Six Feet Under - Undead
Say what you want about Chris Barnes, but dude has fronted two of the top six best-selling Death Metal bands of all time. Not that the announcement of a new Six Feet Under record is going to incite riots in the streets these days, but at least this isn’t Graveyard Classics 7: The Best of Sade. Truth is, from the moment you hit play, it’s evident that if the world of Death Metal had such a thing as a Comeback Player of the Year award, Mr. Barnes would be a lock. This is the best the dreadlocked pothead’s voice has sounded since the mid-to-late ’90s! Maybe it’s because he’s the sole original member now? Perhaps all the new blood provided inspiration to dig deeper. Or maybe he stopped hitting the bong just long enough to listen to his band’s output over the last decade and realized his voice had begun to sound like Chewbacca gargling an Ewok. Whatever the case, the man is back, and album number twelve is as vicious and energized as this band have sounded since their first three albums many moons ago. The newer cast of characters —including former Brain Drill bassist Jeff Hughell, former Chimaira guitarist Rob Arnold, former Massacre guitarist Steve Swanson, and former drummer for every band on the planet Kevin Talley— mix things up a little. There is some speed and technicality… yes, I said speed and technicality, and we are still talking about 6FU, but this is still simplistic, formulaic Death Metal at its predictable best. The aggression is back, the focus is back, and while you can still find traces of THC-aided groove, the plague of goofiness and the trappings of merely going through the no-frills motions are thankfully absent. Admittedly, the last half of the record doesn’t quite match the punch of the first half, but the remarkable improvement of Barnes’ vocals makes all the difference. Undead indeed.
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