Six Feet Under - Undead (2012) (Japan HWCY-1213)

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Six Feet Under - Undead (2012) (Japan HWCY-1213)

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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.

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