Crafting covers has become a common practice for Death Metal icons SIX FEET UNDER, having payed tribute bands like AC/DC, MERCYFUL FATE, and SLAYER in their previous installments of "Graveyard Classics". Now, they've produced their 4^th release of the "Graveyard Classics", which is a collection of songs exclusively from the mighty metal gods in JUDAS PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN. The album is aptly titled "Graveyard Classics IV: The Number of the Priest".

The first thing that comes to mind is comparing SIX FEET UNDER's vocalist, Chris Barnes to the likes of Rob Halford, Paul Di'Anno, and Bruce Dickinson, musicians who are known for their vocals that sit high above the rest of the band. Barnes has patented his own style of low, mic-cupped growls that sound off-worldly, but is really not known for any other kind of vocalization. It begs the question of whether or not he chose the songs himself with the anticipation to try and duplicate this sound. As it turns out, the CEO of Metal Blade Records, Brian Slagel, hand-picked the tracks himself. This might be a bit telling.

But enough sitting around and wondering- time to get started! The album is set up fairly straightforward with the first half being JUDAS PRIEST and the second half consisting of IRON MAIDEN. We begin with "Night Crawler" and "Starbreaker" to get the answers to our questions.

Instead of emulating Halford, Barnes defaults to what he knows and growls his way through the 2 songs in his own style. With higher notes and articulated words in the beginning, this doesn't work as we would have hoped. In actuality, it sticks out like a sore thumb. Comparing Barnes to Halford is like apples and oranges- they're nothing alike and I wouldn't have come to expect Barnes perform Halford, and justifiably, vice-versa. Barnes has a monstrously-low voice, but he doesn't have the range or tonality of Halford.

I will say, however, that the instruments adapted nicely to the old-school heavy metal riffs. The down-tuned, over-driven guitar by Ray Suhy brings a crisp, new feeling to these memorable tracks. Older JUDAS PRIEST records had more constrained, tighter guitar, and the heavier, elongated sound from Ray is refreshing. The low-grinding bass by Jeff Hughell adds to the weight of the music just a bit more and brings the deathly sound to full-circle. Session drummer Josh Hall's double-bass kick on these tunes delivers the driving force necessary for the overdriven instrumentals, and were a good addition.

"Invader" was a surprisingly decent cover across the board. Again, the heavier instrumentals are a smooth transition and, as for Barnes, his vocals fit oddly well. It could be the more drawn-out vocal style on this tune that allow Barnes to use his lower growl more effectively, but whatever the reason, this stood out from all the others on the JUDAS PRIEST side. Eventually, we change pace and switch to the legendary IRON MAIDEN.

The first 2 songs, "Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "Prowler" are both from the Paul Di'Anno era. His grittier, edgy voice is a more suitable for Barnes, and performs better tonally. However, "Murders in the Rue Morgue" is one of the more electrifying and up-tempo IRON MAIDEN tracks from their early period. We can tell that Barnes isn't quite used to this faster-paced style, as he sometimes fades out a bit early at certain points. But once again, the more distorted instruments, coupled with the speed, are a recipe for brutality, and come hot off of the cast-iron heavy metal frying pan with added spice.

We hit the Bruce Dickinson era and, like Rob Halford, the long-time frontman is known for his soaring style and, again, Barnes doesn't quite line up right. IRON MAIDEN gets a bit more technical with their instrumentation while Bruce sings high above, and SIX FEET UNDER, again, tries to play off that style with a singer who simply isn't known for his range. "Stranger in a Strange Land" opens with a rhythmic bass lick from Steve Harris that has rung throughout the land for generations, and we get to compare that with Jeff Hughell more clearly. The low dirty rumble is surprisingly compatible and sets the tone for the more brutal version of this classic.

By and large, we're left with an album that just doesn't quite compare with these classic tunes. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy SIX FEET UNDER and Chris Barnes is a grizzled veteran in the death metal community, but deciding to make a cover album of 2 vastly different bands wasn't the best idea. I don't particularly blame Barnes, however, as the band as a whole should have known what they were getting into and, instead of playing similarly to the older songs, give even more of a Death Metal take on things; allow Barnes to revel in his own style and do what he does best while the band makes these covers their own.

If SIX FEET UNDER continues this string of covers, I'd like to see them change gears and move forward with a tribute album to other death metal bands. Maybe play some CARCASS, OBITUARY, or even newer Deathgrind like CATTLE DECAPITATION- I'd kill to hear them perform "Forced Gender Reassignment". We've gotten our fill of classic covers from SIX FEET UNDER and I think it's time that they tried something new in this realm.