Death metal OGs Chris Barnes and Jack Owen are back as SIX FEET UNDER have announced their 15th full length studio effort, Next to Die. The album marks the third joint project since the veteran pair returned in 2017. The duo co-produced the album along with Mark Lewis helming the final mix.
Among the tandem's more ambitious endeavors, Next to Die is comprised of two halves, showcasing both the band's well-established death metal prowess and their groove heavy versatility.
“It started out as an album full of death metal songs with speed and aggression,” says guitarist Jack Owen. “Then [vocalist] Chris [Barnes] had the brilliant idea to keep half of those death metal songs and add some groovier songs in the vein of the early SIX FEET UNDER material. Chris emphasized tempo, so keeping with the beats per minute for early SFU classics, I wrote a side of tasty groove-laden music with Chris doing all the lyrics.”
Presenting a pummeling introduction, SIX FEET UNDER have shared the lead single, “Unmistakable Smell Of Death," which asserts the band's signature brand of brutality and technicality. “This song began musically before I had any lyrical ideas in mind,” says Owen. “I dug through my riff archive for some blast and fast riffs and updated them with some pull-offs and stop sections. The middle section riffs were also from my riff archive. I do scratch leads on my demos, but Ray always does a much better job with the leads."
In addition to the announcement of the new album, SIX FEET UNDER has confirmed a lengthy North American tour with Kataklysm. Set to begin on July 8th in Detroit, the run closes out August 11th in Chicago, with Wormhole serving as special guests. The tour dates follow the band's previously announced European tour with Embryonic Autopsy that kicks off this June.
A complete list of dates and cities can be found below. Tickets for the North American tour go on sale March 13th. Get tickets - HERE
Next to Die, the new album from SIX FEET UNDER lands April 24th via Metal Blade Records. Order the album - HERE
SIX FEET UNDER North American Dates
7/08/2026 Sanctuary – Detroit, MI
7/09/2026 Lee's Palace – Toronto, ON ^
7/10/2026 Fairmount – Montreal, QC ^
7/11/2026 Overflow – Ottawa, ON ^
7/12/2026 Palladium Upstairs – Worcester, MA
7/13/2026 Space Ballroom – Hamden, CT
7/14/2026 Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY
7/15/2026 Broken Goblet – Bensalem, PA
7/16/2026 Chapel of Bones – Raleigh, NC
7/17/2026 Albatross – Jacksonville, FL
7/18/2026 Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL
7/19/2026 Conduit – Orlando, FL
7/21/2026 Scout Bar – Houston, TX
7/22/2026 Come and Take It Live – Austin, TX
7/23/2026 Jake's – Lubbock, TX
7/24/2026 Lauter Haus – Farmington, NM
7/25/2026 Nile – Phoenix, AZ
7/26/2026 1720 - Los Angeles, CA
7/27/2026 Strummer's – Fresno, CA
7/28/2026 Cornerstone – Berkeley, CA
7/29/2026 Goldfield – Roseville, CA
7/30/2026 Shredder – Boise, ID *
7/31/2026 Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, OR
8/01/2026 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
8/02/2026 Rickshaw – Vancouver, BC ^
8/04/2026 Arrowhead – Calgary, AB ^
8/05/2026 Starlite Room – Edmonton, AB ^
8/06/2026 Black Cat – Saskatoon, SK ^
8/07/2026 Park Theatre – Winnipeg, MB ^
8/08/2026 Skyway Theatre – Minneapolis, MN
8/09/2026 The Annex – Madison, WI
8/10/2026 Madison Theater – Covington, KY
8/11/2026 Reggies – Chicago, IL
* No Kataklysm
^ Kataklysm headlines
European Tour Dates with Embryonic Autopsy
6/03/2026 Mystic Festival – Gdańsk, PL
6/04/2026 Franz – Berlin, DE
6/05/2026 Pitfest – Maastricht, NL
6/06/2026 Gebäude 9 – Cologne, DE
6/07/2026 The Garage – Saarbrücken, DE
6/10/2026 Colosseum – Košice, SK
6/12/2026 Nova Rock- Nickelsdorf, AT
6/13/2026 A38 – Budapest, HU
6/14/2026 Orto – Bar Ljubljana, SI
6/16/2026 Kaminwerk – Memmingen, DE
6/17/2026 Backstage Halle – Munich, DE
6/19/2026 Colo-Saal – Aschaffenburg, DE
6/20/2026 Graspop Festival – Dessel, BE
6/21/2026 Hellfest – Clisson, FR
6/23/2026 Logo – Hamburg, DE
6/24/2026 Copenhell – Copenhagen, DK
6/26/2026 Basinfire Festival – Spálené Poříčí, CZ
6/27/2026 Abyss Festival – Hauteville, CH
