SIX FEET UNDER

Like a venom‑drunk serpent, Six Feet Under coiled around Vancouver and squeezed every aging neck.

For me, this whole night was a bit of a head‑trip. Six Feet Under finally rolled into Vancouver for their first-ever appearance at the Rickshaw Theatre, supporting Kataklysm. The last time I saw them was March 1996 in Winnipeg at Ozzy’s — the basement venue under The Zoo. Immolation and Internal Bleeding opened, the crowd was maybe 25 people, most sitting around giant round tables like it was a metal bingo night. Someone handed Chris Barnes a joint during “Torn to the Bone,” he lit it up mid‑song, and teenage me had my first true death‑metal awakening. Bolt Thrower and Six Feet Under were my gateway drugs.

Fast-forward thirty years, and here we are again. And I wasn’t the only Gen X’er chasing nostalgia — plenty of us showed up for this long‑overdue Canadian visit. It wasn’t a sell‑out, surprisingly, especially considering Barnes is Cannibal Corpse’s original vocalist. Naturally, the question lingered: would we hear any Cannibal tonight?

Six Feet Under remains anchored by founding frontman Chris Barnes, who launched the band in 1993 with former Obituary and Massacre members. Since then, the lineup has been a revolving door. The current roster — Jeff Hughell on bass, Ray Suhy on guitar, Jack Owen on guitar, and Marco Pitruzzella on drums — delivered the night’s muscle.

I’ll be honest: I hesitated about this show. I’m a diehard fan of the first five albums, from Haunted through Bringer of Blood, but after 2003 the releases slid downhill, and the latest record Next to Die doesn’t come close to what they once were. Watching a band’s discography slowly decay is rough. Even the merch table felt strange — steep pricing for a non–Live Nation venue, and the wildest item: two hundred bucks for the sweaty t‑shirt Chris wore on stage. A collector’s item or a biohazard, depending on your perspective.

But then I saw the setlist, and suddenly everything made sense. This show was built for the old‑school fans who never got to see them in their prime. They opened with “War Is Coming” from Warpath, dropped five tracks from Haunted, sprinkled in a couple from Maximum Violence, and skipped Bringer of Blood entirely — disappointing, but forgivable. The nostalgia hit hard.

As for Chris Barnes at 58? Shockingly solid. His low growls still land with weight, though the infamous “EEEEEE!” witch‑screech has definitely thinned out over the years. But overall, he sounded far better than expected.

The band itself was tight. Suhy and Hughell stood side‑by‑side looking like ZZ Top if they joined a death‑metal band, and they locked in well. Jack Owen — legendary former Cannibal Corpse guitarist — mostly handled rhythm duties. Suhy carried the solos and ripped a few genuinely tasty ones. Jack got a solo spot between songs, but it felt uninspired, almost like he wasn’t enjoying playing the older material. Maybe things improve once Six Feet Under headlines the remaining dates and plays newer tracks he helped write. Personally, I don’t care much for the newer albums anyway.

The last two Six Feet Under tracks — “Human Target” and “Beneath a Black Sky” — absolutely slapped. Then came the shocker: two Cannibal Corpse classics. Chris introduced them with, “We’re going to play these the correct way,” which may or may not have been a jab at modern Cannibal. They tore into “Stripped, Raped and Strangled” and “Hammer Smashed Face.” They were fun, they were heavy, but I wouldn’t say they were better than Cannibal’s current lineup. Chris held his own vocally, though.

So what’s the verdict on seeing Six Feet Under again after thirty years? I walked in skeptical and walked out pleasantly surprised. This was your dad’s death‑metal band… but make no mistake, the Gen X crowd owned the room tonight.  The setlist was a gift to longtime fans. Chris’s vocals were stronger than expected. Suhy handled solos well. Jack Owen felt like he was phoning it in. Marco and Jeff kept the low end tight and reliable. If you’re an older fan who’s been waiting decades for this chance, go. Six Feet Under rarely tours Canada, and this show checks off a bucket‑list box that’s been sitting there since the ’90s.