SIX FEET UNDER - Graveyard Classics III

First of all, you need to approach Chris Barnes and company's Graveyard fetishes with a grain of salt. If you aren't familiar with the godfather of gurgling vocals then you've lost the plot. Of course the Tampa-based death metallers threw us for a loop by covering the entire Back In Black album on their last covers adventure, which kinda wore thin real fast, although I recall Howard Stern getting a kick of it and giving it healthy publicity. The latest sees the band's sights broadened, tackling a number of lost gems and personal faves. I guess from the get-go, if you can relate to the chosen tribute song then you've got that in common with the band. No doubt you'll go back to listening to the original, which is a must in most cases here. From start to finish:

Mercyful Fate's 'A Dangerous Meeting' - perhaps the hardest act/track to duplicate on any given day, SFU adds a healthy does of Florida death to King's precision operatics and piercing clarity.

Anvil's 'Metal On Metal' - like most of us, SFU was jamming on this song years before the documentary made Anvil a somewhat saleable commodity. Pretty basic anthem ... woulda been nice to go revisit a deeper Forged/Metal track for example.

Metallica's 'The Frayed Ends Of Sanity' - instead of peeking into an earlier era of these trash icons, SFU rely on an obscure, but quite valid piece of Metali-history and decide to do their own tuning room jam session! The results are pleasing and punchy.

Slayer's 'At Dawn They Sleep' may be the finest hour on this slab and not cuz I'm arguably the biggest Slayer fan! It fits the mould perfectly; bassist Terry Butler and drummer Greg Gall are running at juggernaut gaining speed, building momentum and angst until the carnage ensues.

Bachman Turner Overdrive's 'Not Fragile' - the fact that SFU saw the heaviness in this band makes me a proud Canuck metalhead. The track is forcefully bass driven and lumbers along like the physical giants BTO were, complete with fitting lyrics that will have you fist-pumping the air. Do yourself a favour and find this record, from start to finish it's a classic.

Van Halen's 'On Fire' - when people argue you with me that VH ain't a metal band, I shove tracks like this up their arse. A healthy does of Eddie that guitarist Steve Swanson approaches admirably well. Barnes' Roth impersonations are quite humorous, probably the biggest smile the demon has cracked in aeons.

Exciter's 'Pounding Metal' - the final of three doses of Canuck metal tradition found on Graveyard Classics III. Swanson's guitar tone mimics John Ricci's to a 't' and the primitive beat of this legendary slab fits perfectly with Six Feet Under's persona; stripped down, full of violence and force!

Twisted Sister's 'Destroyer' - for so-called glam band, Twisted Sister had much venom prior to getting hungry and ultimately feeding themselves with success! A cool version.

The Ramones' 'Psychotherapy' - you can't call yourself a metalhead if you don't have at least a small chunk of punk in your collection. Upbeat and bombastic, The Ramones, The Clash and The Sex Pistols gave metal a kick in the arse. And SFU's version will to.

Prong's 'Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck' - Some may think this is a bizarre choice, but man, I wish Tommy Victor would listen this track and steer the band back to more murky waters a la Beg To Differ and Prove You Wrong. This track has got a ton o' groove and SFU can feel it.