The flames of hell have did down in the corner of my office, leaving only a perfect, smoking impression in the floor. And in the middle? The new Six Feet Under album, Crypt of the Devil…. What were you thinking? Dare I open it? Read further to quench your thirst for easily answered questions!
Another of the OG death metal bands, Six Feet Under rose from the fetid ranks of Cannibal Corpse, with Chris Barnes chanting his sandblasted vocals with his then side project. Spanning 10 albums since their inception in 1993, and featuring some noteworthy names, such as Allen West of Obituary,Steve Swanson (formerly of Massacre), Ice-T, and Terry Butler (formerly of Massacre and Death), And 3 cover albums featuring some of the biggest metal hits from Metallica, Slayer, Van Halen, Judas Priest, Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Anvil, Deep Purple, Hendrix, and no less than a whole album tribute to AC/DC, their legacy is one of pure gore, fun, and heavy shit. Their newest offering, Crypt of the Devil, is no less brutal, vicious, or dominant than their warpath demands.
From the Opening strains of Gruesome to the closing sepulchral silence of Eternal Darkness, Crypt of the Devil is on point. Its fast, its gory, and it harkens back to when death metal had succinct, simple, violent song titles that beat you about the eyeballs before the song even started. Titles like Stab, Broken Bottle Rape, and Slit Wrists give no room to believe its anything but a dirty ride into sonic depravity, and will definitely make your parents and friends wonder if your That Guy. SFU are as brutal as ever, with lightning fast riffs, riffs that blister a demons scrotum, and the ever present rasp of Barnes, that puts me in mind of waking up next to a corpse with coffin breath. Its an assault, with the drums simply pummeling you into the ground, reverberating within your very cells. It has a similar sound to that of Graveyard Classics 2, a bit muddy, but with with rusted razors in the depths, and a bit subdued on the production. Where the new record from Gruesome is a bit in your face, SFU have a darker, grittier approach to the form, making you have to crank the music to absolutely terrify your neighbors. The album is a complete slab, and rounds out their count of an epic 15 albums! Holy Hell!
While this album isn’t going to re-imagine the rack, its still a great album, and worth the check. They have earned at least a single listen through, if only to appreciate a veteran form. Track info is below, find the album out everywhere May 5th!
Crypt Of The Devil Track Listing:
1. Gruesome
2. Open Coffin Orgy
3. Broken Bottle Rape
4. Break The Cross In Half
5. Lost Remains
6. Slit Wrists
7. Stab
8. The Night Bleeds
9. Compulsion To Brutalize
10. Eternal In Darkness
FAvorite Track: Slit Wrists, Compulsion to Brutalize, Stab
Six Feet Under is:
Chris Barnes − vocals
Steve Swanson − guitars
Jeff Hughell − bass guitar
Marco Pitruzzella − drums
With Studio assistance from:
Phil Hall – rhythm guitar, bass guitar
Josh Hall – drums
Brandon Ellis – lead guitar
