Six Feet Under's newest album, "Death Rituals" sold 2,300 copies in the US following it's release, in a week. That puts them on the Neilson Soundscan chart as number 14 for up-and-coming artists. This sucks.

Six Feet Under is not an "up-and-coming" artist. They've been around for years. They're arguably one of the larger names in Death Metal. Death Metal isn't known for it's apathetic following. Odds are, the majority of folks who were going to buy the album at all, already bought it.

Well, I guess that means there's 2,300 Six Feet Under fans out there. That's a damn shame. Six Feet Under doesn't do a lot of the more popular cliches of metal. They're a 4/4 band that sticks to old school riffs. They stick to a groove, which you'd think would make them more popular among folks.

So, why doesn't that sell more albums? 

Don't get me wrong. Death Metal shouldn't be a genre selling millions of copies of albums (For that matter, even hundreds of thousands). But 2,300 for one of the largest in the genre? 

Here's the sticking point:

People who want to hear vocals like Chris Barnes', don't want to hear a band that plays 4/4 beats. Those folks demand, at minimum, songs at +200bpm. That's awesome some times, but all of the time?

When I hang out with friends who listen to mainstream stuff, the most common question I hear is: "What do you listen to to chill out?". My response to them, is always the same stuff. When I'm mellow, I listen to old school Megadeth, Mastadon, Nevermore, Testament, Type O Negative, and Six Feet Under. There's usually a song or two from some usually heavier bands that get mixed in there ("Infinite Misery" and "From Skin to Liquid" are always in the mix), but generally speaking, those are bands I can "chill" to.

For fans of Florida Death Metal, I owe you a warning: This music will only last as long as we support it. I know there are a lot more than 2,300 of you that like Six Feet Under. Do yourselves, and them a favor; pick up the album. Damn.