UMUR
"Graveyard Classics III" is the eleventh full-length studio album by US, Florida based death metal act Six Feet Under. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in January 2010. It´s the successor to "Death Rituals" from 2008 and as the title also suggests the third instalment of the "Graveyard Classics" cover albums series.
While the first "Graveyard Classics" album featured death metal cover versions of various classic hard rock, punk, and heavy metal tracks, the second "Graveyard Classics" album was a death metal cover version of the full "Back in Black" (1980) album by AC/DC. On "Graveyard Classics III", Six Feet Under return to the formula of covering various artists instead of a full album. They have opted to cover tracks by artists like Metallica, Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Ramones, and Twisted Sister, so stylistically it´s somewhere between punk, heavy metal, and thrash metal. The instrumental performances are strong enough, but not all tracks sound great with Chris Barnes growling. Not surprisingly "At Dawn They Sleep" by Slayer is the most successful cover on the album, as it´s the track best suited for death metal growling. The tracks which originally features more melodic singing, have a tendency not to sound great with Barnes' growling on top, as he doesn´t manage to add any melody to his growling. The quality of his growling vocals also vary from track to track. On some tracks he sounds relatively decent, without reaching excellence, while he sounds monotone and a little hoarse and powerless on others.
I know some people find the "Graveyard Classics" albums a great listen, but honestly I think they are bit of a novelty listening experience. It´s entertaining enough while it plays (and there are a couple of moments where the growling vocals provide a slight humourous edge), but I don´t get the urge to listen to them again. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.