Next To Die [CD], Six Feet Under, CD

American death metal pioneers SIX FEET UNDER will unleash their Next To Die full-length on April 24th through Metal Blade Records.

Next To Die marks a new creative high for SIX FEET UNDER, its dozen songs marking the band's fifteenth album since 1995's Haunted. "It started out as an album full of death metal songs with speed and aggression," says guitarist Jack Owen. "Then [vocalist] Chris [Barnes] had the brilliant idea to keep half of those death metal songs and add some groovier songs in the vein of the early SIX FEET UNDER material. Chris emphasized tempo, so keeping with the beats per minute for early SFU classics, I wrote a side of tasty groove-laden music with Chris doing all the lyrics."

The creative collaborative approach sees Next To Die essentially broken down into two different sides - Death and Groove - resulting in an aural masterwork that satisfies SIX FEET UNDER as artists, while also offering something for every fan.

The record was produced by Owen and Barnes and mixed and mastered by Mark Lewis of MRL Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and follows 2024's Killing For Revenge. It's the third record that Barnes and Owen have created together since reuniting in 2017. "We don't discuss lyrical themes, we each write what we're feeling," explains Barnes. "We each just write what we find interesting."

SIX FEET UNDER was initially formed as a side project for Barnes during his final years with the band that he co-founded, Cannibal Corpse. It became the frontman's sole focus in 1995, coinciding with the release of their debut, Haunted. The current lineup of Barnes, Owen, lead guitarist Ray Suhy, bassist Jeff Hughell, and drummer Marco Pitruzzella make for a devastating unit.

That sonic devastation shines on lead single, "Unmistakable Smell Of Death," which sees Owen owning his blast and fast riffs with dynamic pull-offs and stop sections. "This song began musically before I had any lyrical ideas in mind," says Owen. "I dug through my riff archive for some blast and fast riffs and updated them with some pull-offs and stop sections. The middle section riffs were also from my riff archive. I do scratch leads on my demos, but Ray always does a much better job with the leads.

"Lyrically, I'm writing from the perspective of a killer who toys with a victim and unties them, allowing them to fight. He underestimates their ability to fight, and they get the better of the killer, ultimately impaling and beheading him. The 'Unmistakable Smell Of Death' is now that of the killer!"