A vibe worth burying – Review of Six Feet Under’s “Next to Die”

The American death metal powerhouse, led by veterans Chris Barnes and Jack Owen, returns with their 15th studio effort “Next to Die”. Co-produced by the duo and tracked at the legendary Criteria and Audio Hammer Studios, the album sees the band reuniting with producer Mark Lewis (MRL Studios) to sharpen their signature crushing sound. Sandy Rezalmi provides a visceral visual identity for the album, marking a new chapter for Six Feet Under. The record clocks in at 47 minutes split into 12 songs of unadulterated, old school brutality.

The Sonic Aesthetic: Low-End Gravity

If you’re looking for “smart death metal”, keep walking. “Next to Die” trades nerdy fretwork for a primitive, rhythmic assault that puts the ‘chug’ right at the center of the chaos. The sound here is incredibly bottom-heavy, with a low-end that feels like it’s actually pressing down on your chest. It fits perfectly with the surgical precision of the drums and those guitars that carry a cold, ‘buried alive’ atmosphere. Barnes treats his voice like a third percussion piece, spitting out these thick, rhythmic barks that keep the chaos in check. There’s no passion in the lyrics, and that’s the point, it’s just cold blooded horror narrated with the same bored tone a coroner uses at the end of a long shift.

Track Highlights

The album’s 12 tracks offer a balance of groove-heavy stomps and high-speed aggression:

• “Approach Your Grave” A slow, crushing mid-tempo opener that sets a sinister tone, focusing on the violent transition to “cold and grey” decay. 
• “Destroyed Remains” A fast-paced dive into the bleak logistics of cremation and decomposition.
• “Mister Blood and Guts” is an instant standout. It brings that classic B-movie horror energy with a chorus made for shouting along. This is a blood-soaked anthem clearly built for the live stage.
• “Mutilated Corpse in the Woods” The track dives into a cold, step-by-step account of a woodland hunt, delivering a classic ‘slasher-film’ narrative focused on the clinical details of a kill. You can literally feel the rhythm of the hunt. A race toward certain death.
• “Unmistakable Smell of Death” An old-school highlight featuring simple, effective rhyming and a dark, narrative twist that serves as a grim tale.
• “Wrath and Terror Takes Command” Dips into atmospheric Doom territory, providing a heavy, hopeless contrast to the faster material.
• “Mind Hell” A highlight for those seeking a slow, nightmarish trip, featuring some of the record’s most serious headbanging grooves.
• “Naked and Dismembered” A brutal, shocking exploration of pure hatred and cinematic violence.
• “Grasped from Beyond” A high-energy injection of supernatural horror and speed late in the tracklist.

The Verdict

At the end of the day, “Next to Die” is just pure, stripped-back death metal at its nastiest. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel or shock you with something new, but it delivers exactly what it promises: brutality that hits the spot for anyone who still worships the old-school sound.

Top Picks: “Destroyed Remains”,”Naked and Dismembered”, “Unmistakable Smell of Death”, “Mind Hell”  & “Mutilated Corpse in the Woods“

Tracklist:

1. Approach Your Grave
2. Destroyed Remains
3. Mister Blood and Guts
4. Mutilated Corpse in the Woods
5. Unmistakable Smell of Death
6. Wrath and Terror Takes Command
7. Skin Coffins
8. Mind Hell
9. Naked and Dismembered
10. Grasped from Beyond
11. Next to Die
12. Ill Wishes