Six Feet Under
Maximum Video (DVD)

December 2003
Released: 2001, Metal Blade
Rating: 3.0/5
Reviewer: Lord of the Wasteland

If you’re a discriminating DVD-o-phile, avoid this release like the plague. Six Feet Under has compiled footage shot during the tour for their 2000 album, MAXIMUM VIOLENCE, and released it as a live DVD. Instead of a 5.1 Dolby Digital mix and anamorphic widescreen, we get subpar video shot on shaky 8mm cameras from far away that go in and out of focus, have terrible audio (on the back of the package, it reads “no overdubs were used”…no kidding!) and border on bootleg quality at best. You do get the band performing in small clubs and in front of thousands at Wacken and some cool behind-the-scenes stuff, as well.



Pieced together from various stops on the band’s 2000 tour, a one hour “concert” is presented featuring 20 SFU tracks. The best cuts include “War Is Coming”, “Torture Killer” and “4:20”. “Victim Of The Paranoid” is featured THREE TIMES (twice live and the music video) which causes me to ask rather obviously, “WHY?!?”. Even “Hacked To Pieces” gets double treatment with the band performing an a capella version backstage at Wacken ’00 and later on, a full live version.



The “bonus footage” is comprised of 25 minutes of the band performing some songs that were left off the original VHS release, as well as some road footage and in studio stuff from the recording of the MAXIMUM VIOLENCE CD. Watch this stuff with Chris Barnes’ optional commentary track on, otherwise it is just 25 minutes of nonsense. Barnes explains what is happening in each scene and offers some amusing opinions on touring in Europe. The live tracks are of even lesser quality than those on the main program but feature the first time Barnes and his former band mates in Cannibal Corpse share a stage together at Wacken ’99.



MAXIMUM VIDEO is really for the Six Feet Under fan who has to own everything the band puts out. For the casual viewer, this would demand a refund from your local retailer for taking your $20, but it offers some great material for the SFU die-hards.