Chris Barnes | |
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Background information | |
Born | Buffalo, New York, U.S. | December 29, 1967
Genres | Death metal |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1986–present |
Member of | Six Feet Under |
Formerly of |
Chris Barnes (born December 29, 1967) is an American death metal vocalist and lyricist.
Barnes was the co-founder and original lead vocalist and lyricist of Cannibal Corpse, staying with the band from 1988 to 1995. He later founded the Florida death metal band Six Feet Under, for whom he also provided lead vocals. In addition, he has also appeared on Torture Killer's second album Swarm!
Barnes is notorious for his extremely low guttural vocals and explicitly violent lyrics. Barnes designed the original Cannibal Corpse logo, the Six Feet Under logo and the artwork for the band's 1997 album Warpath .
Barnes started his career at the age of 19. His first band was a death/thrash band called Tirant Sin, which was formed in 1986 in his hometown of Buffalo, New York. Other members of Tirant Sin included Paul Mazurkiewicz (drums), Bob Rusay, Cam V and Joe Morelli (guitars) and Rich Ziegler (bass guitar). In 1986, Barnes left Tirant Sin to join another New York-based death/thrash metal band named Leviathan that recorded the four-track demo "Legions of the Undead" in 1987, re-released on the 2005 Six Feet Under box set A Decade in the Grave .
Tirant Sin recorded three demos, all privately released: "Desecration of the Graves" in February 1987, "Chaotic Destruction" in fall 1987 with Dennis John on vocals, and "Mutant Supremacy" in 1988. Barnes appeared only on the third demo, when he re-joined Tirant Sin in January 1988. [1] [2] [3]
Barnes wrote all of the lyrics on the albums Butchered at Birth , Tomb of the Mutilated , and The Bleeding and wrote the lyrics on Eaten Back to Life with the rest of the band helping. [4] Barnes became notorious for his explicitly violent lyrics. He said, "I was always interested in horror and stuff like that, and gore, and I read a lot of the stuff on serial killings." [5] Joe DiVita of Loudwire has called Barnes a "deranged lyrical genius". [6]
Barnes left Cannibal Corpse in 1995 due to creative and personal differences with the rest of the band. Barnes later claimed he felt "ridiculed" by the other band members and did not enjoy being in their presence during his waning days with the band. [7] His final vocal recordings with the band were for the "Created to Kill" sessions which were later re-recorded by his replacement George Fisher for the Vile album. The "Created to Kill" demo featuring Barnes was eventually released as part of the 15 Year Killing Spree box set released in 2003.
Barnes' departure from Cannibal Corpse allowed him to devote his full attention to the band Six Feet Under, which had been his side project since 1993. Barnes commented that he is "very proud" of his accomplishments with the band. He later said, "being booted out of Cannibal Corpse was pretty memorable but in a good way. I didn't feel I was able to write the way I wanted to so it was a good transition for me." [8]
In response to questions from fans regarding a possible reunion between Barnes and Cannibal Corpse, Alex Webster ruled out the possibility, saying "we have no plans to do anything with Chris Barnes ever again. It's not something any of us are interested in doing." [9] "It's nothing against him, but we prefer to move forward rather than live in the past." [10] Webster also stated that although he and Barnes had been cordial when the two run into each other at festivals, Cannibal Corpse would probably not participate in a tour with Six Feet Under either, saying "you do your thing, we'll do ours". [11] Barnes himself commented:
"I don't have any animosity towards those guys at all, and I don't think they do towards me. It's just that… It would be too confusing for things [if we were to tour together], I think, from their perspective". [12]
Barnes has been openly critcal about the current state of death metal, going as far to say he "despises" what the genre has become, saying "all the people trolling me, proves my point [...] all the bitch ass “media” making headlines off it proves my point". [13] [14] [15] [16] Barnes espouses coronavirus conspiracy theories. [17]
There was controversy surrounding Barnes and Anal Cunt's former vocalist Seth Putnam. According to Putnam, he heckled Barnes during a Six Feet Under set, which lead to an altercation between the two. Ultimately, Six Feet Under's roadies ganged up on Putnam while Barnes fled to his tour bus. Putnam released the song "Chris Barnes Is a Pussy" as retaliation to the incident. [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]
Despite the feud, Putnam stated that "Murdered in the Basement" was his favorite song by Six Feet Under. [25]
On early Cannibal Corpse releases, Barnes employed a thrash metal vocal style comparable to the likes of Kreator and The Accused. By the band's second album Butchered at Birth, his growls were drastically lower. Barnes has stated that he developed his guttural vocal style as an attempt to blend into the music, or "become another instrument", as the band's music became heavier. [26]
Gene Hoglan has credited Barnes as one of the "progenitors of the gore style". [27]
Six Feet Under
Cannibal Corpse
Torture Killer
IHATE
Cannabis Corpse
Gorguts
Skribbal
Opening introduction on "The Retribution"
Incite
Deicide is an American death metal band from Tampa, Florida.
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida.
Six Feet Under is a Florida death metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed in 1993.
Paul Mazurkiewicz Jr. is an American musician best known as the drummer of the death metal band Cannibal Corpse.
Jack Owen is an American guitarist and a member of the death metal band Six Feet Under. He was one of the founding members of Cannibal Corpse. He also had a stint with Deicide—another influential and long-running Florida death metal band—with whom he recorded four albums.. In 2007, Owen played shows with Adrift before joining Order of Ennead at times when their guitarist, John Li, was unavailable.
George Fisher, better known by his stage name Corpsegrinder, is an American death metal vocalist who is the lead singer of Cannibal Corpse, Paths of Possession and the supergroup Serpentine Dominion.
Butchered at Birth is the second studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released on July 1, 1991 through Metal Blade Records.
Eaten Back to Life is the debut studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released on August 17, 1990, through Metal Blade Records.
Tomb of the Mutilated is the third studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on September 22, 1992, by Metal Blade Records.
The Bleeding is the fourth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on April 12, 1994 through Metal Blade Records.
Vile is the fifth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on May 21, 1996 through Metal Blade Records.
Hammer Smashed Face is the debut EP and single by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on March 23, 1993 by Metal Blade Records.
Torture Killer is a Finnish death metal band from Turku, formed in 2002.
Haunted is the debut album by American death metal band Six Feet Under. It was released via Metal Blade Records in 1995, just before Chris Barnes' departure from Cannibal Corpse.
Cannibal Corpse is a five-piece American death metal band formed in 1988 in Buffalo, New York. In 1989, their self-titled demo drew the attention of Metal Blade Records, with whom they signed a contract to record their debut album Eaten Back to Life, which was released in 1990, followed by two studio albums, 1991's Butchered at Birth, and 1992's Tomb of the Mutilated. In 1993, lead guitarist Bob Rusay was fired, and was replaced by Rob Barrett, who joined the group in time to appear with the band in Jim Carrey's film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
Maximum Violence is American death metal band Six Feet Under's 3rd studio album. The album goes back to Chris Barnes' roots in Cannibal Corpse with violent themes/lyrics. It was also the first Six Feet Under album to feature Steve Swanson on guitars.
A Decade In The Grave is a box set by death metal band Six Feet Under. It was released in 2005 on Metal Blade Records. Ten years after the formation of Six Feet Under, Metal Blade celebrated the band's longevity with A Decade in the Grave, a five-disc box set. The first two discs is SFU's best-of, disc three contains rare demos as well as live performances, while the fourth disc contains demos and rehearsal material by Leviathan. The DVD offers a blend of videos and live performances. The box set also includes 4 new songs, "Dead and Buried ", "From Flesh Bone", "A Knife Fight to the Death", and "Burned at the Stake", the latter 3 being previously unreleased, and the former being recorded for the album.
Seth Edward Putnam was an American musician best known as the founder and sole consistent member of grindcore band Anal Cunt. He was known for his high-pitched screamed vocals and lyrics that either shock, offend, or invoke morbid humor. Throughout his career, Putnam was also involved in numerous side projects.
Torment is the twelfth studio album from American death metal band Six Feet Under, released on February 24, 2017 by Metal Blade Records. It is the first album to feature drummer Marco Pitruzzella. It is the first album since 2013's Unborn to feature bassist Jeff Hughell, whom also plays all guitars on the album.
Nightmares of the Decomposed is the thirteenth studio album by American death metal band Six Feet Under, released on October 2, 2020, by Metal Blade Records. It is the first album to feature ex-Cannibal Corpse guitarist Jack Owen.