Six Feet Under — Maximum Violence (1999)

intothewellsabyss
Jun 12, 2023
3 min read

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

24 years ago today, Six Feet Under went on a “Mass M**der Rampage” with “Maximum Violence”.

On this day (June 12 in Europe) in 1999 (June 13 in the US), Six Feet Under released their third full-length studio album, “Maximum Violence” via Metal Blade Records.

The album goes back to Chris Barnes' roots in Cannibal Corpse with violent themes/lyrics. It was also the first Six Feet Under album to feature Steve Swanson on guitars.

Background:

In 1998, Allen West left to rejoin Obituary and was replaced by Steve Swanson. This is the only line-up change that the band had until January 2011. Combined with Barnes' departure from Cannibal Corpse, the arrival of Swanson helped turn Six Feet Under from a mere side-project to a band in its own right.

July 13, 1999, saw the release of Six Feet Under's third studio album, “Maximum Violence”. As the name of the album suggests, the lyrics on this release are much more violent than on past releases. The band also recorded a death-metal retooling of the Kiss song "War Machine".

At the time, “Maximum Violence” had sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, a status that hadn't been reached for a while for a Death Metal band during the late '90s when Death Metal saw a decline in popularity. It led to some unexpected promotional events for the band. During the summer of 2000, Six Feet Under participated in the Vans Warped Tour, a festival that, at the time, usually featured Punk & Alternative bands.

Noteworthy:

• "Torture Killer" inspired the band Torture Killer.

• The album cover art was illustrated by tattoo artist Paul Booth.

Critical Reception:

The album was highly criticized by music critics while being moderately praised, with Steve Huey at AllMusic stating; “With the presence of former Cannibal Corpse frontman Chris Barnes, it was a pretty safe bet that Six Feet Under would epitomize Death Metal at its most cartoonish, and that proved to be true. “Maximum Violence”, the group's third full-length album, isn't vastly different from its predecessors -- basically simple riffs alternate between slow and fast tempos, with ridiculously over-the-top vocals spewing tales of death, dismemberment, and other variations on gore and splatter themes. The main problem with the record is its lack of variety, in both style and subject matter -- one gets the impression that any riff or lyric could be moved from one song to another with no noticeable difference in the overall effect. Still, if you're a fan of this particular style of Death Metal, “Maximum Violence” does deliver the goods.”

While one reviewer by the name of Vezzy at metalstorm.net stated; “Maximum Violence” would turn out to be one of Six Feet Under's most notable albums...”

Vezzy continues with; “…this is probably SFU's most Cannibal Corpse-esque album with the raw, down-tuned guitars and ever-present Gore Metal lyrics.”

And ultimately concludes with; “Sadly, the album also has a lot of filler material including "Mass Murder Rampage" and "This Graveyard Earth", as well as parts of other songs, which includes rampant and tedious chugging or bland riffs. If it weren't for that, it probably would have been a worthy Death Metal release. Still, it wouldn't hurt picking it up as it has some good songs and overall, serves as a solid run throughout.”

Personal Thoughts; “While I will agree on a couple aspects of these analyses of “Maximum Violence”, including that the album is very reminiscent of the gore obsessive lyrics of Barnes former band Cannibal Corpse, and that the album has a lot of repetition, I do not look at these aspects as tedious or lacking in creativity. I just simply look at it like this; Barnes had a style or vision that worked for him and he stuck with it… and, in conclusion, as “Maximum Violence” is my favorite release, I will also agree that it is Six Feet Under’s most notable release!” Enough said! — E.N. Wells

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

Click this link to listen to “Maximum Violence” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/maximum-violence/57659356

Click this link to watch the official music video for “Victim of the Paranoid”: https://youtu.be/yk-NS8l_Aw4

Click this link to follow Six Feet Under on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sixfeetunder/

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells