Down

The Profile

Down are an American heavy metal supergroup formed in New Orleans in 1991 by Phil Anselmo, Pepper Keenan, Kirk Windstein and Jimmy Bower, with bassist Todd Strange; subsequent eras featured Rex Brown and later Patrick Bruders on bass.

Members are known from Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar and Eyehategod. Core releases include NOLA (1995), Down II (2002), Down III: Over the Under (2007) and the Down IV EPs (2012, 2014). Signature songs include Stone the Crow and Bury Me in Smoke.

DeBaser’s reviews paint Down as a New Orleans heavy metal supergroup fusing sludge, doom and southern grit. NOLA, Down II and Over the Under get strong praise for seismic riffs and Anselmo’s bruised-yet-commanding vocals. The Purple EP leans hard into USA doom. There’s a raucous 2008 Bologna live account with Metallica in the mix. A couple of dissenting takes aside, the consensus is loud and warm.