“Dark, steady, strong…” says MusicFrenzy.net of ‘DOWN IV’

September 19, 2012

DOWN IV part I cd review
via MusicFrenzy.net

DOWN kicks off Fall 2012 with a new EP titled “Down IV Part I”, 6 new songs from New Orleans’ heavy metal kings.

July 26th marked the release of the album’s first single “Witchtripper” and here it is almost two months later and the song is still on Sirius XM Liquid Metal’s “Devil’s Dozen” countdown at #2.  “Witchtripper” is a great representation of what “DOWN IV Part I” is all about; dark, powerful rhythm guitar behind killer riffs and one of the strongest venomous voices in metal.

The album kicks off with “Levitation”, a heavy monster of a song that blasts you in the face with it’s angry guitars and Phil’s menacing vocals cutting out lyrics like “throttle their bones, wrangle its beasts”.

After “Witchtripper” is a track titled “Open Coffin” which continues the guitar onslaught by Pepper and Kirk tempered with Patrick’s ominous bass and drums played big by Jimmy.

“The Curse Is A Lie” takes the EP to a slower more deliberate pace and features those unexpected bridge changes that ofter come across in DOWN tracks.  Once again though Phil is vicious and makes me want to put my fist through a wall.  If Phil Anselmo sang “Old MacDonald Had A Farm” you would still want to go out and crush your skull against a brick wall.  Power, pure power in his vocals.

Track 5 is “The Work is Timeless” and I love the bass work by Patrick in this tune. It stands out but doesn’t take over the song.  The guitars still are the focal point as is true with DOWN music, but the bass holds it’s own for sure and adds an element of strength to the song.

The EP finishes off with “Misfortune Teller” which has a tone that takes us back to the first DOWN album.  Dark, steady, strong, and just like the rest of “DOWN IV – Part I”…..DOWN.