Music Review: Six Feet Under - Death Rituals

It was way back in 1993 that then-Cannibal Corpse vocalist Chris Barnes decided to put together a side project. Three years later he finally parted company with Cannibal Corpse, and Six Feet Under became his main priority. Focusing more on death metal than his previous band’s, um, death metal, there was very little to distinguish them in the early days. But, credit where credit's due - Six Feet Under has evolved over the years into a more groove-oriented death metal outfit, something fairly unique in the genre.It's a testament to the band that, with the exception of founder guitarist Allen West heading back to Obituary in 1998, they've kept the same lineup since their inception, with new boy Steve Swanson arriving from Massacre to takeover from West. That kind of continuity is pretty unheard of in the death metal world, but what you're left with is a band that knows the ins and outs of each other’s playing, allowing them to hit peaks of perfection.Six Feet Under doesn't mess about. They're a death metal band to their roots and are proud of it. It’s something that endears them to their fans, of whom there are many, and which makes their records something to look forward to. Death Rituals is album number eight in their career — tenth if you count the two delightful covers albums, Graveyard Classics and Graveyard Classics 2 — and is definitely one of their best.As one of the pioneers of the death metal growl, Barnes has no qualms about putting his voice well up in the mix, something that works particularly well on slower, groovier numbers like "Eulogy For The Undead" and the quite stunning "Seed Of Filth". Elsewhere they even toy with the notion of a ballad on the exceptionally creepy "Crossroads To Armageddon", a precursor to one of the album highlights, "Ten Deadly Plagues". However, they can still bludgeon with the best, and old school fans will be taken with "Death By Machete" and "Involuntary Movement Of Dead Flesh".They've also brought their Graveyard Classics humour to this album with an exhumation of the Motley Crue tune, "Bastard", from their 1983 album Shout at the Devil, a song rated in the Top 5 of the Parents Music Resource Center Filthy Fifteen list back in 1985. Kudos to the Crue, as if more were needed!They don't take risks on Death Rituals; they don't display any previously hidden jazz-fusion tendencies, and they don't try to dissipate their sound with commercial considerations. No, what the band has done is make the best death metal album they could. It's up there with Maximum Violence, my favourite Six Feet Under album, and it's probably the best death metal album I've heard this year. A job well done by Chris Barnes and the boys.

Article Author: Stuart A Hamilton

Mr H is a compulsive reviewer who has foisted his opinions across the internet, as well as in UK publications like Record Collector and Blues Matters, where he is a contributing writer. If you really want to know more go to Mr H To U But don't say …

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