Six Feet Under - "Warpath", 1997

"Warpath" marked the anticipated return of Six Feet Under after the successful "Haunted" and the stopgap EP "Alive and Dead"; unbeknownst to us all at the time, it was also going to be the last record featuring Allen West on guitar, marking a certain stylistic shift on the records that followed and leaving Chris Barnes as the sole undisputed leader of the band, for better or worse.

The album shows a band not afraid of approaching the songwriting from a slightly different perspective than "Haunted" and experimenting a little bit here and there, while at the same time paying tribute to the classic metal records that inspired its members over their formative years; speaking of which, a cover version of 1981's "Death or Glory" by Holocaust (UK) is featured in the middle of the tracklist, actually fitting in with the rest of the material pretty nicely and ending up being one of the best Six Feet Under cover versions to date, given Barnes' growls - for once - actually work better than the lackluster original vocals by Gary Lettice.

The album's opener, "War Is Coming," is an anthemic cut that deserves classic status; West channels Tom G. Warrior's spirit with a riff that is just glorious, and the song moves along menacingly towards a central bridge that feels as heavy as a 10-ton pallet of bricks smashing over your head. Barnes' vocals have a different flow than his usual standards, singing faster and nicely complementing the groove; the growls are noticeably less deep than in the past, and it seems like the singer focused more on offering a passionate delivery than on being the most guttural guy out there. It's an approach that will continue over the rest of the album, and it can be a bit of an acquired taste; Barnes' charisma is undeniable, and he sounds like he really means it, although at times it can give off a strange vibe, like he's pushing his vocal cords too much. Some naysayers maintain that his vocal decline started here, but he actually growled convincingly and way deeper than on "Warpath" for many records that followed; therefore, it seems to be a deliberate approach by Barnes. He often seems to change his vocals from one album to the other, probably trying to fit into a specific mood, although not always successfully.

"Nonexistence" sounds a lot like Obituary's "By The Light" (from "Back from the Dead"), released just a few months earlier; West puts his trademark style all over it, even going for one of his typical melodic solos. The same can be said for the similarly sounding "Manipulation" (also chosen as the lead single), a groovy mid-tempo with a memorable refrain. The band seems to pay homage to 80s speed metal on songs like "Animal Instinct", "Night Visions", and the irresistible "Revenge of the Zombie", as well as classic metal on the closer "Caged and Disgraced", probably one of the best tracks on the record; with a riff like that, you can't go wrong.

"4:20" deserves a special mention since it's one of the strangest Six Feet Under songs ever; it's a hymn to marijuana that moves along a stoner metal riff, complemented by a vocal performance that mixes the usual growls with some sort of clean rock vocals. It's not exactly clear what Barnes was trying to achieve, maybe pay homage to Lynyrd Skynyrd or some other 70s bands like Nazareth, since he's known for loving that sort of stuff. It's definitely not for everybody, but I must admit I always found the song pretty enjoyable, and the break in the middle is one of the heaviest on the record. In general, most of the songs feature sections showcasing excellent Celtic Frost-inspired riffing, giving a strong feeling of groove and heaviness to the record as a whole.

Elsewhere, the album provides enough variety with lively tracks such as "A Journey into Darkness" and "As I Die", as well as the doomish "Burning Blood" (this one also featuring some cleaner vocals in the background).

Lyrics show the will to break free from the boundaries of death metal; while classic serial-killers, zombies, violence, and gore are still there, some other elements are often used to paint a bigger picture, even going into some sort of social commentary at times. "4:20" is an ode to smoking weed, a practice the band was very fond of, and it can feel a bit cringe-worthy, but it's acceptable in the context of a stoner metal-inspired song. I mean, Bongzilla or Cannabis Corpse made a whole career out of that, so let's give poor Chris a pass.

"Warpath" is a brave album that tries to spice up the old-school death metal formula of the band. While somehow sounding fresher than "Haunted", it loses some of the eerie, graveyard-like atmosphere of the debut along the way but gains more character. The band's performance is even tighter than before, and Bill Metoyer does a great job behind the knobs, filling in for Scott Burns and giving the record a stellar sound.