Review SIX FEET UNDER “Next to Die”

Six Feet Under are back with a new album. Titled “Next to Die”, it is the band’s 15th release and their third since Jack Owen joined in 2017. “Next to Die” picks up where the band left off with “Killing for Revenge” in 2024, with an even better balance of groove and speed.

“Approach Your Grave” is the first chapter of this morbid release — a song that comes straight out of the Florida swamps. This slow-paced riff monster proves that Six Feet Under haven’t lost any of their fascination.

“Destroy Remains” shifts gears while relying on Six Feet Under’s groovy side, before “Mister Blood and Guts” showcases a band pushing the pedal to the metal. Lyrically inspired by a film, the songs feature impressive solos and Chris Barnes delivers an outstanding vocal performance.

Six Feet Under have returned to horror storytelling, with songs such as “Mutilated Corpse in the Woods” exemplifying this lyrical approach. The album features a balanced mix of songs, such as ‘Wrath and Terror Takes Command’, which has a doom-laden beginning before evolving into a stomping death metal monolith. The throbbing “Skin Coffins” leads to the merciless “Mind Hell”, the next sonic wrecking ball on the album.

Six Feet Under fire on all cylinders, maintaining the quality of the opening songs until the end of the tracklist. The title track is another vehement headbanger, and the album closes with a twist in the form of “Ill Wishes”. Six Feet Under have placed a slower-paced song at the end of the album, and the acoustic sections are a spine-tingling twist that create an eerie atmosphere, amplified by Barnes’ partly whispered vocals

Six Feet Under are death metal veterans, and with “Next to Die”, they deliver old-school death metal with a twist. There are a few unexpected turns in a flow that sticks to the Six Feet Under signature sound. Barnes and Owen seem to be a team that can bring out the best in Six Feet Under.