Six Feet Under - "Undead", 2012

Even though the band released a third chapter of the "Graveyard Classics" cover-albums series in 2010 and a live DVD titled "Wake the Night! Live in Germany" in 2011, the gap between 2008's "Death Rituals" and 2012's "Undead" was the band's longest to date when it comes to proper original studio material. Those four years saw the band losing both drummer Greg Gall and bassist Terry Butler; guitarist Steve Swanson survived the purge, although he was apparently relieved from songwriting duties and only appeared performing a handful of solos on both "Undead" and its twin record, "Unborn" (he still managed to get one songwriting credit on the latter, though). Basically a single, big recording session split into two different albums for release in 2012 and 2013, it sees the talents of a team of new songwriters gathered around leader Chris Barnes: Americans Rob Arnold (Chimaira) and Ben Savage (Whitechapel), Swede Ola Englund (Feared, Scarpoint), and Finn Jari Laine (Torture Killer, Adramelech). The rest of the lineup is rounded out by Kevin Talley (Dying Fetus and Dååth, among many others) on drums for both records, as well as Jeff Hughell on bass for "Unborn".

On "Undead", Arnold pens all the songs and plays all the guitars and bass, except for a couple of solos by Swanson; back then, when I found out that a guy from Chimaira was joining the band, I didn't know what to think, but once I listened to the record, it turned out to be a more than pleasant surprise. Arnold makes "Undead" an incredible mid-career relaunch that I'm sure nobody would have expected from the band at that point, as well as the second-best Six Feet Under album ever (the first obviously being the classic debut "Haunted", although a very different beast).

The record that preceded it, "Death Rituals", was a solid effort, but that lineup was clearly showing signs of stagnation, and Greg Gall was a limited drummer, not suited for faster, more brutal, or more technical material; new entry Kevin Talley was the opposite, an extremely skilled musician that could pretty much play everything you threw at him, and one of the best of his generation in my opinion. On "Undead" (and "Unborn"), he absolutely shines, offering a dynamic performance that showcases his creativity in terms of playing and arrangements, as well as complementing the more structured riffs by Arnold with surgical precision, while not losing the groove and the feel. The drum sound is refined and punchy but not overly processed; the production in general is excellent, certainly one of the best the band ever benefited from, sounding modern enough but without getting pretentious and bombastic like some of its peers.

Talley also provides all the proper blastbeats that were missing when his predecessor, Greg Gall, was in the band; the opening one-two punch of "Frozen at the Moment of Death" and "Formaldehyde" are gruesome, violent death metal bangers that mix technicality, macabre melodies, and slower, crushing riffs with ease, and the malicious "Near Death Experience" and "Delayed Combustion Device" are not far behind.

In general, "Undead" showcases the most elaborate songwriting that Six Feet Under ever had up to that moment; it retains the basic trademark elements of the band, such as the mix of double kick-laden mid-tempos, heavy grooves, and doomy breaks on songs like "Blood on My Hands", "The Scar", and the neck-breaking "Vampire Apocalypse", but the intricate quality of the riffing and the more sophisticated arrangements are something that was definitely unthinkable before. Outstanding numbers like "Molest Dead" and "18 Days" show the potential of the rebooted band, with the latter borrowing heavily - and tastefully - from Cannibal Corpse's "The Bleeding".

Arnold throws a couple of more death 'n' roll-oriented songs in the mix to keep things varied, the brilliant "Missing Victims" and "Reckless", the latter being probably the only song that would have fit easily on one of the band's previous records (like on "13", for instance). "The Depths of Depravity" instead closes the album on a darker note, starting off with an eerie clean guitar arpeggio, then developing into chunky riffs, and finally into a destructive faster section, before slowly retreating back into the shadows from where it first emerged.

The undisputed band leader and vocalist Chris Barnes sounds rejuvenated too, and he seems to make an extra effort to live up to the quality of the instrumentals; he surprisingly displays some of his deepest growls ever with ease, while also exploring the rest of his vocal range with a variety of more decipherable screams and a number of overdubs, showing particularly well-thought-out vocal arrangements to recount his gore-soaked tales. His usual haters would have a hard time finding excuses to criticize his performance or stamina on here.

The old-school artwork by Dusty Peterson reinterprets Six Feet Under's usual skulls theme through a painting depicting a vortex of unearthly creatures, reminiscent of some Lovecraft tales. Two different interpretations of the same subject adorn both "Undead" and "Unborn", making the pair of albums look particularly classy if placed next to each other.

Not only is "Undead" one of the absolute best Six Feet Under records, it's just a great death metal album in itself that gave Barnes' ex-colleagues Cannibal Corpse a run for their money, arguably sounding fresher and more inspired than what that band was doing around that particular time. It's probably also the Six Feet Under album to go for all those who aren't specifically fans of the band or of its older material. Curiously, a portion of the band's fanbase didn't take the change in personnel and the stylistic shift that well, but I think the quality of the record speaks for itself, and it was a much-needed revamp of the band's formula, instrumental in keeping the band relevant through the 2010s.