I really get into Death Metal and have my core favorite, Death Metal bands. Six Feet Under is one of my core Death Metal bands of mine. When I listen to Death Metal, it’s like I’m getting back to my Metal basics… there’s no fooling around with this genre, just extreme vocals and groove infested, thunder splitting – Metal. Chris Barnes, with his ultra legendary, Death Metal growling vocals, is at his finest on Graveyard Classics III. This album marks the third installment of the Graveyard Classics series of cover song albums from Six Feet Under. Six Feet Under not only groove along at an impressively addicting pace, this album is damn F’n fun too. Yes, it is fun to hear Chris Barnes belt out his original and extreme vocals to ten amazingly historical Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Black Metal and Punk Rock songs.
One of the many reasons to admire Six Feet Under and their Graveyard Classics series, is their allegiance and recognition to so many historical and great bands from Rock Music’s past. It’s all about roots with these cover songs… and Six Feet Under covers them with Death Metal brilliance. My two favorite cover songs on Graveyard Classics III are: Destroyer by Twisted Sister and Not Fragile by Bachman Turner Overdrive. Six Feet Under plays Destroyer like they are going to take over the world… and implement a Death Metal master plan. Not Fragile showcases the guitar mastery of Steve Swanson, he really steals the Death Metal show on this song.
As I listen to Chris Barnes sing these two songs, I cannot help but not recognize that he is a fan of these bands he covers so well. Influence is a powerful word and bands like Slayer literally explode with it for so many musicians… Six Feet Under attests to this by covering At Dawn They Sleep. Six Feet Under may never be able to capture the Thrash Metal fire and intensity that only Slayer can deliver with At Dawn They Sleep, still, hearing such a fantastic Death Metal version of this classic is a thrill for me. The Frayed Ends Of Sanity is such a monumental choice for Six Feet Under to undertake as well, Metallica being the iconic Thrash Metal Band they are only drives home the reverence Chris Barnes upholds for Metal history. Oh, yeah, Six Feet Under plays this Metallica classic quite deadly well too.
What would a 2010 Death Metal cover song album, from Six Feet Under, be without an Anvil song? Metal On Metal only solidifies the fact that Anvil is as important a band to the history of Metal as any. Chris Barnes may not ever take over the vocal helm for Anvil’s Lips, regardless, he employs his very own grunt and growl trademark to a fabulous cover version. Just when you think Graveyard Classics III has all the historic Metal firepower to cover, A Dangerous Meeting by the unreal legendary Mercyful Fate is on this album too. A tough song to sing no matter who you are… Chris Barnes takes this song on and laces it with Death Metal vocal glorification. Psychotherapy by the Ramones and Snap Your Fingers Snap Your Neck by Prong are the fun moments for me on this album… two songs that probably no one ever would consider Death Metal material years ago. On Fire by Van Halen and Pounding Metal by (the blue collar) Thrash Metal vets Exciter, round out the ten Death Metal cover songs on Graveyard Classics III.
To say that Terry Butler on bass and Greg Gall on drums are very good is a Death Metal understatement… they are both excellent… the proof is in the songs. Six Feet Under has established their Death Metal legacy years ago, they are now just compounding this legacy, with an album of deliriously deadly cover songs called Graveyard Classics III. This is one damn fine listen – in Death Groove.
* Graveyard Classics III was released on January 19, 2010, on Metal Blade Records.
* Album Cover Art By: Dusty Peterson – Unreal great stuff… now thats Metal. Death Metal.
Metal Odyssey’s Metal Album Recommendation For Your Halloween Listening Enjoyment: OBITUARY – DARKEST DAY – These Death Metal Legends are not fooling around with their June 30th, 2009 release. Darkest Day is without Metal hesitation, one of my top three albums of 2009… spanning all the Metal genres.
Plus, the Grim Reaper wants to warn you all… the brand new SLAYER album World Painted Blood gets released on Tuesday, November 3rd. I am counting down the minutes in my Metal mind to this great moment in Slayer history.
Today I found myself in another one of those funks, where the melancholy feelings just won’t subside. So, earlier tonight, I turned to music, Metal Music, to settle my thoughts, nerves and soul. I chose to listen to Entombed, Wolverine Blues. Released back in 1993, on Earache/Columbia Records, I find it startling that this album is around seventeen years old already. An excellent listening choice I made, Entombed was the Metal elixir and their album Wolverine Blues was the Metal prescription that served me right tonight. Entombed delivers their original style of Death Metal or Death N’ Roll with Wolverine Blues, it is as groove charged as it is sinister. With each listen, I can still hear some Thrash Metal being fused within Entombed’s songs on this album. In a Metal nutshell, Entombed covers some ground with Extreme Metal genres. This is one hell of a heavy and hard album, the righteous Metal remedy for curing my blues – let me tell you. Lyrically, there is no bashfulness to be found when it comes to topics and imagery on Wolverine Blues. The combination of the aggressive lyrics and Death N’ Roll charge makes this album sound like it belongs on top of the Metal heap in 2009.
Alright, I am more than thrilled at this new Obituary album, “Darkest Day”, I am enthralled with Metal jubilation. Death Metal jubilation. I am also reminded as to why I am lured into the heaviest, most Metal bludgeoning genre there is… it is Obituary. These guys are not about making nice with the trend setters… forget about it. Obituary is Old School Death Metal lathered with extreme. Understand, however, that Obituary delivers grooves by the Death Metal bushels. From it’s deadly beginning track – “List of Dead” to it’s deadly ending “Left To Die”, I am going out on a Metal limb here by stating… “Darkest Day” is one of 2009’s best Metal albums period. Being one of the true forefathers of the Death Metal genre, Obituary lays their Death Metal cards out on the table here, you either are with them or with them. This is not a Death Metal band that you just want to try out, if you buy an Obituary album, you are either a fan or your about to become one. 
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.