After more than three decades in death metal, Six Feet Under aren’t slowing down, they’re sharpening their edge.
With their 15th studio album Next To Die arriving April 24 via Metal Blade Records, the band return with a record that doesn’t just revisit their past, it actively splits it in two. One side rooted in blistering aggression, the other grounded in the unmistakable groove that has defined their identity since the early days.
Speaking with Crannk, guitarist Jack Owen pulled back the curtain on a record that evolved in real time, not from a rigid concept, but from instinct, revision, and ultimately, contrast.
A Record That Changed Shape
What began as a straight-up aggressive death metal album didn’t stay that way for long.
Owen initially approached Next To Die as a continuation of the band’s previous release, writing fast, brutal material before the direction shifted.
“I kind of did a whole album and half of the songs weren’t very good. So Chris said, scrap five and write a bunch of groovy stuff like the first couple albums.”
That decision became the backbone of the record, a deliberate split between Death and Groove, inspired directly by early Six Feet Under releases like Haunted and Warpath.
Rather than simply leaning into nostalgia, the band used those early tempos as a framework, feeding them into drum programming and building riffs around that feel. The result is a record that feels like two sides of the same coin — aggressive and controlled, chaotic and calculated.
Unlimited Riffs And Modern Writing
One of the more revealing insights from Owen is how his writing process has evolved over time.
Where once ideas may have been fleeting, now there’s a system behind it, an archive of riffs and a workflow built around modern tools.
“I have figured out how to have unlimited riffs. So I have an archive… every musician should have a drum program.”
Using tools like Easy Drummer, Owen now builds songs from the ground up, often starting with drum patterns before layering riffs over the top. It’s a method that allows ideas to come together quickly, but also ensures nothing is wasted.
It also explains how a record like Next To Die can feel so dense and varied without losing cohesion.
Stories From The Dark — And The Unexpected
Lyrically, the album moves between pure horror, real-world inspiration, and moments of dark creativity that begin in unexpected places.
One of the standout tracks, “Mutilated Corpse in the Woods,” came from something as simple as a misheard phrase.
“My wife found a pendant… called a rutilated quartz. I’m like, mutilated corpse in the woods, perfect.”
From there, the idea evolved into a fully realised track, fuelled by true crime influences and Owen’s instinctive approach to storytelling.
It’s a perfect example of how Next To Die balances brutality with imagination, sometimes disturbing, sometimes almost tongue-in-cheek, but always rooted in the band’s identity.
Old School Spirit, Modern Execution
Despite being recorded across multiple locations, from AudioHammer Studios to Criteria Recording Studios — the album doesn’t feel fragmented.
Instead, there’s a clear intention to avoid sounding overly polished or modern.
“We’re trying not to sound too modern… kind of an analog-influenced digital sound.”
That philosophy runs through the entire record. Even with modern recording techniques and remote collaboration, the goal was always to retain the raw, organic feel that defined the band’s earlier work.
A Band Still Driven By The Road
For Owen, the motivation behind writing hasn’t changed as much as you might expect.
It’s not just about creating new music, it’s about what comes after.
“Just the prospect of going on tour… that’s the coolest part.”
With new tour dates already lined up, including a North American run alongside Kataklysm, Next To Die isn’t just another release — it’s fuel for the next chapter on the road.
Locked In And Still Evolving
What makes Next To Die stand out isn’t just its concept, it’s how natural that concept feels.
This isn’t a band trying to reinvent themselves. It’s a band that understands exactly what they are, and leans into it harder than ever.
From the duality of Death and Groove, to the balance of old-school influence and modern workflow, Next To Die feels like a band fully locked in.
And as Owen makes clear throughout the conversation, there’s still plenty more left in the tank.
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