DOWN Reunion Caused By WITCHCRAFT

October 19, 2007

Chris Harris and Jon Wiederhorn of MTV.com report: While they may not be terribly well-known in North America, former NORRSKEN guitarist Magnus Pelander and his bandmates in WITCHCRAFT are owed a debt of gratitude by DOWN fans the world over. After all, the Swedish sludge-rockers are largely responsible for getting DOWN back together.

Sound strange? Well, it isn't. Long before DOWN began writing material for this year's "Over the Under", frontman Phil Anselmo got a hold of one of WITCHCRAFT's LPs and instantly fell in love with the band — so much so, in fact, that it inspired him to show up, unannounced, on DOWN guitarist Pepper Keenan's doorstep after a long silence. Anselmo wanted to introduce Keenan to his "new favorite band" and, through an impromptu listening session, the pair's relationship was rekindled — and DOWN were resurrected.

Pelander's not quite ready to take credit for DOWN's revival, but he certainly appreciates Anselmo's endorsement.

"I found out a couple of years ago, and it was mind-blowing to hear that," the singer/guitarist said. "I remember hearing the rumor that we were one of Phil's favorite bands, and I was like, 'What?' He's a metal icon, and I have nothing but respect [for] all those guys. We actually met Phil and Pepper twice, once when we were touring the U.S., and Phil's been talking about us in interviews — and that's really nice."

Read the entire article at MTV.com.

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