Live reveiw from Brixton

April 13, 2008

Graham Finney, Planet-Loud.com

Last time I saw Phil Anselmo on this stage, it was the night that one of the biggest metal bands on the planet, Pantera, imploded in a drunken shambles. For every metal fan in attendance that night, including this one, it was a heartbreaking night that left a nasty taste in the mouth. We can roll the clocks forward to 2008 as any self-respecting metal fans knows how history sadly panned out and, unsurprisingly, aside from the not-so-secret Download gig and the odd tour here and there, very little has been seen of Phil Anselmo in the UK in a long time.

As you can expect, anticipation is high tonight as hundreds upon hundreds of punters, many of them clad in faded Pantera shirts, stream to the Academy ready for the return of this true heavy metal legend and his brothers in arms, the mighty Down. The band warm up the crowd with a short film documenting the history of Down and, as the lights dim and the band stride out onto the stage, the crowd are almost at a frenzy. For the next two hours the quintet play one of the best heavy metal shows that this venue and this crowd will ever have born witness to. Lifer is dedicated to the sorely missed Dimebag Darrell while 3 Suns And 1 Star turns the heaving crowd into one big grooving, sweating mass. To an outsider, it will be hard to understand the appeal of Down but, for those in the know, the music Down make is about more than just great songs you can sing along to as the poignant Learn From My Mistakes illustrates. This song in particular shows the beauty and honesty of the music these five friends create but it has to be said that there is undoubtedly one star tonight. Step forward Mr.Anselmo who, midway through the gargantuan On March The Saints, notices a scuffle break out in the pit. “This is my show, you will not fight at a Down show..” he growls from the stage and the two kids quickly forget what they’re fighting about as the colossal sound quickly swallows them up again. While, underneath it all, Down may not be about rock stars or one particular person, it has to be said that, tonight, Anselmo simply commands the attention of this entire venue.

Read the complete review HERE…