CoC : Six Feet Under - Haunted : Review

Six Feet Under - _Haunted_
(Roadrunner/Attic, 1995)
by: Gino Filicetti (7 out of 10)

After long last, I finally got my hands on this CD which I had been frothing at the mouth for since the word spread on the side project of Obituary's guitar genius, Allen West, and Cannibal Corpse's mastermind Chris Barnes. Fittingly named, Six Feet Under have produced an album of unreal wizardry and genius that many people in today's scene quickly peg as being mediocre. Before hearing anything from this band, I caught wind of many rumors spreading around about the foursome. For the most part, they were described as "Obituary on drugs." However, as soon as I got a hold of one of their tracks, "Lycanthropy", I was very impressed to say the least, sure it's simple, but since when does technicality equal excellence? Certainly not in my book. The first thing I noticed on this release was Barnes' vocal approach. I was never a big fan of Cannibal Corpse, and I'm still not, the main reason being that I despised Chris Barnes' voice. But on this outing, Barnes seems to have lightened up his voice a bit (that's still not saying much), and made it more accessible. I'm sure that many of you hardcore Cannibal Corpse fans will not be pleased, but I think that THIS is what Barnes should have sounded like all along. The other big name in this band is of course the immortal Allen West of Obituary. The music on this outing is similar in a multitude of ways to Obituary, but it does possess something undeniably different and original about it. The speed, for one thing, is a big change. Six Feet Under have mastered the world of slow, chugging death metal that will rip your body apart from the inside out. I did notice one riff from "Beneath A Black Sky" which sounds exactly like the riff Obituary used practically throughout their entire _The End Complete_ album; I was disappointed to say the least but I was expecting similarities to pop up. My favorite track is by far "Lycanthropy." The lyrics here seem to be the typical gore-infested travesties that have come to signify the writing style of Chris Barnes, however a few tracks like, "Tommorow's Victim" and "Human Target" break away from the blood 'n guts, guts 'n blood mentality of Barnes. All in all, a solid album even if most people in today's metal world think it's boring and repetitive. I'll probably be one of the few who actually think it's a great achievement for two influencial death metallers.

(article published 8/11/1995)

CHATS
5/8/2007	J Smit	Six Feet Under: Thou Shall Kill
12/13/1995	A Bromley	Six Feet Under: Six Feet Above the Rest

ALBUMS
3/7/2010	J Smit	1	Six Feet Under - Graveyard Classics 3
11/19/2008	J Smit	4	Six Feet Under - Death Rituals
5/1/2007	J Smit	5.5	Six Feet Under - Commandment
11/23/2003	J Smit	4.5	Six Feet Under - Bringer of Blood
1/10/2001	A Bromley	2.5	Six Feet Under - Graveyard Classics
7/7/1999	A Bromley	9	Six Feet Under - Maximum Violence
10/16/1997	A Bromley	9	Six Feet Under - Warpath

GIGS
7/20/2003	J Smit	Six Feet Under / Obscenity	Unleashing True Carnage
8/12/2000	A McKay	Danzig / Six Feet Under / Disturbed	Devil's Plaything
8/12/1999	D Rocher	Six Feet Under / Mayhem / Vader / Enslaved / Cryptopsy / Nile / Thyrfing / Darkseid	Facing the Breton Storm Season
8/12/1999	M Noll	Six Feet Under / Vader / Enslaved / Cryptopsy / Nile / Thyrfing	Pig's Feet and All Things Yummy