess if the band ever breaks up then Chris has a future career of being a used car salesman.

Originally written for Metal Blast: http://www.metalblast.net/2012/05/six-feet-under-undead/

Six Feet Under is a band that needs little introduction but unfortunately not in the good way. Since their debut release Haunted in 1995, SFU have been churning out groovy, simple death metal. While one could argue that the band is consistent most would argue that it has grown as stagnant. So after many years of bludgeoning the same horse, releasing some of the most boring death metal one could imagine, and even covering an entire AC/DC album, Six Feet Under actually evolves.

With the departure of bassist Terry Butler and drummer Greg Gall we get the addition of guitarist Rob Arnold (Chimaira), who also plays bass on the album, and drummer Kevin Talley (Dying Fetus/Misery Index) adding an entirely new energy and dynamic to Six Feet Under's traditional formula. The result of which is the album Undead.

The aptly named Undead raises the stale, rotting corpse that once was SFU in violent, hungry zombie hell bent on crushing the listener's skull with heavy groove laden riffs. The album opens with “Frozen at the Moment of Death” and right off the bat the song showcases the album new brutal feel. The track slams along with tight delivery from all members. In fact, this is probably Chris Barnes best vocal performance he has left Cannibal Corpse. “Formaldehyde” follows the march of brutality charging at you with the full force of the SFU's renewed piss and vinegar. “18 Days” slows things down to a slamming and often hypnotic pace. From here, Undead will continue the trend of slower to mid paced tracks, such as “Blood On My Hands” and “Vampire Apocalypse”, to songs that jump from mid paced to breakneck, such as “Delayed Combustion Device”. The closing track “Depths of Depravity” opens with an ominous guitar intro that establishes an atmosphere for the rest of the song's smashing pace.

Undead is chalk full of riffs reminiscent of early Cannibal Corpse and Incantation but do not expect anything groundbreaking from this album. Most of what you will find is simply catchy, slamming riffs. The album improves lyrically as well but at the core are still the basic death/mutilation themes. Also, while a majority of this album is quite enjoyable some songs do feel very formulaic and can feel a little bland at times. Thankfully no one track over stays their welcome with all of them hovering around the 2 ½ to 4 minute mark. I would also like to mention that the cover art is pretty good too (and not just compared to their other albums). In the end you have a very solid, fun death metal album and Six Feet Under at their finest hour.

Final Thoughts: In my formative years of listening to metal I was a huge Six Feet Under fan. I have to Haunted probably around 50 times but even I have to admit SFU is pretty mediocre overall. The new blood of Arnold and Talley add some much need life to this old corpse. Sometimes a changing of the guard is need (it worked for Deicide). Even though I grew out of them years ago and haven't really followed them I still am glad to they could release something this enjoyable after around 20 years. Now if you excuse I am going to find my Bringer of Blood shirt. (85/100)

Originally posted on:
http://themetaldrome.blogspot.com/

I’ve always been a sucker for Six Feet Under’s lumbering, primitive death-sludge. There’s just something about the catchy simplicity of the arrangements, along with Chris Barnes’ patented zombie-vomit vocals that hits the spot, a spot that the hordes of overly technical fret-wankers currently comprising much of the death metal scene could never hope to so much as tickle. You see, when everyone and their grandmother is writing mind-numbing five million note non-riffs, piling them haphazardly on top of each other and calling it a “song,” Six Feet Under’s deep, memorable grooves and concise songwriting approach are a breath of fetid air.

That said, I have to admit that SFU’s formula was starting to get a little stale for me by the time 2008′s Death Rituals roled around; it seemed as if perhaps Barnes and Co. had taken their sound as far as it could go, resulting in an album that was competent if a bit tired sounding. Every long-running band is bound to stagnate at some point, but it’s always a bit disappointing when it happens to one of your favorite bands.

Fast-forward to 2012 and Six Feet Under are a very different-looking beast. On Undead, Barnes and longtime guitarist Steve Swanson are joined by drummer Kevin Talley (ex- Dying Fetus, Misery Index, Chimaira and roughly a trillion other bands) and guitarist/bassist Rob Arnold (ex- Chimaira), resulting in what is easily the best thing they’ve done since the mighty Maximum Violence. It isn’t that the presence of Talley and Arnold has drastically altered SFU’s sound, quite the opposite; it’s that the band once again sounds lean, mean and ready to subject every motherfucker in the room to a slow, painful death.

That’s the beauty of SFU’s attack; they’re not in any hurry to gut you from stem to stern. They’re methodical, skulking around in the shadows, stalking you before closing in for the kill, and when they finally corner you in some dark, trash-strewn alley and put the rusty, blood-stained blade to your belly, you feel every inch, every serration, every slow, innard-shredding twist of agony. Undead tracks such as “The Depths of Depravity” “Formaldehyde” and “Blood on My Hands” are textbook examples of the band’s willfully slow and deliberate assault.

While Undead finds SFU as a whole playing like they’ve been injected with a syringe full of Herbert West‘s re-agent, Barnes in particular sounds better than he has in years, unleashing a growl somewhere between a flesh-eating ghoul that just crawled out of the grave and Cujo at his rabid, teeth-gnashing gnarliest. The lyrics don’t stray from SFU’s tried ‘n’ true themes of death, murder and the supernatural, but Barnes’ sickening, highly rhythmic cadence imparts them with a gravitas that is enhanced by the band’s grisly, down-tuned trudge. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: death metal should sound like death, and Barnes’ hideous vocal stylings go a long way towards helping SFU achieve just that on Undead.

Six Feet Under have stuck to their guns with Undead, while at the same time creating an album that sounds fresh and memorable. The haters will probably still bemoan the band’s no-frills approach, but fans will be pleasantly surprised by an album that digs SFU out of their recent creative rut, standing toe-to-toe with their best work. In other words, Six Feet Under kills tech-death dead and then some with Undead, and I for one couldn’t be happier.

Originally written for That's How Kids Die

Without diving into clichés about the highly improbable happening, "Undead" is a fairly enjoyable effort from the notorious and shunned Six Feet Under. The band's track record was, for the most part, utterly deplorable in any decree of rational judgment when stacking the aforementioned group's efforts against Cannibal Corpse and other death metal factions because of the incredibly vapid musical performances and the decrepit, failing gutturals belched out of Barnes' throat before "Undead." The total shift in content really isn't that much of a surprise considering the exile of longtime employees Terry Butler and Greg Gall; Barnes established a new lineup featuring Kevin Talley among others, and their presence here is completely beneficial to every aspect of Six Feet Under's sound. Instead of a pale, withered blueprint, "Undead" is a fleshly and rotten plate of groove-infused death metal, surprisingly good at its unrelenting darkness spawning from the murderous hole within Barnes' imagination of death metal.

The usual Six Feet Under output typically had one semi-decent song followed by an army of abhorrent dung, but "Undead" is quite the opposite. Instead, nine or ten of the anthems are actually coherent and substantial pieces of death metal with a spicy dash of groove when applicable, if you can believe that. To accurately sum up the changes on the musical end, this is Six Feet Under doing what Six Feet Under has always done, except maximizing the aggression to an unseen level. The songs strike hard and with a strengthened sense of conviction despite the innate foundation, and most of them kick at least partial ass. Just beefy, brutal death metal; nothing out of the ordinary, yet certainly fresh and rejuvenated, really. Barnes still sounds a little stale, but his performance strikes like that on "Butchered at Birth" with the clarity of his signature gutturals, and thankfully that 'oink' is seldom used.

Perhaps the new members made the crypt a little more endearing, but regardless of reason, this is quite gratifying stuff. I mean, you know what you're getting into here with the savage yet punching style of groovy death metal; anomalies only exist on the only significant end: the content. The frenzied percussion and riffs growing into the standard groove fare on the noteworthy "Formaldehyde" and the sinister, creepy crawling guitar work slithering through "Blood on my Hands" are easily some of the finest examples of instrumentation penned under the Six Feet Under moniker. Stunningly good stuff, no joke. "Reckless" rocks in a fumbling bulldozer like a good chunk of the record, and there's no absence of this upgraded musicianship throughout "18 Days" and "Depths of Depravity." Some of the ending themes are a little lame, but I'd say Six Feet Under deserves some credit, because lightning certainly does not strike nine or ten times without an ounce of skill.

Obviously, "Undead" has a little baggage, but it is a mandatory demonstration of improvement that I never thought would reasonably happen. If Six Feet Under had had a quarter of the energy and fire here scattered throughout its career, we probably wouldn't find "Undead" so surprising. In fact, there's absolutely almost no debate that this is easily the best record Barnes has been involved with since "The Bleeding" and Six Feet Under's undisputed crowning achievement. Granted, the shedding of skin here won't be enough to truly pacify most of Six Feet Under's critics, but Barnes and friends made "Undead" an unexpected source of cannibalistic violence which captures Six Feet Under in prime form, enough to make a fan who gave up on the squad long ago return and find the bloody bliss so warm and welcoming.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

Conventional wisdom is something that I generally avoid if and wherever possible, and when it isn’t possible to avoid, it is usually by virtue of it actually being correct that I find myself agreeing with it. And what this oppressive form of group think has decreed is that Six Feet Under is not worthy of the plot it has been buried in by most of the metal faithful. It is by a combination of commercial and political pandering that this band has attained popularity, and by a sheer lack of intrigue or innovation that they are panned by most who love and adore the fringes where death metal resides. And bear in mind, the standard of comparison is Chris Barnes’ former band Cannibal Corpse, a band that has never innovated to any noticeable extent since the early 90s, so his current project pretty well defies even the average drudgery associated with modern, groove based death metal.

However, things took a noticeable upswing after a long period of stagnation with the 2008 “Death Rituals” release, which showed forth a nod at Barnes’ better days fronting CC, alongside the usual 90s Obituary tendencies. Those nods have paved to the way to “Undead”, this band’s latest offering and arguably the first that is really worth quaking about. The aggression factor has definitely been kicked up a lot, bringing to mind some of the more groove based and somewhat underrated death metal of the mid 90s, namely Barnes’ own work on “The Bleeding” and Morbid Angel’s largely dismissed “Domination”. It slashes with the same ferocity and presents a primitive, tried and true formula with a somewhat more modernized production. Unlike the early CC efforts, the drums actually sound about as ballsy as can be, avoiding that annoying snare pop sound that made the blast beats on “Butchered At Birth” almost unbearably grating, and the guitars are likewise loaded with punch rather than muddy sludge.

There are plenty of fresh riffs right out of the coffin that, while pretty formulaic and predictable, just manage to pummel the ears and truly bring out the fury that’s been generally lacking from Barnes’ growls. “Frozen At The Moment Of Death” and “18 Days” in particular channel the viciousness of early Cannibal Corpse, while somewhat slower and groovier works in “Molest Dead” and “Vampire Apocalypse” definitely remind of that dragging behemoth of a sound that broke Morbid Angel into the limelight circa 1993-95. The lead guitar work on a few of these rock solid numbers even goes so far as occasionally rediscovering the frenzied Kerry King influences that CC has never really abandoned in more than 20 years of shocking the masses.

I’m probably going out on a pretty dangerous limb here, but I actually enjoyed this even more than “Evisceration Plague” and “Torture”. The few remaining elements of SFU’s Pantera-like past actually compliment this album and bring about a sense of variety and eclecticism that’s usually lacking from a number of other death metal acts. This is basically an album that should convert most of the cynical Cannibal Corpse followers who wrote off this band years ago. So basically pigs are flying, hell has frozen over, and monkeys are jumping out of the asses of every single unapologetic Barnes detractor. Stranger things have happened.

I've made no secret of my disdain for Chris Barnes' post-Corpse venture, Six Feet Under, in the past. At its best, the earliest years of the group envisioned a parallel reality in which Barnes was fronting 90s Obituary, but since that time their canon has produced nothing but vapid ghetto grooves, miserable lyrics and songwriting, and needless albums of cover songs that in general went absolutely nowhere. I'm not saying the band was the worst on the scene, necessarily, but for such a high profile act, I could not help but feel repeatedly underwhelmed at their collective throughput. Sure, they were capable of meting out a handful of entertaining riffs on a few of their albums, and they deserve some credit for never abandoning the death metal genre as a whole, but when contrasting their work to what Barnes' alma mater has achieved with its new front man, I've found it difficult not to deem 6FU pedestrian by comparison.

Forward to the present, and in what must be the shocker of the year, Chris Barnes and guitarist Steve Swanson have actually released an album that isn't merely acceptable, or simply surpassing their previous outings (which would not be saying much, frankly). Undead is hands down memorable and entertaining, and it's time for a jaded bastard like me to gladly chomp down on his boots, choking on the grave soil caught between the soles. What's better, Six Feet Under has not accomplished this feat by abandoning their central use of street ready barbarian grooves or the emphasis on simplistic, visceral lyrics. They haven't suddenly morphed into a brutal/tech death metal act, or shouldered their way aboard the current nostalgic trends of Autopsy/Incantation or recycling Sweden. True, there are a few more brutal elements. No doubt, this is partly due to the expert Jason Suecof mixdown and the newly instated human battering ram Kevin Talley on the drums, but beyond that the simple selection of surgical note progressions and rhythmic variation here feels tangibly menacing. Undead is the most diabolical sounding record Barnes has been involved with since The Bleeding in 1994.

It's not perfect, but at least 7-8 of the dozen songs on this disc are magnificent. Take the lurching verses of "18 Days", for instance, peppered with frightful little proto-Corpse licks and some of Barnes' most blunt and monstrous lyrical depth charges in years; or the wholesale brickhouse slaughter of "Formaldehyde" with its walls of descending tremolo and old school evil. Hearing Kevin Talley implement his harried fills into each sodden groove really lends more authenticity to even the most minimal riffing schematics, and the rest of the band is skin tight as they transition from slower, blasted patterns to death/thrash breakdowns wrought of maddening mosh-stuff. How about that atmospheric, death/sludge element that arrives in "Blood On My Hands"? Entirely unexpected and excellent. Even the vocals on the record are endowed with a seasoning of nuance and variation; for example Barnes' percussive timbre which drives the track "Molest Dead" like a zombie general horny to feast upon the living, or his shuffled delivery over the Prong-like pep coursing through "Delayed Combustion Device".

Lyrically, the album sticks to the gore and murder that Barnes built his career on with Corpse, and even though I wouldn't call anything complex or 'thoughtful' it at least functions as intended. There's no egotistical death metal gangsta bullshit here which makes me want to reach through the recording and strangle the dude, like I found on a few of the prior albums. We've got vampires, serial killers, you name it. The mix is fully 'now', with loads of punch and power to the guitars and clean, balanced drums, yet despite its modernity the array of old school riffs and grooves still date the band as veterans unwilling to shed their roots. A few of the tunes devolve into predictable, uninteresting riff/vocal patterns redolent of the group's mediocre yesterdays, but on the whole, Undead is a coherent, refreshing act of punishment which oozes threat level. My hat's off to the band for this malevolent magnum opus, and I only pray that the paradox this creates will not shower us all in cosmic incineration as the universe retracts its arms in confusion.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

I'm not going to get fancy this time with my review, I'm just going to come out and say it that I never really gave a flying shit about the band. Yeah I enjoyed some songs off "Haunted", the grooves of "Victim Of The Paranoid", the grinding "Revenge Of The Zombies"....and that's it. I mean after 1999 they were more or less a fucking joke in not only mine but a lot of other metal head's opinion. They were just a side-project that got famous because who was associated with it and let's be fairly honest, it was watered-down Death Metal for the individual who couldn't listen to "Left Hand Path", "Cause of Death", "Beneath The Remains", or even "Scream Bloody Gore" for that matter. I am not saying SFU is terrible or not Death Metal.....but they are the Bud Light of Death Metal more so than the Smirnoffs wine coolers of today's wannabe Death Metal acts a.k.a. Deathcore......and again since 1999, biggest fucking joke to metal.

Until NOW.

It looks like that Six Feet Under, or at least Chris Barnes finally put down the ganja long enough to realize that covering entire AC/DC albums and singing songs with him howling "NO WAAAARRRARARARARARARR" doesn't fucking cut it. And I know they released at least 2 albums that not a fucking soul payed attention to. Exit Terry Butler and Greg Hall and enter 2 members of Chimaira and some other dude who actually bring a sense of new and improved sound to Six Feet Under's tired ass Sunshine State Death Metal sound. In case you haven't noticed lately, it really doesn't exist anymore. I mean in the sense that it doesn't reign as the standardization for underground extreme music as it did for so long. I mean...Obituary have crawled back into the grave, Morbid Angel got lost somewhere at a Genitorturer's show, Deicide is a train wreck with Glen Benton trying to reclaim some sort of credibility, Massacre is a clusterfuck of drama and false reservations and don't get me started on the bands that no longer exist. Sure the clubs sell-out in the band's home state but past that, nothing big. Six Feet Under on the other hand look and sound like they may have a second chance at their once diminishing and laughable career.

First let's start with the musicians behind this somewhat second coming. Ok I take that back. Again more like second chance at trying to revie the company-like name that is Six Feet Under; Chris Barnes is still Chris Barnes. Vocally on "Undead" it sounds like it's the first time he's been motivated in years which is good because it's given him a bit of even more gruffness to his growls like he's actually trying to re-create those intense jugular slaughtering tones heard on the first 3 CC albums. Hell may be even the first SFU "Haunted". In the lyrics department we see him stepping up there....aside from some of the laughable titles such as "Molest Dead", 'Reckless", "The Scar"...not shabby. Next up we have guitarist Steve Swanson who has upgraded his guitar tone to something more modern and more clearly heard. Sure it's not "Lycanthropy" or again "Rise of The Zombies" but it's good for what it is considering that the past handful of releases his sound sounded tired and bloated. Now SFU not only recruited and got not new bassist Rob Arnold of Chimaria fame but also a 2nd bassist Jeff Hughell which both combined give it a new edge. It's not super-low or chunky sounding. Far from that. It actually goes back and improves on SFU's original sound and giving it that classic Floridian sound to it. Drummer Kevin Talley another previous member of Chimaria comes in and does his thing. All and all the new line-up gives SFU a major update as far as sound, style, and sense of again a second chance at possibly revitalizing it's career.

Song-wise this is one of the better selections from SFU in a long time. I will even go so far as far as variety goes it goes back to their "Haunted" album if not anything else. "Undead" opens up with the claustrophobic sounding "Frozen At the Moment Of Death" which sets the pace for the rest of the album in it being a good song with a variety of riffs. Right off the bat Chris Barnes finally got his shit together in trying to get back to sounding as demented as he was in his prime and actually somewhat convincing. Excellent guitar solo by Steve in this one. Classic feel to it. "Formaldehyde" being the first single off the album is a good introduction to the album as far as what to expect. "18 Days" slows things down to a crushing groove. Don't fret because there's none of that early 00's nu-metal influenced shit here. This is a mixture of slow crushing grooves and beehive buzzing guitars. "Molest Dead" follows suit in continuing the groove but then goes into parts where SFU almost sounds like Amon Amarth! Nice "Missing Victims" is another slow/stop/double-bass/slow/stop/etc. song.....and this is where we start seeing a trend here in the songs. I know this is Six Feet Under, and the one thing that always held them back were albums were a lot of songs sound the same. That happens here yet again. One of the better standouts is "Vampire Apocalypse" where it's has a very bassy intro start/stop riff to it. The rest is up to the listener to decide.

Would I recommend this or mention to anyone that I actualy enjoy the new Six Feet Under? I'm a firm believer in second chances. SFU seems to have gotten that in it actually shows on paper of how Chris Barnes is wanting to start making better albums that actually are worth in purchasing rather than filling up CD bargain bins in mom and pop record stores. Even the artwork is a fuckload better which I forgot to mention. As opposed to the photo shopped crap on the past few albums, this one actually brings you a sense of it actually standing out rather than again filling up empty spaces and bending in with other boring album artwork covers. So I will definitely go on to say that for once Six Feet Under have put out a decent fucking album. Hopefully this is the start of a better chapter for the band. Good job guys.