Six Feet Under
Commandment
Band: Six Feet Under
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Splatter gore death metal veteran, Chris Barnes and Six Feet Under return to pollute the minds of disenchanted youth
around the world with "Commandment". It's been quite awhile since I gave SFU's music a good listen, mostly
because I thought the music was getting static. With "Commandment" the group still retains their trademark Celtic
Frost/Obituary heavy, mid-paced grooves, but there is something fresh and
ear-catching to the music they play. It is hard to pin point what the group has done differently, probably it's just
superb writing: superb music and lyric writing.
"Commandment" contains one catchy lick after another. The album's opening riff on "Doomsday" sounds like a classic cut from Obituary with Swanson and bassist Butler alternating between medium paced palm-muted chugging and bar chord ring outs. From there, the duo breaks it down to a classic, brutal death metal, string-pounding, tank march. "The Edge of the Hatchet" features hardcore style straight down picking licks, which gives off the energy necessary for creating a circle-pit. The drumming is a consistent thud like the sound the hatchet would make when implanted into a human torso. The following track contains my favourite riff of the whole album. The said rhythm is a slight variation of Mercyful Fate's "Black Funeral". The other aspect of "Commandment" that makes it a classic for the group is Chris Barnes' lyric writing. Barnes holds nothing back on this album, going straight for the jugular with the sickest, most sociopath lyrics since his far well in Cannibal Corpse. The lyrical topics on this album are what you would expect from the deranged stoner: zombies, cannibalism, serial killing, and other related topics. "The Edge of the Hatchet" contains some of the album's most gruesome and graphic lyrics. Take for example, "the blood of your body now drains and puddles/urine soaked skin mixed with faeces and bile...eyeballs implode as genitals spew infection". Probably not a song to read to your children for a bedtime story! Chris Barnes' lyrics not only convey some of his sickest thoughts, they also help move the music with a rhythm that helps build the album's killer riffs. "Zombie Executioner" and "As the Blade Turns" progress with memorable rhythms that are due in part to Barnes' flowing lyrical style. Even though Barnes can't project his vocals like his days in Corpse, the vocals are all the more valid in the fact that listeners can discern his twisted lyrics. Also, he still accentuates certain lyrics with his characteristic squealing scream. I received "Commandment" with a bit of apprehension, but when I gave it a chance, to my surprise, I found it to be one of the better pure death metal albums I have heard of late. Six Feet Under has a large, loyal following that probably doesn't need me to tell them "Commandment" is an album you must have. All the other fans who have become bored with the band, now is the time to rediscover the deranged genius of Chris Barnes. Darren Cowan
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