Former Cannibal Corpse and current Six Feet Under vocalist Chris Barnes recently discussed whether he would accept performing with Cannibal Corpse again if the band was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He explained why his former bandmates wouldn’t want to work with him again in an interview with Loaded Radio.
Barnes addressed the hypothetical scenario of a potential reunion performance and revealed his perspective on the ongoing tensions with his former band.
“Oh, yeah. I’ve always been ready to do that. They wouldn’t do that, though, because that’s just how they are,” Barnes said. “I mean, they wouldn’t ask me and Jack [Owen, former Cannibal Corpse and current Six Feet Under guitarist] to go up on stage with them at all.”
“They wouldn’t. It wouldn’t happen. They would exclude us from it. And they might invite us up on stage with them, but they would never want me and Jack to play a song with them or anything like that.”
Barnes went on to explain what he believes motivates his former bandmates’ reluctance to work with him.
“I think it’s a part of they don’t like me and they also feel… Not to be boastful or conceited at all — I’m just being truthful — they feel threatened by my presence as far as a vocalist and my contribution to the band,” he continued. “They’ve always tried to marginalize that. They’ve always tried to ignore it, and they’ve always just not been very kind to me as far as that has gone, because my contribution to the band has always been a shadow to what they’ve tried to keep going and take on themselves.”
The vocalist reflected on his departure from Cannibal Corpse and how it ultimately benefited his career.
“And that’s what they wanted to do. That’s why I was fired from the band, which I’m fine with. I’ve never had a problem with that. I’ve never been bitter about that at all,” Barnes said. “I’ve just stated my story and the facts that I know, and I’ve always said it, that the greatest blessing that’s come my way has been Six Feet Under and my putting this band together because it was my way out of that band, ’cause I wasn’t happy being in that band at a pretty early point.”
“Six Feet Under was the best thing that ever happened to me. Getting kicked out of Cannibal Corpse was really — it was awesome when that happened. And Alex [Webster, Cannibal Corpse bassist] will even tell you, when he called me up to tell me that I was out of the band, I kind of laughed a little bit. I was, like, ‘That’s awesome. Thank you,’ basically.”
Barnes’ comments shed light on a long-standing rift that dates back to his departure from the influential death metal band nearly three decades ago.
Music Connection Magazine reported that Barnes co-founded Cannibal Corpse and served as their vocalist from 1988 until his departure in 1995. He contributed lyrics and vocals to their first four albums: Eaten Back to Life (1990), Butchered at Birth (1991), Tomb of the Mutilated (1992), and The Bleeding (1994). His tenure with the band established him as one of the pioneering voices in death metal, helping to shape the genre’s brutal vocal style and lyrical themes.
The circumstances surrounding Barnes’ exit from Cannibal Corpse were marked by creative tensions and personal conflicts. Arrow Lords of Metal noted that Barnes left amid tensions during the recording of The Bleeding. He cited creative differences, personal ridicule from bandmates, and discomfort in the studio environment. Rather than attempting to resolve these issues, Barnes prioritized touring with his side project Six Feet Under, a decision he has consistently described as the best of his career.
Barnes had already begun laying the groundwork for his post-Cannibal Corpse career before his official departure. Music Connection Magazine revealed that he formed Six Feet Under in 1993 as a side project with Cannibal Corpse guitarist Jack Owen and other musicians. The band released their debut album Haunted in 1995. The band has since released over 14 albums, including recent releases like Killing for Revenge (2023) and Torment, maintaining Barnes’ signature death metal style while allowing him creative freedom that he felt was lacking in his previous band.
Following Barnes’ departure, Cannibal Corpse replaced him with George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, who continues to serve as the band’s vocalist today. The band has maintained its status as one of death metal’s most influential acts. However, the relationship between Barnes and his former bandmates has remained strained, as evidenced by his recent comments about their unwillingness to collaborate even in hypothetical scenarios.
