Six Feet Under Graveyard Classics 3
by Trevor Portz
Staff Writer
There is no arguing that Chris Barnes is a death metal legend. Love or hate him, he was integral in the popularization of the genre, and continues to be a major presence in the scene. That being said, it would seem that he has, along with his Six Feet Under mates, been on a long, slow decent into musical monotony for the last 15 years or so. SFU’s 1995 debut, Haunted, was pretty spectacular, blending the grooves of Obituary with the growls and lyrical content of Cannibal Corpse. 1997’s Warpath was nearly as excellent (as was the Alive and Dead EP), but things started to change at the close of the century. Guitarist Allen West took off, being replaced by Massacre axe-man Steve Swanson. Bringing in a first-rate guitarist should have taken things up a level or two, but somehow, the albums just started sounding more forced, and less interesting. Jumping ahead to 2010, Graveyard Classics 3, the third in a series of all-covers albums, does little to change this notion, and though fun at times, it leaves a lot to be desired from a vocalist and band with such legendary histories.
Like it’s predecessors, GC3 takes a handful of rock and metal “classics” and runs them through the death-groove grinder that is Six Feet Under. Unlike its elders, however, entry number three does little to give the tracks any sort of makeover or new vibe, relying only on detuned guitars and death growls to SFU-ize them. In some cases this isn’t the worst thing in the world, but many songs just fall flat.
The album opens with the well-chosen Mercyful Fate classic, “A Dangerous Meeting.” Though King Diamond’s dynamic vocal melodies are lost to Barnes’ grunts, the song works surprisingly well. Swanson really flexes his solo muscles here, as he does on most songs on the album, solidifying himself not only as superior to founder Allen West, but also as a top-notch guitarist in his own right.
Anvil’s [suddenly famous] “Metal on Metal” thrives with a heavier arrangement, and is wiped clean of the goofiness that plagues the original. Similarly, the Wizard of Oz chants that open Metallica’s “The Frayed Ends of Sanity” are far darker and creepier here than on the original, but things become a bit too “frayed” during the chorus, when Barnes employs the vocal “wobble” effect—better used on 2003’s “Amerika the Brutal” from Bringer of Blood—which here is distracting and unappealingly strange.
Slayer’s “At Dawn They Sleep,” perhaps subconsciously chosen to cash in on the Twilight-inspired vampire craze, is solid and well executed, though it would have been interesting for the band to choose something of Slayer’s that wasn’t already slower and groove-heavy to really make it their own.
With its bland, thin drums, “Not Fragile” by BTO is certainly one of the lowest points on the record, but that’s not too surprising, as the song wasn’t all that strong to begin with. Van Halen’s “On Fire” is better, but Barnes’ high vocals—something he’s been occasionally employing since his later Cannibal Corpse days—are ear-piercingly shrill, so much so that even Swanson’s brilliant solo doesn’t balance them out.
Exciter’s “Pounding Metal” and Twisted Sister’s “Destroyer” offer a back-to-back pair of gems, each benefiting from the increased heaviness factor, though in the case of “Destroyer,” it could be argued that nothing will ever be as heavy as Anthrax’s cover from a few years back.
Challenging “Not Fragile” in the “track that should have been cut” category, The Ramones’ “Psychotherapy” comes across as something that Barnes either didn’t practice, or perhaps was too stoned to sing correctly. Ignoring the fact that he attempts to actually sing on key at times, his vocal rhythms are so far from where they should be that one is left wondering why the band didn’t try and digitally fix them. The arrangement also too-closely mimics the original Ramones track, and the band would’ve done well to listen to Entombed’s cover of the Misfits’ “Hollywood Babylon” for an example of how to properly death-up a punk song.
Luckily for everyone, the closing cover of Prong’s “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck” makes for a stellar groove-infused, melodic death metal track, and ends the album on a lyrically negative, musically positive note.
Overall, Graveyard Classics 3 is a fun-enough record by a band with very little to prove, but in order for Six Feet Under to stay relevant, it’s going to take more than a generally uninspired run through of some of the band’s favorite songs. Chris Barnes has the name, label, talent, and band in place to once again become king of the death metal scene, and hopefully with SFU’s next original full length, he’ll find a way to do it.
Label: Metal Blade Records
Web: www.sfu420.com
Band Lineup:
Chris Barnes (Vocals)
Steve Swanson (Guitars)
Terry Butler (Bass)
Greg Gall (Drums)
Track Listing:
1. A Dangerous Meeting (Mercyful Fate)
2. Metal On Metal (Anvil)
3. The Frayed Ends Of Sanity (Metallica)
4. At Dawn They Sleep (Slayer)
5. Not Fragile (Bachman Turner Overdrive)
6. On Fire (Van Halen)
7. Pounding Metal (Exciter)
8. Destroyer (Twisted Sister)
9. Psychotherapy (The Ramones)
10. Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck (Prong)
Hardrock Haven rating: 5.9/10