Album Review: Six Foot Six- End Of All

Little details sometimes get lost, but can make all the difference. Case in point; when reading the description of this album, I saw it written that it is for fans of, among other bands, Manowar. This might seem like a small thing to be focused on, but I don't understand why you would want to put yourself in the same discussion with Manowar. The non-ironic loincloth wearers have made great strides in setting back metal, and manhood, by generations. Seeing their name attached to this album was not a good sign, to my eyes, but I was still willing to give them a chance. Some people just don't know any better.

Luckily, that is the case, and this album doesn't bear the hallmarks of the most boring metal of all time. In fact, when "Welcome To Your Nightmare" is playing, I'm more thinking it sounds like pirate metal than anything more traditional. There is something about the chorus, from the melody to the chanting, that reminds me of a sea shanty. It's hard to describe exactly what makes something 'pirate', but this song has it for sure.

For the rest of the album, what we are getting is mostly traditional metal that chugs along just fine, but it's all about the chanting choruses. When those hit the right mark, the album has the rousing spirit that good-time metal is supposed to have. The guitars cut through similar to modern Accept (whom I mention because they have an album on the horizon), but there's a stronger melodic quotient at play here, and Six Foot Six isn't as intent on trying to sound like a tough metal band. The lack of posturing helps. Again, a difference from what a Manowar comparison would invite us to think.

Not every song is that good, however. "In God We Trust" is great, and gets your fist pumping, but then "In The Eyes Of The World" and "Blood Will Out" follow as two songs that lack that same kind of bite. There are bits and pieces that are fine, but the thrust of the song sounds too limp to match the puffed-up stature we're expecting. The album is rather front-loaded, so once you get through the really good opening run, the rest of the album is a bit disappointing. I don't know if a different track listing would change perceptions.

The worst song is "Finale Vittoria", which is trying to be medieval, but lacks any sort of hook whatsoever. It's the sort of composition that should have gotten a second look before being committed to tape, since the appeal is not apparent at all. What it sounds like is a demo of a song before the writer comes up with the chorus. That's not the sort of thing that should be on a record.

So what the albums ends up being is a mixed bag. The first three songs get off to a great start, and make you think this is going to be a fun traditional metal album, but it quickly falls apart. The majority of the record falls short of the mark, which means the good on here loses the balance. Because of that, I can't recommend listening to the whole thing.