Six Feet under – Graveyard Classics 3 Review

Label: Metal Blade
Six Feet Under
Graveyard Classics 3

http://sfu420.com/
http://www.myspace.com/sixfeetunder


By Mike Bax

Six Feet Under have been delivering their signature style of death groove now for over 15 years. Graveyard Classics 3 marks their third all-covers album, and the band has pulled out the stops on choice material this time around. The go-to tracks are 'At Dawn They Sleep' (Slayer); 'A Dangerous Meeting' (Mercyful Fate) and 'The Frayed Ends of Sanity' (Metallica).

I find myself going back to 'Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck' (Prong); Psychotherapy (Ramones) and Metal on Metal (Anvil) a lot. The Prong cover is an interesting take on a classic track. Tommy Victor's signature guitar work on the original is made somehow more menacing with Steve Swanson's pummeling riff work. The Ramones cover of 'Psychotherapy' was an unexpected surprise (as I somehow thought it might be the Suicidal Tendencies song), and works quite well for Six Feet Under. Metal On Metal has been back on my iPod since the Anvil film came back out, and I found SFU made it their own as well.

One of the biggest challenges I hear from some of my metal-inclined friends, is that SFU's vocals (I mean no disrespect to Chris Barnes here, as his voice literally can sound like it might strip the very flesh off your face) are too distorted for them to get behind the band. For those people, I suggest you pick up Graveyard Classics 3 and hear the band put their stamp on ten familiar songs. You'll find yourself grooving along to a few of them for sure.

If nothing else, Graveyard Classics 3 showcases how well Steve Swanson, Terry Butler, and Greg Gall can play, and that can't hurt the band at all.