It's been 5 years since 2007's Down III: Over the Under, the lumbering Southern stoner-doom gem unleashed by the New Orleans supergroup known as Down, who are made up of Philip Anselmo, Pepper Keenan, Kirk Windstein, Pat Bruders, and Jimmy Bower. Their latest Down IV Part 1-The Purple EP offers up 6 songs and roughly 30 minutes of music, which compared to many metal acts these days is practically a full-length CD, but Down have a plan to release EP's when the need arises at this time, so hopefully this is the first of many to come in the near future from the band.
With a pedigree that includes bands like Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Eyehategod,and Crowbar, Down have consistently delivered top notch swamp ridden Southern sludgy stoner doom since their inception. The six songs on display here will certainly please ardent followers of the band, as they combine elements of Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Saint Vitus, Pentagram, and Trouble into a potent and crushing brew. Anselmo's bluesy drawl and violent roar mix perfectly on tracks like "The Curse is a Lie" and the pummeling "Witchtripper", while the guitar tandem of Keenan & Windstein toss in a wide assortment of Southern fried doom riffs that could have easily come off of Master of Reality or Volume 4 sessions by the mighty Black Sabbath. I dare any true metalhead to not get your fist pumping and your neck snapping at the chugging riffs of "This Work is Timeless" or the brontosaurus stomp of the crushing "Misfortune Teller". Vintage Down all the way!
To be honest, I've had a major soft spot for these guys since the beginning, and Down IV Part 1-The Purple EP does not disappoint one bit. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for a follow-up to this one, as I'm sure most Down fanatics are loving these songs and salivating for more.
Track Listing
1) Levitation
2) Witchtripper
3) Open Coffin
4) The Curse is a Lie
5) This Work is Timeless
6) Misfortune Teller
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