REX BROWN: Why I Quit DOWN

Metal Maiden conducted an interview with KILL DEVIL HILL the band featuring Vinny Appice (HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, DIO) on drums, Rex Brown (DOWN, PANTERA) on bass, Mark Zavon (RATT, W.A.S.P., 40 CYCLE HUM) on guitar and Jason "Dewey" Bragg (PISSING RAZORS) on vocals on October 4 in Morgantown, West Virginia. You can now watch the chat below.

Commenting on his departure from DOWN and decision to focus on KILL DEVIL HILL, Brown said, "I was playing with DOWN a whole bit and I just kind of got tired of the You know, Philip [Anselmo, DOWN/ex-PANTERA singer] and I had been together 23 years. And when I first met these guys [the rest of KILL DEVIL HILL] in January of this year, when I walked in and we played in the rehearsal room, it just clicked. The chemistry and everything that went along with it I mean, it's so easy to say that, but really I just said, 'To hell with it. This is what I wanna do.' . . . I didn't make an announcement at all [that I was leaving DOWN]; I just quit."

During an April 2011 interview with High Times, Anselmo said that that since he underwent surgery in 2005 to repair several damaged disks in his back, he's helped many friends get clean and that he has about a 50 precent success rate in getting them sober. One person that he said he couldn't seem to help was Brown, who in 2009 was diagnosed with pancreatitis, a sudden inflammation of the pancreas which can have severe complications and high mortality despite treatment. "That's the only rift between me and Rex; other than that, we're fucking best friends," Anselmo said. "He just can't stop fucking drinking."

He added, "I've tried. I gave it my all and I love Rex Brown with all of my fucking heart and soul. But, goddamnit, he will not put down that fucking bottle for any of us. He is, and has been told, he is going to die. I'm gonna tell you this: He's not gonna die on my time, because he ain't drinking around 'The Kid.' Straight up. And that means he can't be around right now, 'cause he's fucking drinking. And that's that. That's that fucking story in a nutshell."

Brown's replacement in DOWN is Patrick Bruders, who is also a member of the New Orleans sludge metal legends CROWBAR alongside DOWN guitarist Kirk Windstein.

KILL DEVIL HILL recently inked a deal with SPV/Steamhammer. The group's debut album is tentatively scheduled for a March 2012 release. The as-yet-untitled effort is being produced by Warren Riker, who is best known for his work with DOWN, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, SUBLIME and CATHEDRAL.