Down
Down IV - The Purple EP

Interesting operation. The Down, five years after that "Over The Under" which saw the American group distance themselves from their sludge origins in favor of a more old-style and dusty sound (more interesting on paper than to the ear), release the first of four EPs of unreleased material. Initially, the maneuver might have sounded "jarring" to the ears of the writer, but the facts partially dispel the doubts: this "The Purple EP" presents the notable proposal of half an hour of music spread over 6 pieces drenched in primordial doom, a direct descendant of Saint Vitus and similar amenities. Doom Made In USA, so no Albion refinements or carbon-copy Shakespearean citations.

The quality of the pieces oscillates between dignified and good, and increases as the minutes progress: if the opener and "Witchtripper" propose a rocking and vaguely drugged sludge, the best tracks turn out to be "Open Coffins" and, above all, the excellent "Misfortune Teller", more rhythmically sustained and with Anselmo in great form. Okay, the frontman's vocals are irreparably compromised by vices and age, yet they function well with the "redneck" feeling that hovers among the tracks.

Chunky distortions, valve hums, weed, occultism from a c-grade movie. Is there need for more?

PS: if anyone is interested, ex-Pantera Rex Brown has been replaced on bass by someone else whose name I can’t recall (better than the previous one). Amen.