SIX FEET UNDER Announces New Album 'Next To Die', Shares 'Unmistakable Smell Of Death' Single

Long-running death metallers SIX FEET UNDER will release their new album, "Next To Die", on April 24 via Metal Blade Records.

"Next To Die", produced by SIX FEET UNDER guitarist Jack Owen and singer Chris Barnes and mixed and mastered by Mark Lewis of MRL Studios in Nashville, follows 2024's "Killing For Revenge". It's the third record that Barnes and Owen — both former members of CANNIBAL CORPSE — have created together since reuniting in 2017.

"Next To Die" track listing:

01. Approach Your Grave
02. Destroyed Remains
03. Mister Blood And Guts
04. Mutilated Corpse In The Woods
05. Unmistakable Smell Of Death
06. Wrath And Terror Takes Command
07. Skin Coffins
08. Mind Hell
09. Naked And Dismembered
10. Grasped From Beyond
11. Next To Die
12. Ill Wishes

"Next To Die" is a new creative high for SIX FEET UNDER, marking the band's fifteenth album since 1995's "Haunted".

"It started out as an album full of death metal songs with speed and aggression," says Owen. "Then Chris had the brilliant idea to keep half of those death metal songs and add some groovier songs in the vein of the early SIX FEET UNDER material. Chris emphasized tempo, so keeping with the beats per minute for early SFU classics, I wrote a side of tasty groove-laden music with Chris doing all the lyrics."

The creative collaborative approach sees "Next To Die" essentially broken down into two different sides, Death and Groove, resulting in an aural masterwork that satisfies SIX FEET UNDER as artists, while also offering something for every fan.

"We don't discuss lyrical themes, we each write what we're feeling," explains Barnes. "We each just write what we find interesting."

SIX FEET UNDER did highly successful U.S. tours in 2025, the band's first U.S. tour since 2013, as well as a festival appearance in Mexico City in March '25.

Owen personally feels "grateful and fortunate. Grateful that we have a label, Metal Blade, who is 110 percent behind us. Fortunate that when we go out on the road, we have countless fans who come out and support us."

Those fans have a new set of killer songs to dive into on "Next To Die", including "The Unmistakable Smell Of Death", which sees Owen owning his blast and fast riffs with dynamic pull-offs and stop sections. Lyrically, "I'm writing from the perspective of a killer who toys with a victim and unties them, allowing them to fight," says Owen. "He underestimates their ability to fight, and they get the better of the killer."

"Mutilated Corpse In The Woods" tells a tale ripped from the headlines about a victim whose brutal assailant tied her to a tree and slit her throat, while "Mister Blood And Guts" found Owen writing music after a few days of musing on the lyrics in his head.

"When I was young, local TV stations always had a show where a creepy host would show campy cult movies and dress up and tell you tidbits abouts the film," Owen says. "This continues today with a show hosted by the creepiest of hosts, Svengoolie." "Mister Blood And Guts" is about a film you might see on one of these shows, though in true SIX FEET UNDER style it's got a much more violent plot.

To bring the songs to brutal life, Barnes recorded his vocals at the legendary Criteria Recording Studios in Miami.

"I've recorded 90% of my vocals for SIX FEET UNDER there with my longtime friend and engineer Chris Carroll," says Barnes. "Criteria has a long and rich history of recording some of the most famous and important albums in the history of music. I feel very comfortable working there."

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". The current tour-honed lineup of Barnes, Owen, lead guitarist Ray Suhy, bassist Jeff Hughell, and drummer Marco Pitruzzella make for a devastating unit.

Owen tracked his rhythm guitar parts with Jason Suecof at AudioHammer Studios in Sanford, Florida. Suecof also has a guest guitar lead at the end of the song "Approach Your Grave". The rest of the musicians tracked their "Next To Die" parts at their home studios, for a remote collaboration that created a dozen cohesive tracks.

Barnes titled the record after the song "Next To Die", as it "best represents what is contained within the ideas/storylines of the lyrics of each song." The frontman urges close listening, saying, "that's the great thing about music and art and reading. It takes you on an exploration into your own imagination, and that personal experience lets you discover what you think the meaning is. Having someone tell you what it means takes away that magic," Barnes believes.

Sandy Rezalmi's cover art perfectly brings to life the journey that the LP's lyrics and music take listeners on, and SIX FEET UNDER are excited to share that gory and glorious vision with listeners everywhere.

Tour dates are being worked on for 2026 and 2027, with SIX FEET UNDER more than ready to jump back on stage.

"We enjoy being on the road, wherever it is," Owen says. "Every day is different. This album has enough great material do give us the opportunity to play these, plus lots of our older classics, to fans around the world."

Photo by Jack Webb