DOWN Drummer Says New EP Is 'Really Aggressive And Raw'

DOWN, the acclaimed New Orleans band which features in its ranks CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan, drummer Jimmy Bower (EYEHATEGOD, SUPERJOINT RITUAL guitarist),bassist Patrick Bruders (CROWBAR),guitarist Kirk Windstein (CROWBAR),and vocalist Philip Anselmo (SUPERJOINT RITUAL, PANTERA) — entered the studio in October to begin recording the first in a series of four EPs, to be released over the next few years (with a year between EPs),each touching on a different aspect of the band's sound.

The first six-song EP, which heralds the sound of DOWN going back to its roots, with influences from BLACK SABBATH, SAINT VITUS and WITCHFINDER GENERAL, is described by Anselmo as "a very pure doom metal record."

The track listing for the effort is as follows (in no particular order):

01. Levitation
02. Witchtripper
03. The Misfortune Teller
04. The Curse Is A Lie
05. Open Coffins
06. This Work Is Timeless

Speaking to Jerel Johnson of Target Audience this past week, Bower stated about DOWN's new EP, "We finished last night [February 9 at time of interview] with the mixing and everything. So, all we have to do now is get it mastered and the artwork is all done. So I think maybe early May. It takes a while to get everything together; it took us a little longer with the recording process so it's done. We finished it last night. It sounds killer."

He added, "We went for a really raw sound and went back to [the sound of the first DOWN album] 'Nola'. The songs are really SABBATH-ed-out. I'm really happy the way it came out. It's really aggressive and raw. All them rock n' roll adjectives in there, bro. It's doomy!"

He continued, "The idea is we're doing four EPs and the first one is pretty much cut-throat. The third one is supposed to be the acoustic one. But we're releasing four EPs within the next year and a half. They all coincide with one theme. Like the artwork and everything. It's like a big story. . . It was recorded at the Lair again (Anselmo's his barn studio, Nodferatu's Lair. The studio's name is a play on classic horror film vampire Nosferatu, altered to reflect certain musicians' tendency to nod off.),the same place we did 'Down II' and recorded it at a New Orleans studio. The last record, 'Over The Under', we recorded in L.A. because a lot of the studios weren't up and running after Katrina. So it was really nice to stay home and have that New Orleans vibe in the record to as well. Makes a difference, man."

When asked if there are any songs on the new EP that stand out, Bower said, "'Witchtripper'. It sounds like DOWN, and I'm really excited about it. I'm more excited about it than 'Over The Under'. 'Over The Under' was a great record, but I think the production was a little too much, and this takes us back to the raw roots and the songs are good. But 'Witchtripper' is my favorite one. We were in Spain for a festival, and walking around and we kept seeing rocks on people's doors. We were like, 'Dude, it must be to trip a witch.' At first, it seemed kind of silly, but once we wrote the song and lyrics — Philip wrote the lyrics — it was really cool. Hopefully we'll make a video for it, too."

Read the entire interview from Target Audience.

Photo credit: Kate Richardson