Chris Barnes (musician)
Encyclopedia
Chris Barnes is an American singer-songwriter, best known as a death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....

 vocalist recognized for his very low guttural vocals and explicitly violent lyrics. He was the vocalist and lyricist of death metal band Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...

 (from 1988–1995), later working as part of Six Feet Under
Six Feet Under (band)
Six Feet Under is an American death metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed in 1993. The band was originally a side project by Cannibal Corpse vocalist Chris Barnes with guitarist Allen West of Obituary...

 and was featured on Finnish death metal band Torture Killer
Torture Killer
Torture Killer is a Finnish death metal band from Turku, Finland, formed in 2002. The band consists of four members, Jari Laine , Tuomas Karppinen , Kim Torniainen , and Tuomo Latvala...

's second album Swarm!
Swarm!
Swarm! is the second album by the Finnish death metal band Torture Killer, released on February 24, 2006. The album is the only album by Torture Killer to feature vocalist Chris Barnes.-Track listing:# "Swarm!" - 2:49 # "Forever Dead" - 5:44...

. Barnes designed the original Cannibal Corpse logo, the Six Feet Under logo and also created the artwork for Warpath released in 1997.

Early career

Chris Barnes had started his extreme metal career at the age of 19. Primarily Barnes' first band was a Death/Thrash band called Tirant Sin, which had formed in 1986 in Chris' hometown of Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

. Other members of Tirant Sin included drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz, guitarists Bob Rusay, Cam V and Joe Morelli, and bassist Rich Ziegler. Also in 1986, Chris quit Tirant Sin to join yet another New York-based Death/Thrash metal band named Leviathan that would record the four track demo "Legions of the Undead" in 1987. Legions of the Undead was re-released on the 2005 Six Feet Under box set A Decade in the Grave
A Decade in the Grave
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 later of SFU formation, Metal Blade celebrated the band's longevity with A Decade in the Grave, a five-disc box set...

.

Tirant Sin recorded three demos. The first, "Desecration of the Graves," was privately self-released in February 1987. His second demo, "Chaotic Destruction," was independently released in the fall of 1987, with Dennis John on vocals. His third demo, "Mutant Supremacy," was independently released in 1988. Barnes appeared only on the third demo, when he re-joined Tirant Sin in January 1988.

1988-1995: Cannibal Corpse

Barnes wrote all of the lyrics on the albums Butchered at Birth
Butchered at Birth
-Personnel:* Chris Barnes – vocals* Jack Owen – guitar* Bob Rusay – guitar* Alex Webster – bass* Paul Mazurkiewicz – drums* Glen Benton – guest vocals on track 6...

 through The Bleeding
The Bleeding
The Bleeding is the fourth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released in 1994 through Metal Blade Records. It is the last album featuring singer and founding member Chris Barnes and is the first album featuring guitarist Rob Barrett...

, and wrote the lyrics on Eaten Back to Life
Eaten Back to Life
Eaten Back to Life is the debut album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released on 17 August 1990 through Metal Blade Records. The album was banned in Germany and other countries because of the violent cover and the extreme nature of the lyrics. Glen Benton of Deicide and...

 with the rest of the band helping.

When asked in an interview what his favorite Cannibal Corpse album that he worked on was, he commented "I love them all, I really do. I really enjoyed them all." In the same interview when he was asked about his time with the band, he responded "I look back on it with a lot of fond memories. It was pretty much my starting point - it wasn't exactly my starting point, but it was as a professional musician. I think that I really helped bring about a certain style of music, and with that band I really outlined what most people think death metal vocals sound like - I'm part of that. I'm really proud of the imagery, and the lyrical stories that I put together on all those albums. We set out to conquer the world though, and I think we did as far as our corner of the world was concerned."

Barnes left Cannibal Corpse in 1995 because of his personal differences with the rest of the band members and supposedly, his increasingly poorer vocal performance. Barnes was then able to devote his full attention to the band Six Feet Under
Six Feet Under (band)
Six Feet Under is an American death metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed in 1993. The band was originally a side project by Cannibal Corpse vocalist Chris Barnes with guitarist Allen West of Obituary...

, which had been his side project since 1992. Barnes has commented that he is "very proud of what I've done with them."

"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."

There were speculations about Barnes returning to Cannibal Corpse, which were denied by Alex Webster: "We have no plans to do anything with Chris Barnes ever again. It's not something any of us are interested in doing." "it's nothing against him, but we prefer to move forward rather than live in the past."

1995-present: Six Feet Under

In 2005, Six Feet Under released 13, their 6th full-length album, an album that Chris also produced.

In the same year Six Feet Under released A Decade in the Grave, a box set highlighting the past 10 years of Six Feet Under.

With the success of two death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....

 bands already under his belt (Cannibal Corpse and Six Feet Under), Chris Barnes joined the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 death metal band Torture Killer
Torture Killer
Torture Killer is a Finnish death metal band from Turku, Finland, formed in 2002. The band consists of four members, Jari Laine , Tuomas Karppinen , Kim Torniainen , and Tuomo Latvala...

 in the fall of 2005. At the time, Barnes said he was fully committed to the band, and appeared on the band's second album Swarm!, which was released on February 24, 2006. However, he left the band in January 2008.

Six Feet Under released the album Commandment on April 17, 2007 to highly positive views. Chris Barnes has stated "Commandment" is his favorite album, claiming to have received over 5,000 messages in support, many fans cite it as their favorite Six Feet Under release since 2003's Bringer of Blood
Bringer of Blood
Bringer of Blood is Six Feet Under's fifth studio album. Bringer of Blood contains fan favorites such as Amerika the Brutal, Murdered in the Basement, When Skin Turns Blue, and Bringer of Blood...

.

On November 11, 2008, Six Feet Under released their newest album Death Rituals. It saw the band returning to Morrisound studios in Tampa, FL with Chris Carroll at the helm with mixing duties being handled by Toby Wright (Slayer, Korn, In Flames, Fear Factory, etc.) and the return old friend Bill Metoyer, who recorded the band's CD Warpath, helping out with recording of the drums. The album includes 13 songs including the Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...

 cover Bastard and the ambient song Crossroads To Armageddon.

On January 16, 2009, a message appeared on Six Feet Under's website:

Just wanted to let all of our fans know that we are currently in the studio working on Graveyard Classics 3. We are about 60% finished with tracking. Everything is going great and we are having a lot of fun laying these new songs down. more info and track listing to come!!

Support For Marijuana Law Reform

Since departing from Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...

 after The Bleeding, Chris Barnes slightly shifted his lyrical focus towards more sociopolitical issues, the most prominent of which being the legalization of marijuana. The album Warpath contains two songs pertaining to marijuana, the first being "4:20," which praises the effects of the plant and the second being "Caged and Disgraced" that calls into question detaining individuals for marijuana possession. Also included in the albums liner notes is the website for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and it is pointed out that the song "4:20" (which is 4 minutes and 20 seconds in length) was recorded on April 20 at 4:20pm, the national day and traditional time for smoking marijuana
420 (cannabis culture)
420, 4:20 or 4/20 refers to consumption of cannabis and, by extension, a way to identify oneself with cannabis subculture. The notable day for these is April 20.- Origins of terms :...

.

Maximum Violence contains the song "Victim of the Paranoid," which is another examination of marijuana laws, asserting marijuana users are victims of a system that is too worried about marijuana users and neglects other more pressing issues. Chris Barnes, much like Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...

's Phil Anselmo
Phil Anselmo
Philip Hansen "Phil" Anselmo is an American musician who is best known as the lead singer for the heavy metal band Pantera. He is currently the frontman for the Louisiana-based metal act Down. He is also the owner of Housecore Records....

, has been known to smoke marijuana passed to him during a live performance and vocally praise the herb both on stage and in interviews.

Vocal styles

Barnes is known for his rather extreme vocal style, which consists of low and snarled death growls that have been described by as "thunderous" and "like Satan on a diet of razor blades and paint thinner". He has also been praised for the fact that his famous growls have never been manipulated or enhanced by a recording studio. He also seems skilled at raspy screams, exemplified in the songs "Hammer Smashed Face," "I Cum Blood," "Post Mortal Ejaculation," "Pulverized," "Fucked with a Knife," and "Stripped, Raped and Strangled." Ironically, in interviews he is known for having a very soft voice and for being very mellow.

Chris' vocals on "Tomb of The Mutilated" were so inhumanly guttural, that inside the booklet of the album there is a message that states "Electronic Harmonizer was not used to create any vocals on Tomb of the Mutilated."

In an interview, he said the following about his early singing aspirations:
I was really enamored with Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...

 from Kiss and the whole visual idea of a demon being a singer in a band, which kind of stuck with me in a way. When I saw Kiss in 1978, 1979 for the first time as an eleven or twelve-year-old kid, I was really enthralled. I felt “Wow! This is a live performance,” and I really loved Simmons and what he was doing. At another level I kept listening to music and it got more and more heavy, and then at one point as a teenager I said “Well I love this music so much, so I think maybe I could do that also.” At that point, I started singing along to my favorite albums by Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Venom and so on. I'd sing along to the tape, and I'd try to sing like those guys would in those bands. It just progressed from there really. When I was in my first year at college in the university, I was in a band at that point writing original music. It was the most fun in my life, and being in school I didn't really know what I wanted to do so I wasn't really sure of my place. I just thought to myself one day when I was in school, I said “I don't want to be here.” As a result, I got up, walked out, got in my car, and then cranked it up. I drove up to rehearsal and said “This is what I want to do.”

Musical tastes

Barnes is a big fan of metal pioneers Black Sabbath, which is why Cannibal Corpse did a cover of "Zero the Hero" (one of Barnes' favorite Black Sabbath songs) on the Hammer Smashed Face EP.

When asked about George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher
George Fisher (musician)
George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher is the vocalist for the American death metal band Cannibal Corpse and the lesser-known melodic death metal band Paths of Possession. He previously recorded two albums with Florida's Monstrosity before leaving and joining Cannibal Corpse in late 1995, replacing former...

, his vocal replacement for Cannibal Corpse, he said “I know George is a good singer, though he wouldn't have been my choice personally. I kind of like it though because he was never able to sing my songs better than me; that's always made me feel proud, that I was able to write songs that couldn't be imitated. I think he does a great job though, and he's a real nice guy.”

He lists Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...

 as his favorite band on Six Feet Under's official website.

Beliefs

Barnes says that thinking about death with his song lyrics has made him very sensitive to the fragility of human existence and life.

In an interview he stated that he believes in reincarnation and has also said, "I think there are many hints in life, such as familiarity with certain things, that are unexplainable. These are possibly explainable by the idea of having lived before, which is what I think. My dreams seem very real, and I tap into those places." He also stated that he believes everything is a learning experience. "We're here for a reason, and we're gifted by life for sure."

"Ever since I discovered Edgar Cayce
Edgar Cayce
Edgar Cayce was an American psychic who allegedly had the ability to give answers to questions on subjects such as healing or Atlantis while in a hypnotic trance...

 back in the early 90s I've definitely been aware of a lot of things that have been happening in the world and set my eye on things and just been very aware of some of his writings and I recognize that a few of his prophecies have already come true and have opened that world consciousness that will hopefully change those prophecies because that's a possibility. But for the most part the way things have been going it seems that doomsday is pretty close."

Feud with Seth Putnam

There had been friction between Barnes and Anal Cunt
Anal Cunt
Anal Cunt, also known as AxCx and A.C., was an American grindcore band that formed in Newton, Massachusetts in 1988. Since its inception, the band underwent a number of line-up changes. Known for its grindcore musical style and controversial lyrics, Anal Cunt released eight full-length studio...

's former vocalist Seth Putnam
Seth Putnam
Seth Edward Putnam was the founder of grindcore band Anal Cunt. He was known for his brutal screaming and lyrics that either shock, offend, or invoke morbid humor...

. According to Putnam's website, Seth heckled Barnes during the Six Feet Under set, leading to an altercation between the two ending with Six Feet Under's roadies ganging up on Putnam while Barnes fled to his tour bus. Putnam released the song, "Chris Barnes is a Pussy" as retaliation to the incident.

Personality

While on the set of Ace Ventura
Ace Ventura
Ace Ventura is a fictional character, created by screenwriters Jack Bernstein, Tom Shadyac and Steve Oedekerk. Ace was played by Jim Carrey in the films He was voiced by Michael Daingerfield in the animated television series.-Biography:Ace is a...

, Chris admitted to Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...

 that the way his neck contorted while doing "Fire Marshall Bill" grossed him out. To which Carrey responded, "What? This? This grosses you out? All that shit you write and that little thing grosses you out?"

"I like a well-told story, something that's directed well in a different way, anything, even commercials. It doesn't have to be underground or horror films, lately I've been getting into more horror stuff but I've kind of eased off and been watching different types of films, you know, back into that. I like all sorts of stuff, it just has to be a well-told story, like everything coming from the writers look. I mean, special effects and that type of stuff doesn't impress me that much more subtle effects do, I mean, I know of the editing process and that doesn't really do anything for me, you know, the magic's taken out. I just like a well-written story with something that just looks really direct."

"I never was one for fashion or trying to impress people. I just wanted to do the best I could and feel good about what I do and be proud of the time that I put into my art and that's how I feel about it. When it stops becoming fun for me and when it starts becoming upsetting to see where it goes is the day that I just put it aside and let my bodies of works speak for me. Hopefully that day doesn't come too soon but we'll see what happens."
"I think that I'm just a normal guy. I'm not a super hero or a character in a magazine, I'm just a regular person and I think that's the biggest thing. I don't know if that would surprise anybody but I hope that it would kind of give some people some insight. I'm not a monster." "I've always been kind of mellow so I think that does surprise people when they speak to me or hang out with me or something, he's not crazy! I just enjoy life, I enjoy doing what I do and I'm not a character in a book or in a movie. So that's it, I'm a real person and I'm here. I think a lot of people have pre-conceived notions of what I'm like because they've read a bunch of crazy lyrics over the years. Those are my thoughts but I don't live that way in everyday life. I think I'd be in jail for 25 years now if I would have."

Six Feet Under

  • Haunted
    Haunted (Six Feet Under album)
    Haunted is Six Feet Under's debut album. It was released on Metal Blade in 1995, after Barnes' departure from Cannibal Corpse.-Track listing:*All Songs Written By Chris Barnes & Allen West.#"The Enemy Inside" - 4:17#"Silent Violence" - 3:33...

    (1995)
  • Alive and Dead
    Alive and Dead
    Alive and Dead is Six Feet Under's first EP, released October 29, 1996. The EP compiles a handful of live songs culled from Six Feet Under's debut album, Haunted, and features three new studio tracks, including a cover of Judas Priest's "Grinder."...

    (1996)
  • Warpath
    Warpath (album)
    Warpath is Six Feet Under's second studio album. Tracks on this album include "Death or Glory", which is a cover of a song originally done by Holocaust and "4:20", a song 4:20 in length which, according to the liner notes, was recorded at 4:20 PM on April 20, 1997-Track listing:#"War Is Coming" –...

    (1997)
  • Maximum Violence
    Maximum Violence
    Maximum Violence is Six Feet Under's 3rd studio album. The Album goes back to Chris Barnes' roots in Cannibal Corpse with a more violent track listing...

    (1999)
  • Graveyard Classics
    Graveyard Classics
    Graveyard Classics is a cover album by American death metal band Six Feet Under. It includes cover versions of such classic rock hits as "TNT" by AC/DC, "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple, and "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix.-Track listing:...

    (2000)
  • True Carnage
    True Carnage
    True Carnage is the fourth album by death metal band Six Feet Under. The album contains fan favourites such as "The Day the Dead Walked", "One Bullet Left" and "Sick and Twisted".-Track listing:#"Impulse to Disembowel" - 3:11...

    (2001)
  • Bringer of Blood
    Bringer of Blood
    Bringer of Blood is Six Feet Under's fifth studio album. Bringer of Blood contains fan favorites such as Amerika the Brutal, Murdered in the Basement, When Skin Turns Blue, and Bringer of Blood...

    (2003)
  • Graveyard Classics 2
    Graveyard Classics 2
    Graveyard Classics 2 is the second cover album by Six Feet Under. It is an album cover version of AC/DC's 1980 album Back in Black.-Track listing:All Songs by Brian Johnson, Angus Young and Malcolm Young#"Hells Bells" – 5:11...

    (2004)
  • 13
    13 (Six Feet Under album)
    13 is the sixth studio album by death metal band Six Feet Under. The album was released in 2005 on Metal Blade Records.-Track listing:#"Decomposition of the Human Race" – 3:42#"Somewhere in the Darkness" – 3:53#"Rest in Pieces" – 3:08...

    (2005)
  • Commandment
    Commandment (album)
    Commandment is the seventh album by death metal band Six Feet Under. It was released April 17, 2007, on Metal Blade Records. They have released videos for "Ghosts of the Undead" and "Doomsday"...

    (2007)
  • Death Rituals
    Death Rituals
    Death Rituals is the eighth studio album by American death metal band Six Feet Under. It was released on November 11, 2008 through Metal Blade Records. It is also available in a limited digipak edition with three live bonus tracks....

    (2008)
  • Graveyard Classics 3
    Graveyard Classics 3
    Graveyard Classics III is the third cover album by Six Feet Under. It was released on January 19, 2010 on Metal Blade Records.The Album was Recored at D.O.I. Digital Audio in Tampa, Florida...

    (2010)

Cannibal Corpse

  • Eaten Back to Life
    Eaten Back to Life
    Eaten Back to Life is the debut album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released on 17 August 1990 through Metal Blade Records. The album was banned in Germany and other countries because of the violent cover and the extreme nature of the lyrics. Glen Benton of Deicide and...

    (1990)
  • Butchered at Birth
    Butchered at Birth
    -Personnel:* Chris Barnes – vocals* Jack Owen – guitar* Bob Rusay – guitar* Alex Webster – bass* Paul Mazurkiewicz – drums* Glen Benton – guest vocals on track 6...

    (1991)
  • Tomb of the Mutilated
    Tomb of the Mutilated
    Tomb of the Mutilated is the third studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released in 1992 through Metal Blade Records and is the last album featuring founding guitarist Bob Rusay...

    (1992)
  • The Bleeding
    The Bleeding
    The Bleeding is the fourth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released in 1994 through Metal Blade Records. It is the last album featuring singer and founding member Chris Barnes and is the first album featuring guitarist Rob Barrett...

    (1994)

External links

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