Warpath

Six Feet Under | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 9, 1997)
• Original Release Date: September 9, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Metal Blade
• ASIN: B000001C9T
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,170 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #77 in Music > Indie Music > Rock > Hard Rock & Metal

Editorial Reviews

Japanese edition of side project by Alan West (Obituary) andChris Burns (Cannibal Corpse) with three bonus tracks:'Insect', 'Drowning' and 'Grinder'. 15 tracks total. 1997Metal Blade Records release. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid follow up to Haunted, April 15, 2009

By 

Nick Dangerous (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Warpath (Audio CD)

Foreword

If you're reading this you probably know what SFU sounds like. For those who don't- it's groove based DM with growling courtesy of ex Cannibal Corpse frontman Chris Barnes. I've been a fan since 2001 upon picking up their fourth album which released that year- True Carnage.

As SFU albums go TC was a good one, but as much of a Barnes fan I am, I can't help but feel disappointed by the last couple of SFU albums. To be honest they have sucked. The music has been plodding, monotonous & boring while Barnes' growl is not what it once was. In fact, it's not often these days he is able to turn in a reasonable performance in the studio. Notable exceptions to this include SFU's unintentionally amusing Graveyard Classics cover albums and Torture Killer's second album 'Swarm' for which he provided vocals.

After deleting the last few SFU albums from my ipod I decided to go back and listen to their second album- Warpath. A disc I had always previously avoided based on the memory of some negative reviews.
To my surprise, I thought it was quite good.

Review

This was the final SFU album to feature original guitarist (formerly of Obituary) Alan West. It was on Obituary's early 90's albums West helped pioneer the groove metal sound that later characterized SFU.

After hearing the first few tracks of Warpath it becomes apparent this album is unlike most others from the band, as not every song is a story of death and dismemberment. On Warpath the lyrical subject matter is much more varied. In the tracks 'War is Coming', 'Nonexistance' & 'A Journey into Darkness' there is no mention of graphic gore but instead the lyrics speak of impending doom, paranoia and a desire for change. Reading the words or even listening to these tracks they sound as if they could be cover versions of songs by 1980's hardcore bands. This is a good thing. The variation in subject matter is quite refreshing, it seems Barnes' has found his voice on this release, at least lyrically if not vocally.

Vocally Barnes' is trying to do something different. Often growls trail off into an attempt at clean vocals. Problem is it does not work. I can however still appreciate what he was shooting for- an original approach. I think he would have been better off keeping the clean vocals and growls separate.

Some of the middle tracks drag on and feel like filler material inc Barnes' love letter to marijuana- `4:20'. No doubt an important song to Barnes, but the music on offer behind the message is decidedly lacking. Towards the end of the album the music picks up again as `Revenge of the Zombie' & `As I Die' offer the same satisfying crunch as the opening numbers. The final track `Caged And Disgraced' is built around a slow Sabbath type riff while the lyrics deal with the judicial system imprisoning persons for `victimless' crimes. One can only assume this is another pro drugs song. As a non drugs user, I can't say I share Barnes' sympathies.

In short- there is nothing particularly new or amazing on offer here, but there's enough of an interesting mix of lyrical subject matter coupled with heavy and catchy songs to warrant a listen. Some DM fans criticized early SFU albums as being derivatives of Obituary and Cannibal Corpse.. If however like me you cannot stand John Tardy's vocals but loved Obituary's riffs, early SFU is the way to go.
Warpath rocks and is a solid release.

7/10 or 4/5 stars

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars KILLER TRACKS, January 13, 2006

By 

N. Sanchez "neoprophet" (georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Warpath (Audio CD)

Yeah, it's not as agressive as their other releases but definately worth checking out, it was my first cd that I got from the and I still love it!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not one for those looking for brutality within their metal., May 18, 2003

By 

James (Northern Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Warpath (Audio CD)

This Six Feet under release is certainly an odd little number. It's an album that takes not being listened to for nigh on a year to unlock it's charm. At first it sounds repetitive to the point of being boring and, subsequently, it was banished to the bottom of my pile but upon further listening it just seems to come together and make sense. This is NOT death metal. The album has a slow, stoner rock groove to it which is characterised best, and most obviously, by the song "4:20". The riffs are simplistic, the drumming is unspectacular and the vocals are your standard death metal thoroughfare, but you know what? It works. It creates a very laid back feel to the album, which makes it a pleasure to just sit back and listen to. True, several riffs are lifted straight from Obituary, but one can only assume that Allen West's self-plagiarisng was part of a paradoxical effort to enhance the lazy mood of this album. Hardly groundbreaking stuff, but good nonetheless.