DOWN RELEASES NEW EP
DEBUTS NEW VIDEO FOR “WE KNEW HIM WELL”:
PREMIERED VIA BILLBOARD
ON TOUR NOW, INCLUDING DATES
Today, iconic metal band Down is releasing its new EP Down IV Part Two, available via Down Records/ADA Music. In conjunction with the new release, which is currently #1 on the iTunes Rock chart, Down is debuting the video for lead single “We Knew Him Well,” which premiered via Billboard today. The video, which features the band tearing up the track in close quarters, was directed by JM Stelly and produced by Chris Trainor for LabProductions. Stelly previously worked with To Kill A Party and Jason Martin while Trainor has collaborated with Gwar, Phil Anselmo and the Illegals, Discovery’s Sons of Guns, and is the producer of Housecore TV. Down IV – Part Two is in stores now and is available for purchase digitally via iTunes.
Down IV – Part Two, which was produced by the band and Michael Thompson, is already being met with early praise, as Decibel noted “From Phil Anselmo’s feral opening scream to his last spectral croon, Down don’t waste a hook or a minute of your time. Jimmy Bower’s beats are the perfect bar-brawling accomplices for the rowdy riffs conjured by Pepper Keenan and newcomer Bobby Landgraf, kicking the songs in the guts for extra giddy.” Alternative Press awarded the album four stars, remarking “Anselmo’s beastly yowl and howl [pairs] perfectly with Pepper Keenan’s riff-lordage and pummeling pounding of Jimmy Bower.” Stereogum called lead single “We Knew Him Well” “a titanic, bludgeoning deep-head-nod groove…it’s gloriously messy but locked-in in the way that only New Orleans metal bands can pull off.” Noisey praised the EP as a “monster” with “swamp-y, punishing riffs,” while ArtistDirect observed “Where other artists stay content with regurgitating that blueprint, Down rewrite the motherfucker and emerge as new gods in the process…Ultimately, this is the perfect gateway into Down’s world. Once you’re there, you’re never going to want to leave either.”
In support of the new record, Down is taking its renowned live show on the road this spring, joining Black Label Society and Devil You Know on a North American tour. The tour, which also includes Down headlining shows and festival appearances, continues tonight at the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg, PA and ends on May 25th at Rocklahoma in Pryor, OK. The run also includes an appearance on May 24th at Emo’s in Austin at the “Rock the Heart” concert, a benefit for the late Mike Scaccia’s (Rigor Mortis/Ministry) “Heart Rock” Foundation, with the goal of raising awareness about heart disease. Full tour dates are below, and tickets and VIP packages are now on sale here .
With a collective resume encompassing Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, and Eyehategod, Down puffed out its first haze of sonic smoke from the belly of gritty old New Orleans on the 1995 platinum-selling classic, Nola. At that moment, they naturally summoned something akin to a ritual, continually partaking in it with critically revered offerings – Down II: A Bustle In Your Hedgerow in 2002, Down III: Over the Under in 2007, Diary of a Mad Band live CD/DVD in 2010 and Down IV – Part One in 2012. Their shows built a certain live lore with unforgettable runs alongside Metallica and Heaven & Hell as well as coveted spots on Download, Soundwave, and OZZfest. On 2014’s Down IV – Part Two, the boys once again deliver passionate, powerful, and pure heavy music.
For the future, Down’s sights are set on endless touring. Longtime “family” member, stage manager and Honky guitarist Bobby Landgraf made his formal stage debut when the band headlined vocalist Philip H. Anselmo’s first annual Housecore Horror Film Festival in front of a packed audience of the faithful in October 2013. Now, it’s just about bringing that inimitable sound everywhere possible.
Down IV – Part Two tracklist
1. Steeple
2. We Knew Him Well
3. Hogshead/Dogshead
4. Conjure
5. Sufferer’s Years
6. Bacchanalia
Down tour dates
5/13 – The Sherman Theater – Stroudsburg, PA *
5/15 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA *
5/16 – Rock on the Range – Columbus, OH #
5/17 – Piere’s – Fort Wayne, IN *
5/19 – The District – Sioux Falls, SD *
5/20 – House of Blues – Chicago, IL *
5/21 – Myth Live Event Center – St. Paul, MN *
5/23 – Verizon Theatre – Grand Prairie, TX *
5/24 – Emo’s – Austin, TX ^
5/25 – Rocklahoma – Pryor, OK #
* – w/ Black Label Society, Devil You Know
^ – “Rock the Heart” Concert: A benefit for the Mike Scaccia “Heart Rock” Foundation
# – Festival appearance
