Six Feet Under frontman Chris Barnes has issued a defiant update regarding the band’s upcoming studio album, declaring the work-in-progress to be free of “modern tricks” and confirming that mixing is officially underway.
In a new social media post on November 17, Barnes revealed that the recording phase is complete and the tracks are now in the hands of producer Mark Lewis. The vocalist expressed immense satisfaction with the material, promising fans a return to the genre’s raw essentials.
“The new Six Feet Under album recording is coming along GREAT! Mark Lewis has begun mixing,” Barnes wrote on Instagram. “Super happy with everything we wrote and recorded. Really killer songs on this one. Pure 100% REAL death metal. No fillers, no over processing no modern tricks or bulls**t. Just death metal. You’ll be getting more info on singles, release date, and tour info at the beginning of 2026!”
The as-yet-untitled record, tentatively due in early 2026 via Metal Blade Records, marks the follow-up to last year’s Killing For Revenge.
Barnes previously elaborated on the album’s creation during an October appearance on the “100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal” podcast. He highlighted the deepened creative partnership with guitarist Jack Owen, his former bandmate in Cannibal Corpse.
“It’s a really interesting album… Well, me and Jack wrote the songs on this… This time he wrote half of the lyrics on the album; I wrote the other half,” Barnes explained. “And that’s been really interesting for me too, to collaborate as a lyricist with someone… And I love the way Jack writes. He’s been a really amazing addition to Six Feet Under as far as progressing the band and keeping things interesting.”
Musically, Barnes suggested the new material spans the breadth of their career, from the groove-laden style of their debut to more aggressive territories.
“This album, it encompasses just a lot of everything we’ve done. I mean, even going back to Haunted, there are some songs that are very rhythmic… And then there’s some songs — one of the songs really reminds me of like something we would’ve done on The Bleeding when I was in Cannibal Corpse…”
The decision to recruit Mark Lewis for mixing duties came after Barnes was impressed by Lewis‘ work on the latest Dying Fetus record. Barnes noted that he prefers a dynamic production style over a uniform sound.
“I don’t like blanket productions… I’m a big fan of making each song its own entity,” Barnes stated. “We’re not gonna go so far with it like that, but I’ve always respected bands and albums and producers that have been able to do that and not just do a blanket production to make it sound more organic.”
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