Down

I've liked Down for a few years now, but any time I try to talk to someone else about them, they've never heard of them. That seems to be changing a little now with the release of their latest album, due to the fact that they're getting more coverage in the media. But still, for a band fronted by ex-Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo and including members of Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar and Eyehategod, all big bands in their own right, Down are relatively unknown.

Down released their first record NOLA in 1995 and consist of Phil Anselmo on vocals, Rex Brown on bass (both of Pantera fame), Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity) and Kirk Windstein (Crowbar) on guitars, and Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod) on drums. In the beginning, the band was just a side project, and this was not actually the original line-up, Rex and Kirk only joining later on. NOLA was followed up in 2002 with Down II: A Bustle in your Hedgerow. Marking a very different stage in the band's development, the whole tone of the album was less frantic and more contemplative that the first, while retaining Down's characteristic southern grind. Following this, the band once again went on hiatus until 2007 when they released Over the Under, unveiling a whole new kind of Down. Drawing heavily on experiences relating to Hurricance Katrina, Anselmo's lyrics were some of his most interesting and engaging ever, while the overall texture of the music became bigger, more layered and much more powerful. As of right now, Down IV is apparently in the works in some form or another, and will apparently be a return to a more NOLA-esque sound.

The whole point of this half-assed review is to encourage anyone who might happen to read this to give Down a listen. You won't be disappointed. If you are, you and I obviously have very different tastes in music, in that yours is shit, and mine is sublime. The link below will take you to a video of one of their best songs. Go, watch!

Stone the Crow