One of the most famous and appreciated names on the international death metal scene, Six Feet Under was established in Tampa (Florida) in 1993 as a personal project by Chris Barnes (vocalist of Cannibal Corpse at that time) along with Allen West (Obituary).
Six Feet Under was born out of a desire to shape a death metal musical project that is not just about speed and blast beats but also includes more groovy or slower music breaks and more balanced rhythms than usual to death metal bands. Though less shocking than Cannibal Corpse, Chris’s themes are just as current – violence, political issues, government criticism or other topics on the public agenda.
With 12 albums already released, the band was included in the Top 4 best-selling American death metal bands, according to Nielsen Soundscan, reaching the Billboard Charts with their debut album Haunted (1995). In 1996 the band released the “Alive and Dead” EP followed a year later by the second album, “Warpath”.
The creative force of the band continued so that in 1999 the next record was released entitled “Maximum Violence,” a powerful album, alert rhythms animated by virulent lyrics. The record was very well received by the audience and critics being sold in over 100,000 copies worldwide, a result that had not been touched by a death metal band for a long time. Just a year away, Six Feet Under surprised their fans with a new album, “Graveyard Classics,” a record built up entirely of covers from some of the best-known songs (such as “Sweet Leaf” – Black Sabbath, Smoke on the Water “- Deep Purple or” Purple Haze “- Jimi Hendrix), reinterpreted in a death metal manner.
The fourth studio record, “True Carnage” (2001) brought a new approach to the direction the band had used to their fans to a dynamic album with groovy vibes alternating with harsh fragments but also featuring Ice -T as guest-artist. As a result of the exciting mix, “True Carnage” climbed to No. 18 on the Billboard Heatseeker. The album was complemented by tours on the American continent, with Skinless and Sworn Enemy supporting acts, a „tour de force” with Hatebreed and performances at European festivals along with names like Kataklysm or Dying Fetus.
The year 2003 brought a new album on sight, “Bringer of Blood”, a deep dark record, completed in 2004 by “Graveyard Classics 2”, an album focused on the reinterpretation of “Back in Black” by AC / CD (1980) 13 “(2005) and” Commandment “(2007) described as having “very heavy death metal songs that catch you but surprise you at the same time by their musicality. ” In the same year, Six Feet Under climbed Metalfest and went on tour with Finntroll, Belphegor, and Nile.
The musical inspiration continued so in 2012 the band released “Undead”, followed by “Unborn”, “Crypt of the Devil” (2015) and a new album with covers songs, “Graveyard Classics IV: The Number of the Priest” (2016). The year 2017 brought with it “Torment” and the following year a digital EP entitled “Unburied,” containing previously unpublished material that had originally been written for different albums from the past. Last year Chris Barnes announced that the band is already working on a new record.
