Some fifteen years after Chris Barnes left Cannibal Corpse to form Six Feet Under, he has helped define a genre and continue to be one of the most influential and powerful forces in extreme music today. Their newest album, ‘Death Rituals’, is no exception, proving that, as one of SFU’s lyrics state, ‘True Death Still Lives On’. I will admit that when I was young, death metal just really wasn’t my thing. I was into Morbid Angel, they were evil in that Biblical sense. And they had a couple videos… When I heard Cannibal Corpse, they were evil in a whole new way. (Can you imagine what a Cannibal Corpse video would be like?)
This wasn’t the fantasy swords and sorcery nonsense that I had come to know and love from heavy metal, this was some sick shit that could really happen! It painted a vivid picture and it made your skin crawl right before it was ripped and torn from your bones! I will always remember my friend playing ‘Tomb of the Mutilated’ and reading the song titles on the back of the album. I may never be able to get the words, ‘Entrails Ripped from a Virgin’s Cunt’ out of my head and that’s okay, really. Art is supposed to affect you and warp your mind a little, right?
The music was enough to give you a concussion banging your head to it, but that voice was simply amazing! It was inhuman! It was lower than the guitars on my Metallica albums! It was crushing and full of filth…what form of demon is this Chris Barnes? I was lucky enough to speak with Chris for a while recently and get the scoop on ‘Death Rituals’, how Six Feet Under go about writing and what makes them such a strong band. I never found out which demon possesses him because I don’t think there is one. Chris was extremely cool to talk with and his willingness to share his views on not only his new album but politics and the terminally ill record industry marks him as a true professional. Check this shit out…
Beyond The Dark Horizon: ‘Death Rituals’ is the new album from Six Feet Under and is out Tuesday, November 11th. How many studio albums does that make for you guys?
Chris Barnes: I think this makes number 8, not counting the EP.
BTDH: You guys have pretty much put something out every year you’ve been together, with the EPs and box set, is that right?
Chris: Yeah, yeah. I think that is something we try to do, is put something new out whether it be a studio album or a DVD or something like that. Keep things moving along with new stuff every year.
BTDH: That’s great! A lot of bands take four or five years between releases!
Chris: Yeah, I never liked that too much growing up and listening to music as a fan. Having to wait two or three years for the next Metallica record or whatever.
BTDH: It is definitely a testimony to your creativity. You are keeping it going and not getting bogged down.
Chris: Yeah, well, we really like what we are doing. That’s my favorite part about being in a band is writing new material and doing work in the studio.
BTDH: Cool, we’ll get more into that in a second. Tell me what fans can expect to hear on this release.
Chris: Oh, a great Six Feet Under record, man. If you’re a fan of our music, you’ll definitely like this, no doubt about it.
BTDH: What do you have lined up for tours? How is that coming together?
Chris: Yeah, that is starting to be looked at. We got some offers for touring in Europe and we’ll be concentrating on that next year and doing festivals there next summer. And some things we are looking at for the States, too. Nothing concrete, yet, but late spring, early summer.
BTDH: If you had to guess, where do you find most of your fan support? America, Europe…
Chris: Ah, I would say our strongest fan base is in Europe, Germany specifically, Austria. Those countries do really well for us. We sell as many records in Germany as we do in the U.S. So, that really tells you about the concentrated fan base. I don’t know, Germany is about the size of Texas, maybe bigger, I don’t know (laughs).
BTDH: Tell me about the title, ‘Death Rituals’. I hear it is one that you have had waiting for some time. How does it fit this record or what does it mean to you?
Chris: It’s more important to me what it means to the listener, what someone else gets from it. I think all the stuff I write is a personal thing first and then it builds from there. I felt it was a title that could encompass the lyrics and the over all vibe of the record. I mean, I write all the time, so I have stuff just written down over the years compiled and something speaks to me at a certain point when I’m listening to what the guys are writing and let it go with the flow and let the music dictate to me what it is saying and how I will interpret it.
BTDH: If you were to compare this record to previous Six Feet Under records, how does it differ? Was it created differently or did you approach writing it differently?
Chris: I don’t like to compare things, I mean, they are separate entities and it’s all new material, you know? I don’ t really like to compare, I don’t think anything can be compared to anything else. It’s kind of a funny way of looking at music, for me. I wrote all the lyrics and was really involved in this project so I look at it differently than someone else. ‘It sounds like this or it sounds like that’, doesn’t really equate with me when I listen to something that I helped put together. We attacked the writing process like we always do. What really works for us is writing each album, each song, like it’s our first album that we have ever written. Just feel it out and see what sounds good to us and go from there.
BTDH: Right on. Let me try and clarify that last question a little bit. Tell me about the creative process. Do you write in the studio or home, do you write as a group or individually and then compare notes? How do you like to work?
Chris: Sometimes a guy will have, like Terry or Greg, or Terry or Steve, actually, would have a riff or something and we go to the rehearsal space and it’s a collaborative effort for the most part. Steve has come up with the majority of the music and stuff. After they are done with a song, I’ll get a CD of rough tracks, demoed out and start getting ideas from it and start working on lyrics and vocal parts.
BTDH: When you go to write those lyrics, you said you write all the time, do you have a routine or ritual that you use?
Chris: Basically, if something pops in my head, I’ll jot it down. Later on, if I’m writing an album, I’ll go back to my bank of song ideas and go from there. Use it as a starting point or see what speaks to me, see what the music is saying to me in my head. Find the other piece of the puzzle.
BTDH: Can you tell me anything about the tracks from the new album, ‘Crossroads to Armageddon’ and ‘Crossing the River Styx’? One is an instrumental and the other has some spoken word parts.
Chris: Um, yeah, that’s pretty much it (laughs)! I think they are interesting interludes that keep the tone and the vibe of the record going. Like you said, ‘Crossing the River Styx’ is an instrumental, basically a guitar piece, that Steve really did a great job on, it’s really moody. It is something that ties the record together. ‘Crossroads to Armageddon’ is a piece that I was working on and felt that also set a certain mood.
BTDH: They did grab my attention with that mood they created and I liked that what they did so I wanted to ask about them.
Chris: Thanks, man.
BTDH: Do you have a favorite track? I know you just said you don’t like comparing things but is there one that is special or you are really proud of?
Chris: Oh, they are all really special, man. We worked really hard creating the music so, in my mind, they are all equal, they all have their own personality. About every song I’ve written, if I didn’t feel as strong about them as the others, they wouldn’t be on there. I don’t really waste my time with stuff that doesn’t work.
BTDH: After all the years of doing what you do, how do you maintain a fresh outlook and continue to release quality stuff and stay true to your vision, you know what I mean?
Chris: Like I was saying earlier, we just approach each song like it’s out first song we have ever written. We don’t focus on anything we have done in the past or try and make something sound like something else. We just really go with what we think sounds good. That’s how we have always done it. All the guys in the band come from that school of writing and that’ s where I come from, too. That’s why we have such a good relationship over the years and enjoy what we do and not be bothered by anything else. We are lucky in that. I think that is the best way to write. Write for yourself not anybody else. That’s what we do and it has been working well for us.
BTDH: You said earlier that writing is your favorite part, creating the album. Do you enjoy working the studio more than playing live?
Chris: Um, they are both fun, but I prefer writing and creating new music. It’s fun, it’s a journey. Going on the road is fun but there is a lot of bullshit in between that gets tough to deal with after all the years, but I do like to be on stage in front of the fans that dig our music.
BTDH: Do you play instruments?
Chris: I play a little bit of guitar and a little bit of drums. I’m not that good
BTDH: Has Six Feet Under been met with any censorship in the way that your previous group, Cannibal Corpse, did?
Chris: Not really, you know. That whole thing has gone the way of the video tape, you know (laughs)? That was back in the ‘90’s, late ‘80’s and I think people stood up to that and let the government know they had no right to censor freedom of speech or freedom of expression. I think there are more important things to focus on. The economy is so bad, worldwide, right now. I think that is more important for people to criticize right now.
BTDH: I remember when the PMRC came out with the PAL (Parental Advisory Label) and went after bands like Price and W.A.S.P.; I was surprised that bands like Cannibal Corpse didn’t get as much attention. How did you kind of slip through the cracks?
Chris: Well, we didn’t, really. They were coming after us. Bob Dole personally attacked us in his campaign against Clinton. They did come after us. I was actually on NBC Nightly News during the election that year, responding to Bob Dole’s attacks against death metal and specifically, Cannibal Corpse. Defending what we do against what he said about us and using us a campaign tactic and going up against Hollywood and bands. He had mentioned Cannibal Corpse and Suicidal Tendencies.
BTDH: Didn’t he later admit that he never listened to the Corpse stuff?
Chris: I think he did, I think he did. Someone did.
BTDH: That’s kind of typical, isn’t it?
Chris: Yeah, that’s the heart and soul of hypocrisy, right there. Washington D.C., the only greater hypocrisy is probably the Vatican (laughs).
BTDH: Speaking of censorship, Ice – T appeared on a track called ‘One Bullet Left’ from the ‘True Carnage’ album. He knows all about censorship and I thought it was really cool the two of you working together. How did that come about?
Chris: Oh yeah, going back, man! Well, I was an Ice – T fan from the early eighties and I always followed his stuff and the early rap, I was really digging that kind of music and Ice – T really stood out to me. He talked about things that were very relevant, very blunt and very exciting so I felt parallel to that although our subject matter what somewhat different. We had a lot of the same philosophies and I got to meet him when I was in Cannibal Corpse. We played Milwaukee Metal Fest with BodyCount and he was really, really cool to me. He came up to me and said he listened to my music and I always remembered that. When we were doing the ‘True Carnage’ album, they asked me if I wanted to collaborate with anyone and the first thing that came to my mind was working with Ice. We ended up doing the track in New York and I also worked with Karen Crisis on that album. Did a duet with her, she’s a great vocalist. On this album, ‘Death Rituals’, I got to work with another of my idols, Iggy Pop. He laid down the spoken work track on, ‘Shot in the Head’. That was probably the highlight of my life, right there.
BTDH: That’s really awesome! I did not know that was Iggy Pop! He’s on the answering machine!
Chris: Yeah, yeah, he’s the voice on the answering machine. I met him a few times over the years working out of the Hit Factory in Miami. I always wanted to have him included; he has always been one of the guys I looked up to growing up listening to music.
BTDH: I had no idea he was on the album, that’s really cool.
Chris: I didn’t want to push it as a selling point, especially Iggy. That’s not something I believe in, trying to sell an album on his name. There’s something more to it than that. I don’t tell too many people, you know. If someone says, ‘Oh, I like what you said on the answering machine,’ then I tell them, ‘It’s not me, (laughs)’.
BTDH: I thought it was you just saying some really cool stuff…
Chris: Yeah, I wrote that part for him and it really ties in everything I’ve ever done in my whole career.
BTDH: You know, when I think death metal vocals, I think Chris Barnes. I think gangster rap, I think Ice – T, punk or rock and roll, Iggy Pop. It’s very cool what you are doing.
Chris: Yeah, thanks.
BTDH: I think my next question you answered a long time ago but it may have changed…
Chris: (laughs) Okay…
BTDH: What is the difference between death metal and grind core. I, apparently, have no idea.
Chris: Oh (sigh).
BTDH: I ask because I had a friend tell me Neurosis is grind core and Morbid Angel is also grind core. I don’t get it.
Chris: Um…no. I wouldn’t say that. It’s funny putting titles on stuff that is so closely related. I think early on, really there was more of a separation where grind-core spoke about political things and had a different blast beat that was use in the song. The blast beat is a little different; the approach is different and is only distinguishable by the aficionados. I would give an example, even though some members were in both bands, the example being Terrorizer as a grind-core band and Morbid Angel as a death metal band. You can see, even though Pete Sandoval is playing both blast beats, the grind-core blast beat is a little different in its approach. On a very basic level, those would be good examples of that.
BTDH: The reason I ask is because so many genre’s are running together and really blurring the lines…
Chris: You’re right, you’re right. It’s a little different now. There is a hazy spot there (laughs), especially in death metal. There are a lot of new bands on the scene that are death metal, but…there is a fine line there.
BTDH: What music inspired you or rather, what inspired your vocal style?
Chris: Oh, nothing really inspired my vocal style; I just learned what my voice was. At a certain point, you stop trying to sound like other people and find your voice and feel it. It takes time and a lot of practice, a lot of listening. That’s how I do what I do. I guess the bands that made me do what I do…I don’t know that there was anyone specifically. It wasn’t like, ‘I see Metallica, I want to do that.’ it wasn’t like that. I felt the music very strongly and really enjoyed it and was really intense about listening to bands and music and progressed from there to me wanting to make my own music. I was really into writing short stories and essays in school and it was a lot of fun to me along with art and music. Those are my favorite things and I was going in that direction anyway and I was lucky to have friends who felt the same way and we decided to pick up some
BTDH: Where do you draw your inspiration from now? Do you read books, watch films, current affairs, personal issues…?
Chris: No, nothing like that has really inspired me. Throughout my career up until now, what inspires me is what is in my brain, what I’m thinking. I don’t directly think, ‘Oh, there’s a movie about a serial killer, I’ll write a story like that.’ I don’t write like that. The story comes into my head and I dictate it. I’m like the middle man.
BTDH: How do you feel about the internet and how it has revolutionized the music biz?
Chris: Oh, I think it has ruined it. I think everyone knew it back then and now it has grown into this monster that can’t be stopped. Either you get on board and utilize the finer points of it or go the way of the dinosaur. I think it has ruined the music industry and I think any record company will tell you that.
BTDH: Has it greatly affected what you do?
Chris: Oh, yeah, definitely. I think it affects what people do more and more everyday, on all levels. It is what it is now and the machine must be fed.
BTDH: Some bands will release bonus material or stickers, you know, like extra packaging to dissuade people from downloading the album…
Chris: Oh, yeah, we’ve done it and it doesn’t work.
BTDH: I didn’t notice anything on this release like that and wanted to ask…
Chris: The European release has three bonus live tracks in a digi-pack.
BTDH: You don’t think that’s enough, huh?
Chris: Probably not, those songs will probably wind up on the internet in two days.
BTDH: It’s a real shame…
Chris: Our new album was put online a week and half ago. It’s already been leaked out, you know? How is that a positive thing? I don’t understand. That’s why there won’t be CD’s anymore in about five years and there won’t be record companies, so to speak, in the next five years. It will be hard for bands to tour with the economy. Basically, what’s been going on with the internet changing the music industry is that the fans have brought it upon themselves and will be the ones to ultimately suffer. I have never downloaded anything, not even legally. You know? If I want to listen to a band’s music, I go buy a CD. I don’t believe in anything else. The industry has been brought to its knees over this and it’s ultimately going to cost everyone.
BTDH: Do you have any comments on recent the presidential election?
Chris: Well, it is what it is. I think it’s just another face in front of the same machine. He’s more of a communist than Bush was so… (laughs). I definitely don’t agree with redistributing the wealth, that’s socialism border lining communism and it’s not capitalist democracy. That is what this country is. This isn’t a socialist state, this is a democracy, and this is a capitalist society.
BTDH: How do you like to spend your free time?
Chris: I like to kick back and relax when I’m at home. I enjoy the weather down here in Florida; there is lots to do down here. That’s why I kind of came down in the first place.
BTDH: Next five years for Six Feet Under…
Chris: Just keep plugging away, man! Putting more records out and keep touring. Keep doing it until there is no one left who wants to hear it.
BTDH: You talked about there not being any CD’s in five years, I got a good feeling there will be a Six Feet Under in five years.
Chris: Oh, yeah. We’ll keep going. Even if it’s just me sitting in my room singing to the records, there will always be a Six Feet Under. We’ll always be doing something.
BTDH: Anything you want to add in closing?
Chris: Ah, just hope everyone enjoys the new CD and hope everyone is still around in five years with us!