Down EP will show band’s evolution

Down guitarist Pepper Keenan has hinted their next EP might not be as heavy as their previous work.

They’re currently working on the follow-up to 2014’s Down IV - Part Two. And Keenan says the direction of their latest material will show the band in a new light.

He tells Maximum Threshold: “We’ve got a pretty good direction of where we want to head and what the overall feel is going to be. We’ve all got our riffs and certain songs that we want to throw at each other and go from there. It’s going to be an evolutionary part of Down on this third EP.”

He continues: “I’d say it might not be as bombastic as the first two EPs, but we’ll see. All bets could be off. We’ve got some tricky, tripped out stuff heading your way.”

Keenan thinks their new material will see them enter “uncharted territory” but reports the band made the decision to release a series of EPs rather than an album so they could explore a variety of ideas.

He adds: “It allows us more freedom to shift gears in between EPs. It gives us more time to have a little bit of balance and experiment in different styles of music and different directions.”

The guitarist won’t be drawn on a timeframe for the EP’s release but says, “It’s on the list.”

Keenan returned to Corrosion Of Conformity’s live lineup last year, with the band saying his return could result in a new album together. They’ll head out on a US tour in October.

Down feature in the latest edition of Metal Hammer, out now in print, digital and via TeamRock+.

Scott Munro
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Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.