Six Feet Under Next To Die Review
Six Feet Under
Next To Die
Metal Blade Records
2026
It feels like just yesterday that Six Feet Under dropped “Killing for Revenge”, but alas, that was 2024. Now it’s 2026, and Chris Barnes and his longtime running mate Jack Owen are back with another corpse stuffed full of rotting hymns about torture, mutilation, and whatever other grisly nonsense Barnes is gargling about these days. (I can barely understand half of it, but that’s part of the charm.) The band’s new album, “Next to Die”, arrives once again via Metal Blade Records.
Full transparency: when the first single, “Unmistakable Smell of Death,” hit my inbox, I wasn’t impressed. But Death Metal has never been my everyday go-to. Six Feet Under may be my favorite band in the genre, yet Death Metal singles rarely land with me. I need the full album experience, the whole blunt-force beating, so I can really understand where a band is coming from. And, as usual, I was wrong to judge too early.
“Next to Die” works best as a complete listen. According to the press sheet, there are “two sides” to the record, and that checks out. There’s plenty here for older fans who came in around the “Haunted” era, when the band leaned hard into groovy, stomping Death Metal with that filthy Death ’n’ Roll swagger. That’s the era that made me a believer, and I’m still a massive fan of it. I come from the school of “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” In Death Metal, that means endless speed and technical wankery don’t automatically equal quality. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes serving the song matters, even when the song is about caving in skulls with a shovel.
So yes, you’ll get zero argument from me when it comes to groove-loaded, no-frills Death Metal where I can count the BPM, nod like an idiot, and dig into the riff. There’s plenty of that here, and it benefits everything: the songs, the production, Barnes’ vocals, and especially Jack Owen's guitar work. The man has always been a riff factory when given room to breathe. Teaming with Barnes in SFU has clearly uncaged him. His creeping riffs, nasty melodies, and face-searing leads are all over this thing like maggots on roadkill.
As for those “two sides,” it’s not split into a groovy half and an angry half. The tracks are mixed throughout, which makes the album far more digestible. The faster, nastier songs come off almost Punkish rather than just being mindless steamrollers. I’m catching early ’80s Punk energy in spots, and honestly, it rules. And fuck yes, Six Feet Under albums are supposed to be fun. “Haunted”, “Warpath”, and “Maximum Violence” were party-starting soundtracks during the peak of my drinking years. If I were still tying one on, “Next to Die” would absolutely join that degenerate rotation.
Vocally, Barnes is Barnes, his usual grumbly, swamp-monster self. There really isn’t anyone else who sounds quite like him, and for all the jokes people make, the man still wears his scars proudly. His guttural reputation remains intact. That said, I would’ve liked the vocals pushed a little higher in the mix, more in line with the “Warpath” era where you could hear the actual tone of his voice cut through. I don’t have the lyrics in front of me, but I’m going to assume they’re exactly what you’d expect. The song titles certainly don’t hide much - “Mutilated Corpse in the Woods” leaves little to the imagination. And I’ll admit it: some juvenile, blackened corner of my soul gets a stiffy every time I read that title.
If you heard the single and felt underwhelmed like I did, do yourself a favor and listen to the whole record. If you’re an old-school Six Feet Under fan, “Next to Die” is essential. Skip it, and you’re missing a damn important chapter in the band’s history. So quit screwing around and grab it now, it’s out and ready to wreck your speakers. And remember
"Don’t you ever laugh as a hearse goes by,
for you may be the next one to die."
Standouts – “Approach Your Grave”, “Mister Blood and Guts”, “Skin Coffins”, “Mind Hell”, “Next To Die” and “Ill Wishes”.