Six Feet Under will unleash their pulverizing fourteenth studio album, Killing For Revenge, on May 10 via Metal Blade Records.
From the opening moments of first single, "Know-Nothing Ingrate," which kicks off the record, it's immediately clear that Six Feet Under focused their energies into something that's as brutal, lyrically visceral, and musically dazzling as one would hope for from the ground-breaking Tampa-bred death metal. Killing For Revenge, a gnarly beast of a record that's not for the faint-hearted, dishes up nightmare-inducing imagery courtesy of frontman Chris Barnes via the vocalist's trademark guttural vocals. Both the album title and darkly detailed red-hued album cover by artist Vince Locke are perfect containers for the brutality within.
"I chose the title Killing For Revenge after we completed writing and noticed that all the lyrics and storylines had a common theme of revenge. Revenge by human or revenge by nature," Barnes says. "The album title describes the flow of the stories within the lyrics perfectly."
Killing For Revenge marks the second album that Barnes and guitarist Jack Owen (ex-Cannibal Corpse) have created together since reuniting for 2020's Nightmares Of The Decomposed. Owen also produced Killing For Revenge. "We worked well together in Cannibal Corpse," recalls Barnes. "I loved him to death as a friend and a musician, so I'm really comfortable giving him the reins because I just have such great respect for him as an artist."
Six Feet Under was initially formed as a side project for Barnes during his final years with the band that he co-founded, Cannibal Corpse. It became the frontman's sole focus in 1995, coinciding with the release of their debut, Haunted. Only Barnes remains from Six Feet Under's original incarnation, but the quality has remained remarkably consistent. The current lineup of Barnes, guitarists Owen and Ray Suhy, bassist Jeff Hughell, and drummer Marco Pitruzzella make for a devastating unit.
The songs on Killing For Revenge dive headfirst into subjects that are as gleefully vile, graphic, and downright grotesque as you might dream of from a Barnes/Owen project. After all, the two men were vital cogs in the Cannibal Corpse band that released such delightfully offensive death metal classics as Butchered At Birth and Tomb Of The Mutilated. Six Feet Under also recorded a cover of Nazareth's "Hair Of The Dog," which appears on all formats of Killing For Revenge with the exception of vinyl.
As a first preview of the record, today the band unveils "Know Nothing Ingrate." Notes Owen, "This music was written early in the writing process. Wanting to keep the aggression of a prior Six Feet Under song like 'Amputator,' I wrote music in the style of early Dark Angel or Kreator, who always had cool driving drumbeats. I had all the riffs in my head as I wrote the drums in a couple hours. Lyrically, I kicked around a phrase that fit the stop parts throughout the song. After coming up with 'Know Nothing Ingrate,' the lyrics wrote themselves. It's basically about online trolls who voice their uneducated and unnecessarily spiteful review of any artist's output. You're entitled to your opinion, and I'm entitled to mine."
Watch a lyric video for "Know-Nothing Ingrate" below.
Killing For Revenge, which features a guest appearance by guitarist Jason Suecof on "Neanderthal," was mixed and mastered by Chaz Najjar at Badlands Recording in Denver, Colorado. The record will be released on CD and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants:
- Clear w/ Red Bloodshot (US)
- 180g Black (EU)
- Crusted Blood Marbled (EU)
- Khaki Brown Marbled (EU - Ltd. 300)
- Blood Red Splatter (EU - Ltd. 300)
- Gold "Black Dust" (EU - Ltd. 200)
Pre-order here.
Killing For Revenge tracklisting:
"Know-Nothing Ingrate"
"Accomplice To Evil Deeds"
"Ascension"
"When The Moon Goes Down In Blood"
"Hostility Against Mankind"
"Compulsive"
"Fit Of Carnage"
"Neanderthal" (Guest Lead Guitar Solo - Jason Suecof)
"Judgement Day"
"Bestial Savagery"
"Mass Casualty Murdercide"
"Spoils Of War"
"Hair Of The Dog" (Nazareth Cover - CD + Digital Only)
"Know-Nothing Ingrate" lyric video:
Six Feet Under lineup:
Chris Barnes - vocals
Jack Owen - rhythm guitar
Ray Suhy - lead guitar
Jeff Hughell - bass
Marco Pitruzzella - drums
(Photo - Stephanie Cabral and Dark Photography)
