Pepper Keenan Touring and Recording With Corrosion of Conformity

Posted on January 15, 2015 by newsteam

Pepper Keenan

Pepper Keenan (of Down) will be touring for the first time since 2006 and recording with Corrosion of Conformity once again, but clarified that he has not left Down. They stated:

“It’s official. Down guitarist Pepper Keenan will be returning to Corrosion of Conformity for a tour of the UK and most likely more. Pepper has not left Down by any stretch. Don’t worry about that. Stay tuned to the Corrosion Of Conformity Facebook for updates!”

He will be recording a new album with them, due out later in 2015, as well as taking part on their UK tour in March.

Mar 07: Academy 2 – Manchester, UK
Mar 08: Garage – Glasgow, UK
Mar 09: Rescue Rooms – Nottingham, UK
Mar 11: Bierkeller – Bristol, UK
Mar 12: Arts Centre – Colchester, UK
Mar 13: Electric Ballroom – London, UK

Big Ears – Mike Dean of Corrosion of Conformity

Posted on September 4, 2014 by News Team

Corrosion of Conformity have a great new album out, entitled IX (Candlelight). Still a trio, I had the pleasure of interviewing the very cool Mike Dean about this latest killer release, which is chock-full of southern-fried grooves, a touch of punk and the tasty riffage COC is known for. After exchanging pleasantries, we got right down to business…

I loved the last record (Corrosion of Conformity, Candlelight, 2012), but I’m digging this one (IX)a lot more. How do you feel this release compares?

“I like it a little more myself. I think one the things that differentiate this one from the self-titled – which I’m proud of – is the fact that we dusted off that trio lineup and put in it in effect around the same time as the record so we hadn’t really…owned our identity as three-piece in this era. It took a lot of going out and playing in front of a lot of people to sort of develop that. So the whole ‘identity’ factor, was one, and the other factor was our experience with the self-titled. At that time, we got on a plane, we flew to California, we made a record at a far away studio, and we didn’t actually have all of our equipment, so we just looked around for what we could find, and we utilized that, and it was kinda challenging, but the short version of it is we didn’t really get a sound that reflected what typifies what we do together. So when we made this record we took the approach of capturing that.”

So then there was a bit of…not finding your feet, so to speak, because obviously you guys have been playing together forever, but getting that comfort level back, plus not having your own equipment, being away from home…

“Yeah, it just made us hungry to sort of, say, yeah, let’s get Woody Weatherman’s entire battle-rig, his entire guitar set up, and let’s find a place to put some microphones in front of it so it’s like being there, and in terms of the drums, let’s document Reed Mullin and his 30-something-year-old drumkit he’s had since before he could legally drive and really capture that, and it interacting with the room and the acoustic space.”

What is your favorite track on the record?

“I have to say…it’s kind of a toss-up…today, I’m gonna have to say…’Brand New Sleep’. It wasn’t supposed to be on the record. You know, you write 14 or 15 in order to get 10, so I think those guys didn’t think we were recording it for the record, and they were just having fun, and didn’t even know we were getting a take, it was a real casual run through. So they were a little surprised when I put a vocal on it and it ended up as the lead-off track on the album.”

There is definitely an almost funky vibe in some spots on this one. Was there anything in particular that lent to the groove, or was it just getting even more reacquainted writing and playing as trio again?

“Well, ya know, we’ve got big ears, we listen to a lot of different stuff. Rhythmically, Reed Mullin has a lot of tricks that he does. The inspiration for some of the funkier parts would be ZZ Top, stuff like that. Even the jazzier elements like what Bill Ward would bring to the table. There are a number of moments that are in reverence to Black Sabbath, it’s all over certain songs, like ‘Elphyn’…we just listen to a lot of music, and I think it’s kinda fun to do that in heavier music, because it’s not often used to good effect, in that there may be a kind of stiff, Hip-Hop, type of mechanized mall-Metal version. so it’s fun to do that in a more organic, heavy fashion.”

Obviously you guys can go through styles very easily, you’ve pretty much covered it all. When you say Sabbath, the eleventh track (‘The Nectar Reprised’)…that is SOOO Sabbath! The first track of it was it’s own thing, but the reprise you went all out with the Sabbath

“Yeah, there is a particular lick, it’s not anything verbatim, but I know what your mean!”

Can you give us any info on the upcoming video for ‘On Your Way’? Did you choose this song, or the the label decide to use it?

“We had a little talk, and we told them four songs that we were okay with making a video for and that happened to be one of them. Ya know, they do whatever scientific process of deciding what they’re going to invest their dollars in, and it happened to be ‘On Your Way’ which is fine because that was one of the tracks we were okay with. I don’t quite know what the process is.”

Well, at least you had some say in it…I know some labels are like, “here is the single for the video, go here and film it”…

“Yeah, and moreso in the past, when there was just more money at stake in general with music, but now it’s a smaller part of the economy, and it’s more a kind of informal thing.”

Which leads me to the next question, you guys have been around long enough to remember when a video was the big thing to do…how do you feel about even doing a video now having seen the video golden age come and go?

“Well..I don’t know if we saw the Golden Age…you saw the age where there was gold in a video because there was a big time expensive TV airtime (for them) and a lot of eyes on it so I guess that was the Golden Age. I don’t think it was the Golden Age of artistic content I mean, some of the music would be good, but we all know that the video essentially was at that time a TV commercial for a song, and now an Internet commercial for a song, and the people that directed them, you know we were lucky to get something that was non-formulaic or interesting into it. We’re hoping this one turns out a little difference. Yeah, I think it’s a good thing to shoot for, uh, a lot of times I wish I had an idea sooner of whether or not there was going to be a video so we could prepare for it and really do something special with all that kind of rush. But right now, the director is doing some raw footage down in Louisiana and told him I wasn’t worried about it, but I am a little worried about it. (laughs)”

So…it’s kind of a surprise; you did your footage and not you have no idea what he’s doing right now?

“Well, we kinda have an idea because we all came up with the concept together, but in speaking conceptually and writing a little description in an email and talking about it is a whole lot different than actually putting it together and putting in context. So, uh, yeah, I’m just preparing my, “Okay, well, we could change this type of uh…” tactful, helpful voice, steering it in the direction it was originally intended. It’s all just conceptual words on paper, but as far someone actually get all of that footage, combine it and get a look…but I trust the guy, I like his stuff. I like his work. He was able to work with Pepper Keenan, who can be super – when it comes to aesthetic things – he can be super controlling or at least super involved, and he was able to come out on the other side of that successfully, so that’s a good thing.”

Because of outside projects, I heard the recording for IX was a bit disjointed. What was the time frame between when you guys started working on songs and when you finally all hit the studio for real?

“The whole thing – songwriting, making the demo and doing some basic tracks, doing some overdubs, and finally finishing some vocals, and mixing and getting it to mastering, took about a year, but it really only took about 9 weeks of work. There were a couple of COC tours in there, and Reed Mullin was off working on the Teenage Time Killers.”

…And you were doing the Vista Chino tour, correct?

“Yeah, I did a couple of Vista Chino tours, a little recording and this and that…”

Was it hard to get into the groove so to speak, or were you and Reed able to just jump right into it?

“Nah, it was kind of welcome, it wasn’t long enough to where we had forgotten anything by any means, or it was unfamiliar. But after the time away, it was a welcome thing. You know, sometimes you can really get stuck on a piece of music, and you’re focusing on individual grains of sand instead of stepping back and looking at the beautiful beach. I think it actually helped the process. There was kinda of a point at the end there where we felt like we were up against the gun, and we really needed to adhere to some deadlines, and that can go good or bad, but I think it kind of helped us to just get the job done. The one thing I really don’t like in a lot of contemporary music is the fact that people will mess with it endlessly, and they will strive to make it perfect, whether it is the good ol’ fashioned, honest method of, “do it again, do it again”, or the contemporary, “I have a computer, I can do anything” in either case, to me, a lot of those performances that are achieved like that, you kind of smell a rat, even if they’re good musicians, it lacks the immediacy and the cohesiveness of some competent people that got almost perfect but not quite perfect. It needs the human element for me to enjoy it. Which doesn’t mean it has to be sloppy, or anything like that…”

COC’s records are never over-produced, never overly processed; they have that great live swing to them. Is that always the goal, or that’s just how it works out between you guys and (producer) John Custer?

“Well, I think originally when those guys started working with Custer while I was out of the band, it kind of went from, “what will these poor dudes are gonna do without me, man?” until a record called Blind (Relativity) come out, it’s just super musical and super kick-ass…I think that one, there was an emphasis of taking that idea of perfection almost as far as you can take it before you smell a rat or before you suck the life out of something but stopping way short of it. From what I told, now that I’m one of the engineers, and I know the guys in the back, it was a pretty exhausting process. At that point, those guys and Custer working together, they were really trying to make a statement and really make a tight, tight, tight, record. And it worked. From then on, all of us, and Custer in particular, he’s going for the performance. He has the ear for the performance, having a little something special about it, less on the technicality. There is a bare minimum of technicality, and he’s helping us with quality control and all that, but I find that his suggestions are…they’re fewer and farther between, but they’re just more…dead on. Everybody’s taste on that kind of thing has been pretty much in sync, there’s no telling how far we’ll take that aspect the next time just to see how it feels…it’s kind of what the material dictates to.”

Well, it is definitely refreshing to hear that “live” quality when everything is so overproduced and all of the souls is sucked out of it.

“Yeah, especially in the world of Metal when everything it gets, super-mechanized and all the drums are triggered. You, know you don’t even hear a drum set, you don’t hear a drum kit, it’s not like a unified thing, with a common ambiance, it’s more of a collection of drums that are all carved up to be individually controllable. That can be impressive in small doses, and it’s impressive that technology has made it a possibility.”

Certain bands do call for it, I mean, I can’t see a band like Fear Factory doing what you guys do. Certain bands call for that sort of thing. The downside is that you couldn’t hear the bass player, so it’s nice that a lot of newer recordings are getting off of that, and bringing back live sounds and bringing the bass back up. Which I’m sure you appreciate!

“Yeah, yeah, I do mixes for people and I have been accused of burying the bass a little bit, particularly if it’s my own, sometimes you have to step back and listen to the whole picture.”

I’m a fan of all of C.O.C.’s incarnations, but I’ve noticed that as a trio you never do any Pepper (Keenan) songs live. Is that a respect thing, or is it that you want to be true to the current lineup? What about singing ‘Damned for All Time‘, I think you would sound awesome on that!

“That would be challenging, man, that’s a serious Karl (Agell) groove! That’s Karl in full, almost Ian Gillan-eque mode. I guess, basically a lot of those songs, Pepper songs, Karl songs, it’s just…I don’t know if I would wanna hear someone else sing those. You kinds what…it is kind of a respect thing. I mean, respect for the original creator and singer, even more respect for the audience you don’t wanna try to…you know, sometimes these bands are like an ongoing circus they bring in members, then they kick ’em out, and live they try to grind out the hits, or whatever, but it’s not quite the same, you know, someone else besides Ian Gillan singing ‘Highway Star’”

Some people are happy being hoodwinked like that, and are upset that you don’t, but I think a slight majority appreciate it.

“One of the reasons we started off doing an original band is ‘cos we were hardcore punk, then we started putting in new influences, crossover, you know, whatever you wanna call it, the fact it, we couldn’t be in a cover band because we would mess up somebody’s song that was familiar to people, and they would call, “bullshit, you played it wrong!”, but when you create your own music there is no wrong, because it’s your own. So that’s how we started out, and years and years later now you have the pull of playing someone else’s material, that I was familiar with as a listener and give it the attention that it’s due, it’s real outside of my comfort zone, and kind of a challenge but it was a cool thing to do, and I enjoyed jamming with that.”

COC on Facebook

LIVE PHOTOS BY CURTISS DUNLAP PHOTOGRAPHY

LYNN JORDAN

Bloodstock Open Air Festival 2014: Part II, South Derbyshire, UK

Posted on August 18, 2014 by News Team

Saturday

Bright sunshine and lots of happy greet Evil Scarecrow who have become something of the house band at Bloodstock. What is there not to love about watching 15,000 metal heads moving crab-like across a field during the brilliant ‘Crabulon’? ‘Robototron’ is equally brilliant with two robots appearing out of fake Marshall stacks at the rear of the stage. Gloriously silly.

Over on the second stage, Essex’s The King is Blind are throwing down the proverbial gauntlet with their delicious blend of doom and black metal underpinned by a groove and drive that recalls Corrosion of Conformity. Lead singer Steve Tovey cuts an imposing, belligerent presence, driving his band mates on. The drive and ambition is self-evident as is the quality of the songs from start to over far too sudden end.

Back at the main stage, transport problems means that half of the gear belonging to Shining is still in Frankfurt. They still put in an infectious and beguiling show of their self-monikered black jazz shtick that, in the wrong hands would be arch and hard work but with these guys it seems the most natural thing in the world.

“We’ve been trying to book these guys for years” snarls the announcer for Poland’s Decapitated. Decapitated might be described as a death metal band but their technical brilliance, creativity and sheer dynamism means that they are much more than just a “death metal band”. Stunning.

Crowbar are just unremitting. There is no light in their darkness, only gloom. Riff after riff this is heavy metal as fine wine. Complex, dark, intense. There is much to admire here just don’t expect there to be any let up in the heaviness delivered by Mr Windstein and co. You will only get one response to any plaintive cries for levity- more riffs.

Children of Bodom have become a staple of Bloodstock but showboating and overt reliance on sweep picking marks them as just a show pony. ‘Hate Me’ and ‘Silent Night, Bodom Night’ are decent, but the later material such the mid tempo ‘Transference’ is truly dire. If these Finns want to reaffirm their place in the scene they need to return to the aggression of their early work and rein in the Yngwie Malmsteen indulgence before they become more indulgent and pretentious.

Suffering from a poor sound mix with more backing tapes filling in for the lack of a second guitarist Lacuna Coil fail to give a great account of themselves. Sure ‘Nothing Stands In Our Way’ from recent Broken Crown Halo (Century Media) opus gets a good response but without the vocal talents and presence of Cristina Scabbia, LC this performance would have been a write off.

Jeff Walker’s sardonic wit has served Carcass well over the years. Walker cracks wise about Emperor Sticksman Faust although while dedicating a song to the late Sophie Lancaster. A fall falling halts proceedings for a new minutes but this does little to derail the grizzly exhumation of cuts like ‘Unfit For Human Consumption’ and a stirring ‘Heartwork’.

Emperor deliver an exemplary performance. Clearly the main draw of the day: the anticipation and sense of this being “a moment” is palpable. They are raw, passionate, terrifying and utterly astonishing. A main set list of ‘In the Nightside Eclipse’ which many will regard as their masterpiece was delivered with an absurd level of dynamism. Despite being twenty years old the material still feel incredibly vital. Some may bemoan the lack of corpsepaint the band employed back in the nineties, but such trappings would be unnecessary. ‘Cosmic Keys to My Creation and Times’ and ‘I Am the Black Wizards’ are awe-inspiring, draped in drama and magnificence. An epic performance few acts could hope to emulate.

Sunday

The magnificent medieval metal of Haerken is cut from a similar cloth to Amon Amarth with Scottish folkloric tradition replacing tales of Viking daring. A cunning and clever trick of throwing two dozen inflatable swords into the audience only warms the audience to the band even more.

Having carved a mean reputation for aural depravity, Aborted are a sadistic lesson in violence. Schizophrenic breakdowns and hyper-speed blastbeats are delivered with ridiculous facial expressions which suggest the Belgians realise how such insane outbursts can be highly entertaining.

Dutch symphonic metallers Revamp begin during torrential rain yet the dynamic performance of front woman Floor Jansen is anything but damp. Demonstrating just why Tuomas Holopainen choose her to front Nightwish, Jansen has an innate charisma not to mention a vocal range many would kill for. ‘Of Wolf And Dog’ brings the set to a triumphant close which even the sun has returned to witness.

Since Evan Seinfeld decided to swap hardcore music for hardcore adult movies there has been something lacking about Biohazard. Billy Graziadei leads the band into battle but much of the danger factor seems to have left the veteran New Yorkers. At least the band can muster response on tracks like ‘Tales From The Hardside’ and ‘Punishment’, the latter of which sees the biggest stage invasion in Bloodstock history.

The unsettling and often disorientating music of Voices. Rising from the ashes of Akercocke this astonishing black metal act pulled off the trick of being deliberately obtuse yet strangely engaging at the same time. Their set veers, often weirdly, from beautiful black metal riffing to obtuse experimentation, often in the same song.

The offer of free beer is clearly too hard for the Bloodstock masses to pass up, so there is a packed tent for the old school thrash metal of Dublin’s Psykosis. This mob clearly fall into the thrash revival camp which is no bad thing and their straightforward, gutsy thrash metal is a veritable tonic in the New Blood tent. Psykosis do exactly what they say on their tin. Echoes of Acid Reign, early Nuclear Assault and Anthrax and you have a very tasty brew, thank you very much.

Avatar: I keep wondering whether the world needs another Marilyn Manson tribute act but it is fair to say that there are plenty here who not only think you do but actually have come with their faces made up like the band’s showman vocalist Johannes Eckerstrom who, to give him his due, works the stage like the madman he clearly is.

Belfast’s Stormzone are proper heavy metal. They hark back to a more innocent time of big riffs, big choruses and bigger hair and tales of being out on the highway and all that stuff. Lots of riffs, massive sings to get your teeth stuck into and the most effortlessly entertaining forty minutes of the weekend. It would be really easy to be cynical about Stormzone it would also be wrong. They make music that is life-affirming and music that puts a huge smile on your face. You cannot ask for any more than that.

Florida bruisers Obituary have many crushing numbers in their arsenal. Jon Tardy has a vicious snarl that could strip paint, but with the wind working against him, he is fighting an uphill battle. The ugly and unpretentious likes of Slowly We Rot still generate a more than healthy response from the audience. Over by the VIP bar groovy rockers Ten Foot Wizard put in their second shift of the weekend with a semi acoustic set of 70s inspired riffola which provides a nice foil to the bludgeoning Obituary delivered. Gary Harkin’s gruff yet soulful drawl marks these promising stoner rockers as ones to watch with their distinctly British flavour.

There have been millions of words written about Saxon; you know who they are and what they do. Saxon play heavy metal. Saxon have written a few classic albums and are part of heavy metal’s heritage. Yet tonight their performance was efficient but unspectacular.

The Sophie Lancaster stage has seen many fine performances but the appearance of Collibus was more than a bit special. Gemma Fox has grown into a fantastic front person to match her substantial vocal capabilities. Neither opting for growls nor overloading her performance with vibrato. It is near impossible to take your eyes away from this powerful dynamic performance.

Amon Amarth are just brilliant and should be Bloodstock headliners. A stage set of two smoke breathing twenty-foot high dragon’s heads that double as stage risers for the band, this is one of those laying down a marker for the future sets. Amon Amarth are getting themselves ready for the bigger leagues and the bigger stages and here is evidence of how they are going to do it. Amon Amarth bring fire, explosions, smoke and yet more flames. This is heavy metal at its most theatrical, it’s most absurd: some might argue, it’s most brilliant. What impresses most about Amon Amarth is the supreme effortlessness of it all. They have clearly been preparing for this slot for a while. That they could simply amble on and deliver a superb performance of collective will, artistry and intelligence without losing sight of the fact that they are OUR band, is testimony to their endeavour.

Orderingthe shutdown of all stalls playing music and demanding that second stage headliners Satan postpone their set till after his, it appears Dave Mustaine is on the warpath again. Tonight we see both the best and worst of Megadeth in equal measure. Hangar 18 and Sweating Bullets are killer cuts and we are largely spared material from disappointing Supercollider (Roadrunner) opus but Mega Dave’s voice sure isn’t what it used to be. While he can clearly shred with the best of them it is quite painful to hear him straining to hit certain notes.

Video clips from hit movies such as Wayne’s World are used between songs but while they provide light relief it seems sad Mustaine needs to rely on such gimmicks to improve this presentation.

A touching moment occurs when this Mustaine stops the show to invite a young boy to sit onstage presenting him with a plectrum in a touching fatherly gesture, reminding you that old flame locks can’t be all bad. Classics like ‘A Tout Le Monde’ and ‘Symphony Of Destruction’ are rapturously received which all goes to show that when he sticks to the task of being a musician rather than kicking up controversy old Dave is a good egg but quite how long he can sustain performing live is anyone’s guess.

REVIEW BY MAT DAVIES & ROSS BAKER

PHOTOS BY EMMA STONE PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOS OF EMPEROR AND MEGADETH BY RUDY DE DONCKER (Courtesy of BOA)

READ PART 1 OF OUR BOA COVERAGE

Bloodstock Open Air Festival 2014: Part I, South Derbyshire, UK

Posted on August 15, 2014 by News Team

Bloodstock has pretty much earned its spurs as the UK’s number one metal festival. Set on a lovely compact site at Catton park in South Derbyshire, England, 2014’s Bloodstock has plenty to offer even the most discerning metal die-hard you’d have been hard pushed to find something you didn’t fancy in this year’s line-up, if you like all things heavy and metal.

Friday

Friday’s line up has to blow the hangover cobwebs away and get the masses into the proverbial groove. Caps need to be doffed then for the excellent Bloodshot Dawn and their brilliantly crafted and executed technical death metal extravaganza on the main stage. Brutal, darkened melodies and a sense of urgency and pace that will have earned the band a large number of new fans as well as delighting the passionate throng of existing adherents to their cause as happy as the proverbial Larry. Over on the New Blood stage, No Sin Evades His Gaze are getting us quietly excited about their debut album which coincidentally has its release on the same day of their performance. They fall very neatly into the file marked “promising” and “ones to watch”.

Entombed A.D. deliver a solid, no messing about set of hardened, wizened death n roll metal which is fine as it goes but not exactly the most earth shattering performance from Lars Goran Petrov and his mates. Still they draw a large appreciative crowd.

A quick detour to the New Blood tent again to see Abhorrent Decimation. These guys are the most horrible, brutal and brilliant death metal band you are likely to come across this year. This was, simply put, a masterclass in how to pummel your audience into submission. Tighter than the chuff of a gnat they understand that the audience comes to be entertained as well as beaten up. Pure masochistic pleasure and utter brilliance.

History has not been fair to Flotsam and Jetsam. Unfairly maligned as the band that Jason Newsted used to be in before joining THAT band, the real truth of the matter is that this is a truly excellent thrash metal band and they set about reaffirming this with resilience, gusto and no small amount of flair. If there were medals for writing anthems then Flotsam and Jetsam would have a chest load of them. Enormous, fist pumping fun.

New York City’s Prong arrive on the main stage and it is like the return of a long lost friend. Riffs that James Hetfield would give his tattooed right arm for, a career spanning set list that early fans and newbies alike would have found hard to find anything remotely approaching fault with, Tommy Victor’s outfit grabs Bloodstock by the throat for 40 breathless and effervescent minutes of their blend of hardcore/crossover/industrial/whatever metal that is as joyous as it is heavy: one of the highlights of the day.

Clouds and crowds gather for the arrival of Tom G Warrior and Triptykon. Pretty much everyone knew that this was never going to be a sing-along but today Triptykon are hard work, almost wilfully so. Opening with the nine minute ‘Black Snow’, Triptykon succeed in creating an atmosphere of dark, brooding melancholy that they hold for the entire performance. At one level, you cannot fault the single mindedness but music is as much about the relationship between the artist and their audience and not simply the art itself, something that is lacking in their show today. A disappointment.

It is something of a relief to get to the Sophie Lancaster Stage to catch the black metal brilliance of Winterfylleth. By now the heavens have opened and the rain is pouring down so hard that a man called Noah popped by and asked people if they had any domestic pets wandering around. Winterfylleth might look like the latest recruits to the management training programme at your local bank but, my god, they make an extraordinary racket. A show that balances light and shade in equal, appropriate measure- pounding, venomous riffing, blood curdling howls of rage and sorrow is, almost weirdly, exactly what the day needed.

Hatebreed are never going to win any awards for subtlety but, my goodness, they are on form today. Hatebreed properly understand the phrase “work the crowd”. They are, probably the biggest draw of the day (including the headliner) and they simply nail it. Jamey Jasta is a circus ringmaster of a front man, the driving force of this outfit. He is part showman, part raconteur, and all metal. There are no surprises with Hatebreed; what you see is what you get and today.

There is a heighten sense of expectation surrounding Dimmu Borgir. Which Dimmu Borgir would take to the stage? The brilliant irascible, transcendent one? Or the achingly dull, slightly pompous one? At first, neither one does as technical difficulties abound to delay their arrival much to the band and the audience’s obvious annoyance. A real shame.

And so we come to Down. Phil Anselmo simply owns this stage. Swigging liberally from a bottle of white wine, cracking jokes and telling stories, Down silenced any doubters with a pounding performance. There cannot be man metalheads who do not love ‘Stone the Crow’, ‘Ghosts of Mississippi’ or a spellbinding ‘Bury Me in Smoke’, where the band get joined onstage by Orange Goblin. It’s clear that Down are in party mood and we are all invited to join in their Southern Hospitality. So we do. We even get treated to a little vignette of Pantera’s ‘Walk’ which leads everyone to think about when that damn reunion is going to take place. Go on, Phil, sort it. Just for us, there’s a good chap. Valedictory.

REVIEW BY MAT DAVIES & ROSS BAKER

PHOTOS OF DOWN BY RUDY DE DONCKER (Courtesy of BOA)

Back To Basics: Jimmy Bower of Down

Posted on June 10, 2014 by News Team

Since 1995 Down has been the leading lights of metal. When the super-group released their debut NOLA (Elektra) it was an amalgam of the best of the best members of Southern influenced metal. Despite the great names among their ranks, they were almost an underground band, with little fanfare, that did a few short tours and then little else, at first. However, their fanbase grew over time, almost willing the band into full-time existence. Ever since 2001, the band has been regularly putting out fine releases, and passing on the torch to a new generation of other bands. With the release of the throwback feeling Down IV- Part II (Down Records) the band continues to cement their legend. Senior Editor Keith Chachkes chatted with the ever humble Jimmy Bower (EyeHateGod) about the evolution of the group.

We started off our chat with Jimmy by immediately addressing the departure of founding member Kirk Windstein from the group last fall. Whenever Down has lost a member in the past, it seemed to always be from within the Down extended family, and this has held true with Bobby Landgraf being chosen as the new guitarist:

“Kirk left the band last year. He wanted to concentrate on Crowbar full time. So on this EP, we introduced Bobby. He was our stage manager for five years. It was really cool and made sense to get Bobby into the band. The first Down EP had a couple of songs left over from our other records. This EP was all new stuff. This was one of the smoothest records we have ever made. Like you touched on, it kind of gets back to the basics of Down.”

“If you really think about it, you have to spend 24 hours a day with this person. You have to have the same influences. You have to know Down well enough, to know how to write a song with us. With Bobby, he’s been our stage manager for five years. He understands the Down sound and how we work. He is like family. He is family. We really like and respect his guitar style. He comes from the band Honky, which is really like a ZZ Top-style, Texas rock band that we dig. Like I said, you have to be able to live with this person. It was a really easy decision for us.”

Since this series of releases has been in the works for quite some time, we asked Bower if there were going to be any leftover songs from the Kirk era on future releases.

“Kirk wanted to do Crowbar full-time. We completely respected that. But the cool thing about this EP as well, is all these songs are brand new. I don’t think any old riffs of Kirk’s or anything like that are going to be used or anything, just out of respect. Because he might want to use some of those riffs in Crowbar someday. Besides, riffs are too easy to write! (Laughs)”

Although some eyebrows were raised at the time two years ago, the decision by the band to release a series of shorter releases instead of just a couple of full-length albums has proved to be an inspired choice. Jimmy went into detail about the concept, and how it evolved once Landgraf came into the fold.

“The whole idea behind the EPs was that each EP should reflect a different style and sound that Down does. We’ve got heavy stuff, mellow stuff, trippy stuff. Since Kirk left the band, we decided on this EP to just write a record with Bobby, you know? Just to have a fresh start. I’m sure the next EP will definitely reflect a different style. For this one, it just made sense with Bobby just getting in the band, you know, “let’s just write a good Down EP”. All the songs are brand new. It was one of the easiest records Down has ever made. All the riffs are brand new. Bobby came in with some riffs, everybody wrote riffs for this one and contributed. It’s great and it feels like a fresh start.

Several members of the band have long floated the notion that they band would make a mellow, acoustic album at some point in the future. Will this come to fruition soon? Bower reveals this as the possible direction for the next EP:

“It will be more reflective of songs like ‘Jail’ on Nola and, like Down II. You know, Down II was really kind of an experimental record for us with a bunch of different styles. We’ve already started talking about that actually, and everything like that. That was the whole point of these EPs, to represent all the different styles of the band. We are back on track with that.”

Down is currently out on the Revolver Golden Gods Tour with Black Label Society, Devil You Know, and Butcher Babies. We asked about the challenges of not being the headline band for a change:

“We are going out with Black Label. The only mis-fortunate thing about that tour is, we are only getting an opening slot. So I don’t think we are getting more than an hour. With that said, the plan is to definitely play songs off the new EP on the tour. At least three of `em. We’ve been practicing, and we’ve got three and have `em down pretty good. We’re just looking forward to people hearing the new stuff too. We’re really excited about it man. Again, the new material sounds really fresh to us, so of course we will be playing some of it live.”

2015 will mark the 20^th anniversary of the NOLA album, and almost 25 years since the band was formed. Jimmy mused about the spark of friendship that helped created the band, and what his feelings are today about the group:

I remember when Down first got together, I thought the idea was amazing. We were all friends and it was a very influential time. We’d always hang out and listen to anything from Soundgarden to Sabbath to (Saint) Vitus or Witchfinder (General). It felt good for us as friends to get together. We’d all hang out, get drunk and listen to Vitus, Sabbath or whatever. It just made sense that Down was created. I am just honored to still be in it. We always told ourselves when we started Down, that this was the kind of band we could all grow old in and jam. I say this all the time that Down is really one of the biggest opportunities I’ve ever had as a musician, and it’s just a really cool thing to be involved in. And for it to still be going on, like you said, next year will be 20 years. It makes me feel old, man! (laughs)

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KEITH (KEEFY) CHACHKES

Down – IV Part Two (EP)

Posted on May 13, 2014 by News Team

Releasing the second in their series of four EP s, Down is back with a vengeance on Down IV Part Two (Down Records). However, with the departure of founding member Kirk Windstein last fall, the wheels could have very easily have come off another super-group. Lucky for us, the resiliency of this band, even one with the legacy members that is has, cannot be questioned. They have added their tour manager and long-time friend Bobby Landgraf (Honky) to take Kirk’s place, and these kings of the super-group rolled on to their next release. In fact, they discarded the material they wrote with Kirk, let him take his many riffs with him, and re-wrote the entire new EP more or less from scratch with Landgraf. That takes a lot of balls for any band, but especially when the bar is set as high as it is for this one. Not only is there zero drop-off from the first EP, this release exemplifies everything rewarding as a fan of this band, and heavy music as a whole.

The opener ‘Steeple’ starts with a crushing slab of doom with all the epic, slow Sabbath-ian thunder they have always championed. When the thrashy, up-tempo main riff kicks in, you cannot help but smile. As per usual, a Down release packs in the quality riffs. Within the first two minutes of the track at least five distinctly different parts can heard; each more awesome than the last. The best part is, they all work together, and make sense in the context of the song. Phil Anselmo, is once again in fine voice, relying mostly on his mid-high range, which always has a sense of urgency to it. The repeating line of ‘steeple will fall…’ in the ending coda just entrances you. Who knew this band could be so kvlt? The song is a crusher and begins what feels like a real throwback to the first two Down albums. Coming up next, the single ‘We Knew Him Well’, has the signature sound you expect: grinding riffs, classic beats, and a catchy refrain sung by Anselmo. There are no signs slipping of the guitar sound from Landgraf and Pepper Keenan who trade hot licks, and swap solos seamlessly.

As much as the songwriting on this the EP sounds welcome and familiar, that doesn’t mean the band is resting on their laurels. Not one bit. ‘Hogshead Dogshead’ shows a growth, melding the hard hitting chops and incorporating inventive time signatures, stop/start timing parts, and classic-rock/blues vamping. Drummer Jimmy Bower and bassist Pat Bruders are just locked in tight and nasty on the low end rhythms. There are also some sick solos for you guitar freaks to get sweaty over. ‘Hogshead Dogshead’ has a what I like to call the “happy summer-time vibe” to it; just a feelgood rock song that is not cheesy, along the lines of Queen, Thin Lizzy, and Deep Purple. What a rager! On the other hand, the molasses-drenched in hellfire riffitude of ‘Conjure’, begins a weeded-out dream groove. Halfway through, the track lifts off into some NWOBHM and thrash movements, with a few more surprises added in, before bringing it back around again. If ‘Bury Me In Smoke’ is Down’s very own ‘Sweet Leaf’, then this is their ‘Electric Funeral’. Like most of his recent work, we are also treated to some of the most memorable lyrics from Phil in his entire career. Emotionally crushing, and timeless too. This quite possibly the best song on the album and the best song of the collective Down IV series so far.

‘Sufferer’s Years’ is another slick cut full of Keenan’s signature chopping chord play. Once again, we hear a plethora of inventive changes in this song. Phil again kills with some neat double-tracked lines, accentuating his words with a wisp of delay effects trailing off at the end of phrases. Closing things out with another jammin track, the aptly titled ‘Bacchanalia’ just simmers with badassery until the last note. This song is so heavy, and so much fun that I can’t wait to hear it live. To top it off there is a stunning coda to the song that is not musically unlike classics ‘Jail’ and ‘Pray For The Locust’. One gets the feeling Down writes with all these little twists and turns as a gift to the listener and themselves too. When we look back on this part of their career, we will likely understand that these are less like regular EPs that other bands release, and much more like a mini-opus, in pieces. Down clearly realizes their collective vision, no matter who is in the lineup, every time.

9.5/10

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KEITH (KEEFY) CHACHKES

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