Review Summary: F**k n' Brutal
Six Feet Under is a band that doesn't get too much attention, despite the fact that the band's founding (and only constant) member is ex Cannibal Corpse lead singer, Chris Barnes.
Formed in 1993 as a side project while Barnes was still in Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under are a lyrically less brutal, groovier alternative to your average death metal band…and it's pretty sweet. Don't be fooled when I say that their lyrics are a less brutal though, we still got stuff about murder, blood n' guts and all that, but it's just not….you know…"I cum blood" or "Entrails Ripped from a Virgins Cunt". Also Barnes' Vocals are a lot easier to understand here compared to his Corpse days, adding a bit of grittiness to the rumbling low frequencies of his voice. The rest of the band deliver an adequate performance, but never really excel beyond that, musically this is pretty standard metal.
Basically what this album consists of is standard brutality with nice little, dare i say "catchy" hooks. Keeping it simple but adding in sweet tempo changes/drum fills/guitar rhythms etc to keep you interested. The intro song "The Enemy Inside" kicks a fair amount of undead ass, with a singular bass note fading out and shifting up a gear when the drums jump in. "Silent Violence" is one of my favourites with it's overall grittiness and awesome chorus."Suffering in Ecstasy" sort of has a rock n' roll feel to it and is, along with the intro one of the faster songs on the album. In fact apart from "The Enemy Inside" and "Suffering in Ecstasy" the album keeps the tempo of its songs pretty tame. So tame that there isn't a blast beat to be found, but hey, it totally works.
Overall this album doesn't bring anything new to the massive table that is the death metal genre (apart from slowing things down a fair bit), but it is a very solid record. I can't even say that it has any truly bad songs on it, just songs that are average but enjoyable. I recommend this to anyone into death metal that wants something new to add to their collection.
