Six Feet Under - "Haunted", 1995

Six Feet Under - "Haunted", 1995

In 1995 Cannibal Corpse was a fractured band, despite enjoying a surge in popularity with "The Bleeding" just the year before, as well as with the band being featured in the "Ace Ventura" movie; increasing frictions between frontman Chris Barnes and the rest of the band were soon to come to a boiling point, with the recording sessions for what should have been the "Created to Kill" record (later retitled "Vile" when George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher entered the picture) being the main bone of contention. But just a few months before the split-up, Barnes was already at the Morrisound Studios to track the debut album for what was supposed to be just a side project together with a bunch of friends, namely Allen West, Terry Butler, and Greg Gall. Death metal fans didn't know yet back then, but this would end up changing the career trajectory of both Barnes and Cannibal Corpse forever.

"Haunted" is the key to understanding the different approaches Barnes and the Cannibal guys were taking at the time: while "Vile" was soon to show an increasingly technical and faster band, on the other hand, "Haunted" was caveman-like, old-school death metal with an emphasis on the groovy side of things and stripped-down song structures, perfectly suited for Barnes' vocals. There's not a blast beat in sight; songs range from slower, doomish heavy-hitters such as "Beneath a Black Sky", "Remains of You", or "Tomorrow's Victim" to slightly more up-tempo, punkish tunes like the opener "The Enemy Inside" and "Suffering in Ecstasy". Several mid-tempo tracks, such as "Silent Violence", "Lycanthropy", "Still Alive", "Human Target", "Torn to the Bone", and the title track, also defined the typical Six Feet Under style, with mostly straightforward structures that almost resembled hard rock or classic metal songs, although in a death metal fashion.

Allen West, here on a break from Obituary, offers a rock-solid foundation that obviously resembles his main band, with his typical Celtic Frost-esque take on death metal and a talent for catchy, memorable riffs; his trademark dive-bombing leads are also on display, although not as prominently as in Obituary. Butler's distorted bass rumbles in the background with self-confidence, and Greg Gall is a steady timekeeper with an essential, no-frills drumming style, although not devoid of a few tasty touches. Chris Barnes is in fine form here; he actually sounds even better than on "The Bleeding", probably also thanks to a better production for vocals that are definitely upfront in the mix. Although the growling is still very deep in style, you can make out most of the lyrics quite easily.

The lyrics feature some trademark splatter and serial-killer tales by Barnes, but he ventures into some new territories with songs about werewolves, apocalyptic scenarios, drug addiction, cancer, and spiritism.

"Haunted" is not a technical album by any means, especially if compared to some of the stuff that was being released by then ("Pierced from Within" by Suffocation comes to mind), but instead it relies on brute force and a cemeterial atmosphere; the rusty graveyard fence appearing on the back cover of the CD actually encapsulates the mood of the record pretty well. This being said, it's a very well-crafted record, with rock-solid performances by all the parties involved and one of the best Scott Burns productions to come out of Morrisound in the 90s.

A few more guitar leads and maybe some faster rhythms here and there would have made the songs a tad less repetitive; you can blame "Haunted" for being pretty minimalistic, but on the other hand, there's not a single bad riff in it or any filler songs. It should also be taken into account the context of the times and what this album meant; in a death metal scene that was increasingly striving for innovation, over-the-top technicality, and contaminations from other genres, Six Feet Under just released a record that defied all trends and simply focused on making good songs with memorable hooks and heavier-than-thou riffs. While obviously reminiscent of Obituary at times, the band definitely had its own personality, and it sounded unique in 1995 while being a whiff of fresh (or maybe I should say putrid?) air in a scene that was losing its focus and being overshadowed by other genres such as black metal and industrial metal; it also proved that Chris Barnes could live comfortably outside of Cannibal Corpse and pull his own weight.