Graveyard Classics III＜White & Black Splatter Vinyl＞

Every single metal band -- past, present, and future -- starts off by covering tunes by their favorite bands and takes it from there. In fact, something that many bands discuss in the majority of their interviews early in their careers is just who their prime influences are. Well, extreme metallists Six Feet Under have made it very easy for fans to trace who their influences were, by issuing an all-covers collection, 2010's Graveyard Classics 3. Admittedly, in recent times, seemingly everyone and their brother has issued all-covers albums. But unlike the multitude of other bands, Six Feet Under don't merely replicate the tunes -- and they didn't really have to try too hard to put their own stamp on the tunes, as growler Chris Barnes' vocals simply sound like no other human on the planet. In fact, there are some songs that come off sounding inadvertently a tad humorous due to Barnes' Cookie Monster growl. Included are renditions of tunes by bands you'd expect (Metallica's "The Frayed Ends of Sanity," Slayer's "At Dawn They Sleep," etc.), but there are also quite a few surprising selections, as well (the Ramones' "Psycho Therapy," Prong's "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck," and Anvil's "Metal on Metal"). ~ Greg Prato