Let’s face it, regardless of what Six Feet Under do or don’t do, your opinion of them is most likely made up and has been so for some time. Having been steadily active for the past seventeen years, the band has made a style of playing no frills, bare bones death metal. The problem is that with eight previous studio albums under their belt, only three would I deem worthy of owning, i.e. Haunted, Maximum Violence, and 2008’s Death Rituals.
Personally, I’ve maintained the opinion, through the last dozen years, that SFU needed to either light a fire under their collective asses, or instigate a line-up change by adding and/or replacing some members. Surprisingly, that is exactly what happened last year when longtime members, Greg Gall and Terry Butler, left the band. The band quickly replaced Gall with none other than Kevin Talley (Dying Fetus, Misery Index, Chimaira, and Daath), who brought along Chimaira guitarist, Rob Arnold and Matt DeVries, to fill in the role of bassist, joining Chris Barnes and longtime guitarist, Steve Swanson. It is worth noting that DeVries left before the recording of Undead, leaving Arnold to handle bass duties as well. The new additions the band was now boasting sparked an exciting and increased interest in SFU, causing fans and critics alike to wonder where the new material would lay. So, is Undead, the ninth full-length album from Six Feet Under, everything and more that SFU fans have hoped for? Is it their best material ever? Will this release silence their critics forever? Well, yes and ultimately, no. Get the full explanation here.