The eagerly anticipated and much-longed for full-length opus by New Orleans legends Down is just around the corner, and the superbly crafted, vigorous and vital-sounding Volume V is just what we all need and the perfect antidote to the troubled times we live in.
Much has been written about the talented group’s past musical exploits as well as their ceaselessly inspiring ventures into all things doom metal, classic heavy metal, blues rock and stoner rock. Their unique ability to combine and then transform those into something new, different and invigorating is unparalleled. Their previous outputs are all stone-cold classics and exactly what Southern-tinged, distortion-soaked, sludge metal dreams are made of. It has, however, been a while since the two EPs containing studio material came out in 2012 and 2014 respectively, which raises the following question: how does Volume V fare compared to its loud, proud and outright unbeatable predecessors?
Volume V is quintessential Down; wonderfully timeless and familiar yet unmistakably new and utterly refreshing. These five chaps have taken something akin to four decades of hard-earned experience and channelled it into ten powerful compositions charged with emotional intensity, songs that sound like Pepper, Kirk, Jimmy, Patrick and Philip have actually lived them. ‘The Myth’, ‘Turn Out the Light’, ‘The Message’, ‘Blood Oath’ and ‘They Walk the Night’ possess all the trademarks and characteristics associated with Down, which means muscular riffs and choruses to die for, not to mention bluesy licks and an abundance of strong hooks. Nothing, however, will prepare you for the monolithic ‘Causeway Grief’, the elegiac tribute to the Prince of Darkness simply titled ‘Ozz’, or the two exquisite studies in dynamics that are ‘They Came from Dust’ and ‘Merciful Fate’, the latter featuring none other than the iconic King Diamond. ‘Causeway Grief’ sounds like a mixture of Sabbath’s ‘The Sign of the Southern Cross’ and Down’s own ‘Nothing in Return (Walk Away)’, which is to say that it may well be the best song ever conceived. Simply unbelievable.
Down is about much more than the compelling power of the riff. It always was. A close-knit group of friends churning out memorable, atmospheric songs with the ability to enthral and excite the listener while also revelling in the sheer, unadulterated joy of being creative together is a beautiful thing. Brotherhood, the redemptive power of words and music, and the fact that everything about Volume V just makes perfect sense in an overwhelmingly unpredictable world that is becoming harder and harder to navigate: therein lies true magic. This LP will change you, and that matters tremendously.
Volume V will be released by Nuclear Blast Records on 20 November 2026.
