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Links: - Band Logo - Google Video Search - Official Myspace - Official Website - Metal Blade Records Review information: - Release length: 49:11 - Review posted on April 19th, 2010 |
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Review
What other band in the Death Metal scene is as well known today then Six Feet Under? Heralded as one of the greatest bands to ever walk the face of the planet, as well as one of the most destructive to the Death Metal scene, this act has gone through dramatic transformations, and back again. While not all of their more recent endeavors have really come out on top, but met with wide arrays of criticism, Six Feet Under finds themselves continuing to try to emulate their original sound, but again cannot shake off their newer sound. Because of this, their latest release, Death Rituals is an album that has some great songs, as well as a number of hit or miss songs for the listener without any real change or improvement. There's no denying that Death Rituals has some of the best recorded Six Feet Under originals in years. "Into the Crematorium" is a fantastic throw back to the original sound that made this band a household name in the first place, as well as features some great vocal work that doesn't sound as if Chris Barnes is past the age of seventy. Aside that, you have the traditional Groove tinged Death Metal sound on plenty of the tracks here, including "Involuntary Movement of Death Flesh" which is another enjoyable song, but the album doesn't really seem to pick up until the next track, "None Will Escape", which is a little faster and heavier with shades of early Six Feet Under musicianship thrown in there. "Eulogy for the Dead" is another good track, one of the better ones off the album, that really showcases the talent that the band has through some catchy as hell music that comes at you really hard, nice vocal work, and an excellent guitar solo. It's clear that the first half of the album is really where it's at, and will really get your hopes up. However, there are plenty of songs on here that seem very reminiscent of the newer sound, including the band's Death'n Roll era, which they just cannot seem to let go for the life of them. Once you hit the song "Bastard", everything seems to start going downhill. Originally performed by Mötley Crüe, "Bastard" is surprisingly decent, but insanely boring and hollow, with the only exciting moments really hitting when the drumming picks up for a brief second or two before everyone goes into the chorus again. You can't also forget the long winded introduction to the song "Shot in the Head" which is supposed to be a voice mail from some psycho about murder (shocker) before charging into a rather mid-paced song that seems to just chug along until the solo, which is great and has amazing drums accompanying it, building intensity until it suddenly drops back down to the slower chugging pace and enrages you by doing so. There are some decent cuts in the latter portion of the release, such as the aforementioned "Into the Crematorium", as well as "Murder Addiction", but, sadly, that's about it. Death Rituals is a nice attempt by the band to go back to their musical roots, and in many ways they seem to succeed with this album. There hasn't been as solid a Six Feet Under album as this one, at least musically, in many years. However, there are still plenty of tracks on here that really are just boring, or just flat out aren't very good at all and act more as filler then anything. If you're a fan of Six Feet Under then chances are this release is going to make you a very happy fan, as it really isn't a band album at all. But, fan or not, there's still enough material here to hold your interest for a few spins before you start eliminating some tracks on here, mostly the slower paced ones, for being a bit too repetative or bland, especially when you hit that half way mark. |
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