Review: Six Feet Under’s Killing for Revenge is a Step in the Right Direction but Still Not Enough
I want to like Six Feet Under. I really do. On paper they should be fantastic, what with their current lineup being rounded out by two founding members of Cannibal Corpse, as well as one of the fastest drummers I’ve ever seen and a ridiculously dexterous 7-string bassist. You’d think they would be out here blowing people’s minds left and right, but instead they seem content with serving up a bunch of mid-paced, lackluster death ‘n’ roll that may have had a leg to stand on 30 years ago, but feels well past played out at this point.
Like many others, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they’d picked up the pace with their first single “Know-Nothing Ingrate”. It wasn’t perfect, but it had a sense of renewed energy unlike anything they’ve put out in a long time, and it was certainly enough to generate a buzz. My hopes were extremely measured, but I’d be lying if I said my curiosity hadn’t been piqued. I found myself wondering if perhaps Chris Barnes’ newfound sobriety (respect) had created a shift in their dynamic, and as a result a higher emphasis would now be placed on more creative songwriting that actually made use of the insanely talented musicians in their roster.
So, did they pull it off? After spending some time with their newest full-length Killing for Revenge, I can safely say that the answer is… ehh, yes and no.
It is true that several of the songs are much faster than we’re used to hearing from Six Feet Under, and in fact are among the fastest material they’ve ever released, particularly the third track “Ascension”. That one is actually very tastefully written and genuinely heavy, aside from the fact that Barnes’ voice has lost much of its former strength. The main riff for “When the Moon Goes Down in Blood” has an interesting feel to it as well, kinda creepy and complimented by rapid-fire triplet bursts from drummer Marco Pitruzella. If the rest of the songs on this album were as good as these two then I would be singing an entirely different tune, but unfortunately they end up being the exception to the rule.
They might have shifted things up a gear on some of the songs, but that metric alone does not make up for the fact that a lot of the music is still very repetitive once you get over the initial shot of adrenaline. Also, that increase in tempo does not carry over to all of the music, and when it doesn’t, things come crashing down hard. The fifth track “Hostility Against Mankind” is practically unlistenable with its simplistic, plodding, molasses-slow attempt at a “groove” that sounds like they ripped off the main riff from “Bury Me in Smoke” but screwed it up. The aptly named “Neanderthal” is a slightly better attempt at slower bluesy riffs more in line with SFU’s previous material, but even that one falls short. At one point I actually laid my head down on my desk and said out loud, “Why the fuck did you hire the guys from Brain Drill to play this?!”
I’ve never been able to wrap my head around why neither Marco Pitruzella and Jeff Hughell aren’t being utilized to their full potential. If you really wanna blow people’s minds and catapult Six Feet Under into a whole new era, then don’t be scared to throw some gravity blasts and arpeggios and a little slap bass into that motherfucker. At this point, why not? I’m not saying they need to be the next Archspire with Barnes on vocals — although that would be a hell of a sight to see — but don’t give them riffs that they could play in their sleep either. Let them boys cook. There are glimpses of their true capabilities in the bursts of really fast blasts at the end of “When the Moon Goes Down in Blood” and some very tasty tapping from Hughell which adds serious atmosphere to the beginning of “Spoils of War”, but other than that it feels like they could have gotten any number of other hired guns to do the same thing and still achieved the same result.
People will undoubtedly be saying something to the effect of “Oh man, this is way better than Nightmares” once the album is out, but that is a depressingly low bar to clear. Then again, one could also be forgiven for holding out hope that this noticeable improvement is in fact an early indicator of a much greater change in the wind. There’s a part of me that actually hopes this album does really well and inspires them to write more music like it, but then there’s the other part that almost choked on my drink when I heard the cowbell during their cover of Nazareth’s “Hair of the Dog” at the end, so I’m not exactly waiting with bated breath.
Six Feet Under’s Killing for Revenge drops this Friday, May 10 via Metal Blade Records. Pre-order your copy here
