Tampa, Florida Death Metal combo SIX FEET UNDER was initially created as a side project by CANNIBAL CORPSE frontman Chris Barnes, OBITUARY guitarist Allen West and erstwhile MASSACRE / DEATH bassist Terry Butler. Greg Gall of LAST RITE assumed command of the drums. Barnes had fronted CANNIBAL CORPSE for their most notorious slash-fests 1990's 'Eaten Back To Life', 1991's 'Butchered At Birth', 1992's 'Tomb Of The Mutilated' and 'The Bleeding' in 1994. SIX FEET UNDER had already been instigated before recording of his swansong CANNIBAL CORPSE opus.

This lineage alone guaranteed an immediate profile and swift acquisition by Metal Blade Records. The debut album, 'Haunted' produced by Brian Slagel and Scott Burns at Morrisound Studios and issued in September 1995, predictably kept up the gore factor of the various band members previous acts and consistent touring pushed the release past the 35'000 sales mark. 'Haunted' took on a rumbling, groove laden path as opposed to the musicians prior endeavours, its catchiness triggering debate as to whether SIX FEET UNDER had strayed too far from Death Metal norms. Regardless, the European audience latched onto the fresh formula from the start, providing the group with a stable platform of operations for the future.

With Barnes obviously placing his priorities SIX FEET UNDER, the unit subsequently evolved into a fully fledged band when the singer was ejected from his previous host. SIX FEET UNDER grasped the opportunity and hit Europe foursquare in the summer of 1996. A live mini-album, October 1996's 'Alive And Dead', comprised of cuts recorded during the previous bout of European touring at Pratteln in Switzerland and Hengelo in Holland, two fresh studio recordings plus a version of JUDAS PRIEST's 'Grinder', these last three tracks laid down at at Criteria Studios in Miami. The release plugged a gap between bouts of studio recording whilst West was committed to the latest OBITUARY album.

SIX FEET UNDER's sophomore outing, 'Warpath' sporting a rendition of NWoBHM act HOLOCAUST's 'Death Or Glory' and housed in a striking neon green jewel case, arrived in September 1997. However, the group suffered an unexpected blow when Allen West opted out.

The band uncompromisingly returned to action with 'Maximum Violence' in July 1999, a record that garnered healthy reviews and included a KISS cover 'War Machine' to boot. The group had drawn in the MASSACRE and LAST RITE credited guitarist Steve Swanson to supersede West. Impressively, 'Maximum Violence' surpassed the 100,000 sales mark, a rarity for a Death Metal record in those times. Has momentum gathered, Metal Blade re-issued the album as a two disc set adding a crop of live tracks. Japanese versions naturally cane blessed with extra material, namely takes on IRON MAIDEN's 'Wrathchild' and THIN LIZZY's 'Jailbreak'.

By 2000 West had created his own act LOWBROW with NASTY SAVAGE men Ben Meyer and Curt Beeson and DEATH bassist Scott Carino. Matt Cohen briefly joined the SIX FEET UNDER ranks.

SIX FEET UNDER's 'Graveyard Classics' album, ushered out in October 2000, was a compilation of cover versions of artists such as AC/DC, BLACK SABBATH, SEX PISTOLS, DEAD KENNEDYS, EXODUS, SAVATAGE, VENOM and JIMI HENDRIX. John Bush of ANTHRAX / ARMORED SAINT also guests on vocals for a version of the SCORPIONS 'Blackout'.

The band resumed action in August 2001 with new outing 'True Carnage'. The album included BODY COUNT vocalist and famed Rapper ICE T as guest vocalist on the track 'One Bullet Left' and Karyn Crisis of CRISIS sparring with Chris Barnes on the track 'Sick and Twisted'. This latter track was trumpeted as the first ever Death Metal male / female duet. Japanese editions added a bonus track, a live version of 'Torture Killers'.

'True Carnage' would give SIX FEET UNDER valuable commercial success in Europe charting in both Germany and Austria. However, the promotional video for 'The Day The Dead Walked' was turned down by both MTV and MTV2 due to its supposed extreme nature.

SIX FEET UNDER undertook a lengthy bout of American touring in the summer of 2002, commencing in Houston, Texas on the 31st of May supported by SKINLESS and SWORN ENEMY. The band's June 14th Minnesota gig would be recorded for a DVD and a live album release. September 2002 tour plans for North America had the band paired up with HATEBREED. The band would head up an impressive cast for European 'Xmas Festivals' in December strongly supported by MARDUK, IMMOLATION, KATAKLYSM, DYING FETUS and HATE. Later gigs in Holland added veteran Thrashers EXODUS to the bill.

The group maintained the momentum for September 2003's 'Bringer Of Blood' outing, the album giving SIX FEET UNDER their highest advance sales figures to date landing at no. 36 on the national German charts. SIX FEET UNDER set 'Kings Of The Roadkill' as their January US shows, these gigs seeing support from FULL BLOWN CHAOS and BILE. The group teamed up with label mates CRIMINAL and FLESHCRAWL for a two-week European tour throughout February and March of 2004. Headline shows in the USA throughout April saw a variety of support acts at various stages including THE RED CHORD, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, ON BROKEN WINGS, MISERY SIGNALS, BURY YOUR DEAD and THE HEAVILS.

In readiness for the 'Graveyard Classics II' album, promoted upfront by a promotional video for a cover version of AC/DC's 'Rock n' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution', a further round of North American shows throughout August and September would be bolstered by opening acts MISERY SIGNALS, INTERNAL BLEEDING and PREMONITIONS OF WAR. With teaser press statements being delivered quoting 'Graveyard Classics II' as being a "unique" album it would be learned that the band had indeed stuck to their word - by covering an entire album, namely AC/DC's seminal 'Back In Black'.

Losing no momentum, by 1st October that band was back in Morrisound Studios recording a brand new album billed '13' for 2005 issue. In January the band filmed a promotional video for the track 'Shadow Of The Reaper', directed by Gary Smithson and featuring actors Meagan Crawford and Aaron Kinser. SIX FEET UNDER forged a road alliance with NILE, DARK FUNERAL, DISBELIEF, DYING FETUS, WYKKED WYTCH and CATARACT for the 'No Mercy Festivals 2005' European tour beginning in early March. SIX FEET UNDER teamed up with BYZANTINE, BLOODSIMPLE and GIZMACHI for US "Masters of Brutality" dates announced as commencing in July. However, this trek would be postponed and the band instead hooked up with a package billing comprising CHIMAIRA, ALL THAT REMAINS and 3 INCHES OF BLOOD. European shows to close out the year saw British act MANTAS as openers.

A retrospective four CD box set, entitled 'A Decade In The Grave', saw release in late November. The compilation comprised two discs of archive album tracks, a 21 track live DVD and rare sessions from demos dating back to 1985 plus rehearsal recordings. The band put in an extensive European tour in October 2005 packaged with KAT, BORN FROM PAIN and DEBAUCHERY across France, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Holland, Belgium and Germany.

In November Chris Barnes announced that he was to session lead vocals on the 'Swarm!' album from Finnish Death Metal band TORTURE KILLER, released in February 2006 through Metal Blade Records. US dates for September and October 2006 saw the band hooking up with KRISIUN, DECAPITATED and ABYSMAL DAWN. Live work in December across Europe was to see the band joining up with DARZAMAT, GOREFEST, BELPHEGOR and KRISIUN for the 'X-Mass' festivals. However, the group pulled out of these concerts.

A fresh album, entitled 'Commandment', emerged in April 2007 issue through Metal Blade. SIX FEET UNDER performed at Gasoline Alley in Largo, Florida on 31st October 2008, the band's only U.S. appearance of the year. The album 'Death Rituals' followed with an 11th November release on Metal Blade Records. 

In July 2009 SIX FEET UNDER entered the studio to begin recording 'Graveyard Classics 3'.