It has been almost exactly two years since heavy metal super group
Down released their third
album, Down III: Over the Under.
Since then, then band has been on
a whirlwind of non-stop touring
that has turned this one-time side project
into one of the most formidable
heavy metal bands on the
planet.
On Sept. 12, 2009, Down rolled
in into Philadelphia’s Electric Factory
for their first show in the city
of Brotherly Love since long before
the release of Over the Under.
The show proved to be well worth
the wait.
Moving through their set list
much like a well-oiled machine,
the New Orleans-based quintet
treated the crowd to a variety of
their classics as well as tracks
from their most recent offering.
Included in the set, from the
band’s first album, Nola, “Lifer”
was – as it always is – dedicated to
deceased Pantera guitarist Dimebag
Darrell Abbott. Abbott was
the creative catalyst in Pantera
along with brother Vinnie Paul
and current Down members Rex
Brown and Phillip Anselmo.
Their current tour has represented
a turning point in the
band’s history. Down has ceased
to be a side project for a handful
of friends from New Orleans and
has morphed into the members’
primary focus and one of heavy
metal royalty.
Touring recently withMetallica,
Heaven and Hell and Megadeth
has been a sort of inauguration, an
entrance into the hierarchy of rock
music’s most selective and loyal
fan base.
However, Down has not experienced
any sort of overnight success.
This is the culmination of 17
years of writing, recording and
touring; all while juggling priorities
with their own, now former,
full-time bands.
Originally composed of Pantera
front-man Anselmo, Corrosion of
Conformity guitarist Pepper
Keenan, Crowbar guitarist Kirk
Windstein, bassist Todd Strange
and Eyehategod drummer Jimmy
Bower, in 1992 the band began
circulating a three-song EP without
disclosing the identity of the
band members.
The secret was eventually revealed
and, in 1995, the band released
its debut album Nola. The
record received rave reviews from
the music world. Down supported
the album with a small tour and
then vanished, returning to their
full-time bands.
In 2002 Down returned with
Down II: A Bustle in Your
Hedgerow, this time with Pantera
bassist Rex Brown replacing
Strange. Critics claiming it did
not live up to the standards set by
Nola panned the album.
However, Down II afforded
the band the opportunity
to join the Ozzfest
tour, organized by former
Black Sabbath front-man
Ozzy Osbourne. Shortly thereafter, the band
again disappeared.The several years following the release of and tour for
Down II was tumultuous for Anselmo.
In December of 2004 he had to deal with the murder of former band-mate Dimebag Darrell -who was shot by a deranged fan at
point blank range while on stage
performing with his band
Damageplan.Anselmo also underwent significant back surgery and began his road back from drug addiction.

The Phillip Anselmo that reappeared with Down III was a rejuvenated one.

The album has been praised as their best.
“For almost an hour, it’s like the metal world was set right again,” was
the quote from Decibel
Magazine’s Kirk Miller. And he
was right.
The album sounds as if it was
40 stories tall and Anselmo
sounds better than he has since
the early 1990s. The record is
heavy while both melodic and infectious
and it’s got a nearly obscene
amount of guitar on it. It
sounds as if God was fed up with
inferior metal and has directed the
full force of his wrath to correct
years of sonic injustices.
Anselmo’s lyrics give
the album an intensely personal
aspect by tackling subjects
such as the death of
Dimebag, the animosity between
the he and the guitarist, the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
and his long road back from drug
addiction.
The bar set in 1995 by songs
like “Stone the Crow,” “Temptations
Wings” and “Eyes of the
South” have not only been met,
but blown away by tracks such as
“On March the Saints,” “Three
Suns and One Star” and the nine minute
epic “Walk Away.” This
album has morphed a sludgy,
southern side project into one of
the world’s most loved and respected
heavy metal bands.
Now awaiting the anticipated
arrival of the upcoming Down IV,
fans of this true super-group have
years and years of this band to
look forward to.