Review by Death8699 on December 17, 2018.

From previous listens to in terms of this band, they kind of bored me with nothing really special metal out there, but this release is so much more groove oriented than anything else. I think that they capitalized on that aspect of the music and really shot forth a great, solid album. I would still consider them to be way death metal oriented especially with Chris Barnes' vocal outputs. But the music really goes along with his vocals, I mean in unison with the way the guitar riff structures are portrayed. I liked this album much more than Death Rituals, that one just bored me to death. But here is an album that you really can get into.

Way underground still, just pounding out heavy down picked riff structures that are featured on every track of this 35+ minute album. You can really get into it and the music. It's heavy as all hell, but still the groove makes it more "alive" so to speak. Whereas with previous albums, I never really got much into. But this album is going to be one that I will hold onto. It's really slow paced as they've always been, with tempo changes and Barnes dominating in the vocal department. I tell you, this lineup is simply just awesome. The lead guitar is great and I really was interested in the music here.

Definitely a solid production with everything way mixed well and nothing is without a damn good praise. You can really slam dance or headbang to this one. The only objection is the length of the release. But be aware and hold on tight because Six Feet Under will crush your speakers and destroy your eardrums. The music is not overly complicated, it fits in well with Chris' voice and didn't make me sleep on this one. It is really a damn gem of a release. Something that they haven't really capitalized in years. They own death/groove metal and this album exonerates the emphasis on domination.

Again the length is the only reason why I didn't give this higher rating. But still, for me to even rate them higher than that would be too generous, despite their effort to blow you away with just thick guitar that simply destroys! I love this album, another one that you can put on and really get into. There's nothing really "off" about it. Of course Chris' vocals you can't understand or decipher what he's saying unless you read the lyric sheet. But that's just the way metal is, with a few exceptions. 

In the vein of other bands (newer) that I've heard that have a lot of groove related riffs, this one is more solid and the music more memorable. Unborn simply dominates in every aspect. Don't expect super fast riffing because it's just not there, despite maybe some segments that incorporate blast beating. Just not too much on here, the main focus I think was to mesh the vocals with the music. I was disappointed that reviewers didn't give this album a higher rating because that's what it really earned. Own it now!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Krys on March 14, 2013.

I'll start by admitting that Six Feet Under was never my cup of tea. Barnes and Co. could always entertain me for couple of spins but each time it was quickly getting dull and I was losing my interest. I guess new addition of swede guitarist Ola Englund was exactly what the doctor ordered. SFU had never sounded so badass and listenable and while this is not a masterpiece that line up has potential of doing something special.

The signs of improvement were visible on their previous alum "Undead" but this time riffs are way better with more layers, harmonies and are simply more enjoyable to the ear. Take the opener 'Neuro Osmosis' - it has acoustics, Insomnium like melancholic melodies contrasting Barnes rasps and some really heavy guitar chops to top it off. Thrashy, groove based 'Zombie Blood Curse', 'Incision' or 'Inferno' deliver simple but catchy as hell riffs with newfound leads and licks that showcase best guitar cooperation in SFU history. Sure they are still very simplistic but Englund\Swanson duo captures listener attention with more emphasis on melody and their style of phrasing make new tracks more powerful and heavy than anything in the past. Oh, and did I mention the best production yet? "Unborn" sounds brutal, aggressive and dynamic like good death metal album should.
There are still few tracks that remind me of old SFU that were too generic and didn't impress me much but even those sounded more polished this time around.

Six Feet Under is evolving and if I cared about Facebook I would honestly give them 'Like'. In mid-time just count me as a fan. I just hope this lineup stays for at least couple of years cause I believe the best is yet to come.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 10
Originality: 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 8.6 out of 10

Review by Michael on September 28, 2022.

Sagas guitarist Ian Crichton, Saxons drummer Nigel Glockler and vocalist Robert Berry (ex-"3") have formed a new group called Six By Six. This sounds pretty confusing because each of them has their own style of music in their original bands so the question about their actual style of music is pretty much justified. But as justified as it is, it is also quite tricky to answer that. But let's start from the beginning. First of all I have to state that these three musicians did an amazing job on their instruments. Of course we all do know Nigel Glocklers superb drumming in Saxon which he proved last year on “Carpe Diem” but also Ian Crichton did a fantastic job on guitar and Robert Berrys vocals sound as if a 30-year old guy would be singing there. No sign of age in sight!

'Yearning To Fly' is the opener of the album with a total running time of more than 45 minutes and a very proggy and calm rock song with a lot of (early) Rush-reminiscences when you take the guitar work and the synthies. It spreads a calming and positive atmosphere and with its very melodic and catchy bridge it is a heart-warming and perfect opener for the self-titled album. The same goes for 'Skyfall' which is a little bit heavier and because of the vocal / guitar patterns in the verses slightly more dramatic. There are some other calmer tracks to find but I will go more into detail about them a little bit later.
The heavier facet of the album starts with 'China' which is the heaviest track on the album and where the crimes of the Chinese government against the Uyghurs and other people are subject. I guess (I just wrote about a song by Asphyx in the past) Six By Six don't have China as prior sales market in focus. The song is pretty heavy and is what you can call a classic hard rock / heavy metal song with a very catchy chorus and some really cool breaks and guitar riffs. Nigels drums sound pretty much powerful here and underline the heaviness of the track. 'Casino' has a nice tropical atmosphere with the guitar solo (which is often repeated) and some other proggy influences that may be originated in the late 70s. Of course that is no surprise when you consider the background of the three musicians. Coming back to some Rush-tunes, 'The Last Words On Earth' is a wonderful arranged heavy song that isn't too difficult to follow even though it has some fantastic twists and turns in its 4:37 minutes. It creates a very thoughtful atmosphere, may it be because of its title, its lyrics or the melancholic parts scattered here and there.

Although there aren't any weak or boring tracks on the album, at least I do have some more favorite ones. And for this I do come back now to one of the calmer tracks. In 'Reason To Feel Calm Again' it is absolutely amazing what the band has performed. Starting with some bagpipe-like tunes that let appear Mel Gibson playing William Wallace in Braveheart before my eyes, the track has this what you could call a classical drama in literature: exposition, rising action with some guitar riffs, the climax with the verses and some really dramatic twists and after that the falling action where bagpipes are played again. 'Battle Of A Lifetime' may be the most melancholic track on Six By Six. The acoustic guitar brings you back into some ballads of the 70s and the rest of the track is also back to these days. It is another very catchy song the guys have written and again the lyrics are also very thoughtful.

So, maybe you got some interest in Six By Six with this review – I just can highly recommend it to you when you like some more progressive sounds combined with heavy metal. For me, this is a very big surprise and I am glad that I didn't miss this release.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10 dinosaurs (Nigel, you know what I mean!)