Six Feet Under has been a punching bag in metal for years on end – case and point. Hell, I’m pretty sure I’ve taken a shot at them once before on my blog. One thing that has always stood out to me about Six Feet Under is the band’s cover art. It’s such a hit-or-miss element of their discography. And considering how art is a sticking point for me, I thought I’d look at Six Feet Under’s album art. It’s been a while since I’ve done a discography dive, so why not try something a little different with the idea.
I’m going to do this a slight bit differently from previous discography dives. Since this one is focused more on artwork, I’ll break the discography into sections, spanning about 5 years. Hopefully, that will make things a bit more structured. Additionally, I plan to focus only on the main releases; I’m not including EPs or splits. There are 18 full-length Six Feet Under albums. That should be more than enough for a post like this. Lastly, all artwork used will be the original CD release artwork. I will not use any re-releases, vinyls, limited editions, etc. It will only be the art that comes up when you click on the album in metallum.
With all of that in mind, let’s look at the cover art for Six Feet Under!
Six Feet Under: 1995-1999
Haunted
Six Feet Under released their debut album “Haunted” on September 26th, 1995. It’s rather simple in it’s composition, though that isn’t always a bad thing. Some releases of 1995 maintained a similar composition. “Amok” by Sentenced and “Demanufacture” by Fear Factory are decent examples. But, compared to “Imaginations from the Other Side” from Blind Guardian, “Haunted” won’t be as eye-catching. Granted, this might not be a fair point to make, but composition is an important art component.
The detail in the face (skull?) is pretty much the stand-out element of the album. It’s front and center and stands out against the black background. There are a decent amount of nooks and cranies that make it interesting. The band’s logo and the album title stand out well too. It’s not the most visually compelling thing, but for a debut, it’s not that bad. The piece could use a little more going on, especially around the outer edges of the skull, but as is, it’s fine.
Warpath
Odd choice for a follow-up to the debut. Released almost two years to the day later, “Warpath” was released on September 9th, 1997. It’s certainly different from the previous album, using a photo of the band overlaid by a mirrored number 6. My biggest gripe with this is that it doesn’t feel like a cover art piece. It feels and looks more like a page from the album’s liner notes. The overlaying design is kind of neat? I like how the skull is inside a larger skull – giving it a sort of fractal appearance. But that’s about it.
Honestly, if I were to start this over from scratch, I’d make it more like war. You could have a war-torn landscape and have the members strewn about that landscape. This would retain an element of the original while staying true to the album title and being more visually compelling. Interestingly, only one other band I could find followed a similar idea for their album cover – Hypocrisy’s “The Final Chapter”. Overall, it’s a step down from the debut.
Maximum Violence
Of all the 1990’ Six Feet Under albums, this is by far the best in terms of cover art. It is the most detailed and visually compelling of the three, though Haunted is probably the more iconic one. The album is much more monochromatic to its counterparts, with red and a blue-gray being the only other colors of note. The composition is balanced the detail on display is a great touch to see. The only real gripe I have with the 1999 album is that the bands logo get’s a little lost in everything.
Honestly, the logo on this album is the weakest element of the album cover. The logo here is black, surrounded by a light gray with a gaussian blur effect. If the logo was that subtle red or the blue-gray then I think the logo would stand out more. I think that red would work phenomenally, as that blue-gray might be a bit over-powering. It might not stand out compared to other 1999 albums, but it stands out within the Six Feet Under discography.
Six Feet Under: 2000-2004
Graveyard Classics
Kicking off the first of four (4) Graveyard Classics releases, “Graveyard Classics” came out on October 23rd, 2000. It has a very dingy look to it, which I think actually helps in this case. The yellow album title and logo stand out well against everything. The bottom left corner feels lacking though. It looks like the cover art is meant to be in a graveyard, but the cover doesn’t display this well. If the bottom left corner had more definition (IE, more detailed dirt), I think it would work a bit better.
The skull I think works as is. Its detail looks like it was dug up in a graveyard. But overall, the cover is just okay. Compared to the previous album, there just isn’t enough going on to make this one interesting. It’s better than Warpath, I can give it that much.
True Carnage
Released on August 6th, 2001, “True Carnage” is the fifth Six Feet Under album. Yeah, I’ll just say it, this one is pretty bad. Like, I really don’t know what I’m looking at, or how it relates to the album title. It’s muddied, dark, and has little going for it outside of the revamped logo. Honestly, the logo is the best part of this album art, because it’s the only thing of note. The album title blends into the background a bit, so it’s hard to see. And aside from that rust red, there isn’t much to look at here.
I don’t even know how you’d change this. You’d probably have to start from scratch to get something interesting. Maybe you could make the cover the aftermath of a skirmish or something? That would be a step up from what we have here. Anything would probably be a step up from this.
Bringer of Blood
Case and Point. “Bringer of Blood”, released on September 22nd, 2003, is an improvement from “True Carnage”, albeit marginally. It uses something of a sepia-tone color palette and retains the improved logo. The 6 figure thing from “Warpath” returns as it’s overlaid on the skull. The horns are alright. However, the eyes seem a little out of place, even with their detail. Admittedly, the skull feels a bit overused by this point. I’m kinda hoping for something a little different by this point.
It’s not the greatest piece – certainly not on the same level as “Maximum Violence”. To make it better, I’d add a bit of blood, maybe coming from the eyes. I mean for an album title “Bringer of Blood”, there is a lack of blood here. You could probably attach the head to some kind of demon or a ghost. That would give it a little more going on, and probably relate more to the album title. But as is, it’s probably one of the more instantly recognizable covers of the Six Feet Under discography.
Graveyard Classics 2
The second of the “Graveyard Classics” came out on October 19th, 2004. It’s very monochromatic in its’ color palette and doesn’t really connect to the album title. The detail in the bell is difficult to piece apart against the background. The 6 figure thing get’s included here, and doesn’t add much. If it was like ingrained into the bell, then I think it would work better. But if you were to do that, you’d have to add a bit more color to make the details stand out.
If this were a bell in a cemetery, like depicted as in a cemetery, then it might work better. Compared to the first “Graveyard Classics” album, it’s a step-down. It’s one of those albums that you’d easily miss casually perusing the shelves of a record store. It needs more color; it needs more going on.
Six Feet Under: 2005-2009
13
Wow! This is a major step up, especially for the Six Feet Under discography. It’s a lot more detailed, and a lot more colorful. The skulls range in cool and warm tones The X-rayed hands a a neat element that add to the bottom. In the background, the branches look like they’re right out of Evil Dead. That middle skull has the 6 figure sort of burned into it, with a crown of thorns on top. This is the most visually compelling cover art we’ve seen so far in this discography dive. It’s not perfect, but then again, nothing is.
If I were to change anything, I’d add a little something in the bottom corners. That way, you’d cover everything. However, that is really just a nitpick. “13” has the most complete cover of the albums we’ve seen, so adding more might not do much. This album, alongside “Maximum Violence”, have been the best album art in the discography so far.
Commandment
“Commandment”, released on April 23rd, 2007, is the ninth Six Feet Under album. More muted in it’s color palette, “Commandment” uses one large skull, as opposed to the three medium skulls of “13”. The 6 figure doesn’t make a presence here, which is a good thing, as I don’t think it’d do anything helpful. The detail isn’t as present, but which is a bit of a downer. However, it’s not the end of the world, as there is enough detail for the skull to work at that scale.
There could be something smaller to help convey that sense of scale though. There is nothing to help determine if the skull is massive or if it’s just zoomed in on. I don’t think that there is much else to say after that. It’s a just very average-looking cover.
Death Rituals
Going to a grayscale cover is an interesting choice. Black and white can do a lot, but you need an interesting element to really make it work. Here, we get a skull with a ton of snakes slithering out like a medusa head. As much of a sucker as I am for symmetry, I don’t think it works here. It comes across as a lazy Photoshop job. The snakes are numerous but don’t travel in unique enough ways to be engaging.
Additionally, by this point, I’ve kind of gotten tired of skulls. I am now 10 albums into this discography dive, and six of the albums have had skulls in some way. I’d like something a little different. Maybe a different kind of skull, like that of a ram. Or maybe something different altogether. It’s just a boring cover.
Six Feet Under: 2010-2014
Graveyard Classics 3
Well, this is a slight step up from “Death Rituals”. The third covers album, released January 19th, 2010, opts for a full skeleton with wings against a black background. The skeleton is arranged like it’s cowering in fear, or like it’s cringing from that one Simpsons episode. I will give the cover this – the wings covering up the logo slightly helps create depth. Depth is an omitted element in most covers we’ve seen here. “13” is really the only album that has used it – maybe “Warpath” too, but that is kind of cheating since it’s a photo.
Overall, it’s the second best of the Graveyard Classics, but still just boring compared to everything else. The lack of color does little to make it stand out, and the composition is just okay. I don’t know what you’d add or change to make it better.
Undead
Ah, there’s some color. Released in 2012, “Undead” switches out gray for red and brings back more detail. It’s a step up from “Graveyard Classics 3”, with a lot more going on, and more faces than just one. The faces are all a bit distorted in some manner, which is a change from having skulls. Skulls have a rigid structure, even when broken. However, the faces here have a bit more flexibility, which is a nice change from previous releases.
The swirl helps kind of lead your eye to notice the other elements of the cover. It may take a few tries to notice everything, but that design choice helps. This is the best cover since “13”, and it feels like there was more effort put into the cover this time. It doesn’t reach the same heights as 13, but it ranks higher than the previous three albums.
Unborn
Following in the footsteps of “Undead”, 2013’s “Unborn” uses a swirl design to help lead the eye. The cover adds in a blue-silver color, which makes it stand out from its predecessor. It’s a good change, as it makes everything pop just a bit more. On top of that, the red isn’t overpowering, so things feel balanced. The bottom element feels carbon copied from the previous album, but that is a small detail that can go unnoticed. The figures here don’t seem as numerous compared to “Undead”, but that’s not a dealbreaker.
“Unborn” is more immediately eye-catching than its predecessor, thanks to its color palette. It doesn’t have the design complexity of the previous album though. It’s a toss-up as to which of the “un” albums are better in terms of art. I guess it just comes down to which one you personally find more appealing.
Six Feet Under: 2015-2019
Crypt of the Devil
2015’s “Crypt of the Devil” sees a departure from the designs of the previous two albums. Honestly, this is the best cover since “13”. Though not as vibrant as “13”, “Crypt of the Devil” is more detailed. The colors, while slightly muted and dingy, are unique to any album thus far. Outside of “Graveyard Classics” and “Warpath”, which is kinda cheating (again since it’s a photo), green is not used often in Six Feet Under’s discography.
The logo and album title are a bit overwhelming with regards to color. Because of this, I had to put in a bit more effort to observe those details. Had the logo and album title not been as overpowering, the more subtle details would probably come more naturally. But as it is, this cover is actually pretty good. It’s one of the best of the discography.
Graveyard Classics IV: 666 – The Number of the Priest
The final of the Graveyard Classics focuses primarily on songs from Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. And uh… yeah that’s bad… It’s way too simplistic, and a let down from “Crypts of the Devil”. And the way it’s composed leaves a large blank space along the bottom, which feels really out of place. The logo is difficult to piece out, especially at smaller scales, and the album title feels impossible to find. This is easily the worst of the Graveyard Classics releases.
Torment
Well, this is a radical shift from the last album. First off, the obvious – the colors are hell of a lot brighter. That, in and of itself, make this better than “Graveyard Classics 4”. But, that isn’t exactly a high bar to beat. The figures look somewhat symmetrical in design, or at least similar. It also looks a touch more realistic? I mean that more in the sense that it looks like it’s a physical model. Whether it is or not – I have no idea. The use of red stands out against a white background. The “U” gets a touch lost, but it’s not terrible.
It’s an improvement from the previous album, but it’s not enough to be great. The chains look a bit flat. There’s one chain fading into nothing adds little and looks out of place. The figure doesn’t have enough going on to be visually engaging. It needs a little something more to be good, like an additional figure that is cutting into the central figure. If it had that, or maybe a more interesting background, it’d be better.
Six Feet Under: 2020-2024
Nightmares of the Decomposed
So…I’m pretty torn on this one. While, yes, this album has much more going than “Torment”, it’s not that interesting. Everything just looks a little off. The heads look poorly rendered, and not really decomposed. More, they look hacked up. The “R” in the band’s logo looks out of scale compared to every other letter. The muscles in the head’s necks look dry and too solid. And the hatchet and ice pick look unused – making them look out of place.
The immediate positive is the use of color – even if a bit awkwardly executed. “Nightmares of the Decomposed” is certainly more colorful that, “Torment”. There are a good amount of shades of blue, orange, and red. This is about on par with the previous album. Neither necessarily stand out in general, but “Nightmares” stands out a bit within the Six Feet Under discography. I don’t know if there is anything you could do to make this better. Maybe better rendering? Even then, how much better would that make this?
Killing For Revenge
We end on what is certainly a high note, especially for Six Feet Under. It has a style reminiscent of the early Cannibal Corpse albums. I also can see it pulling stylistic inspiration from comic books. The detail is awesome and the various shades of red and brown are a great touch. There are other colors, like yellow and gray, that are present, but add to level of detail by standing out subtly. This is – by far – the best album cover in the entire Six Feet Under discography. It’s the most visually engaging, the most detailed, and the most stand-out of the bunch.
With all that, it’s not perfect. Those two shelves look a touch off-kilter (i.e. unbalanced) in perspective. The tools on the left look a touch flat, as do the hook in the top right corner and the shears in the bottom left. The one head with its mouth taped over looks a touch off and could use a subtle drop shadow to help convey a better sense of depth. Regardless, “Killing for Revenge” is one of the best visual outings Six Feet Under have made, on par with “Crypt of the Devil”, if not better.
Conclusion
While Six Feet Under is not known for their music, their artwork has had some moments to shine. It’s not enough to make up for the music, but it’s worth giving some attention. Art is a key component of metal, as it’s one of the first things about an album you typically notice. Six Feet Under doesn’t have the most eye-catching visuals – especially not compared to bands like Obituary, Bolt Thrower, or Necrofier. But if you dig enough, you might find a visual gem or two. Well, maybe at least.
Thanks for reading this discography dive! I wanted to try something a little different and see how difficult it is for me to write. Maybe trying something like this, with a focus on art, might be easier to do in the future. And hell, there are a lot of bands with great artwork.