Down: IV: The Purple EP

Louisiana groove-mongers’ bold return.

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

Still defiantly flying the flag for lumbering Sabbath worship and swamp-flecked bluesy nihilism, Down may never have quite surpassed the hook-laden majesty of their 1995 debut album NOLA, but there are few bands around that come remotely close to rivalling the New Orleans quintet’s sincere devotion to the doomy cause.

Or indeed their famously prodigious booze and weed intake.

The first in a planned series of EPs, this six-tracker comprises a dense and grubby onslaught of swaggering riffs, woozy rhythmic detours and bourbon-sodden authenticity, all topped with the unmistakable charismatic bellow of former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo.

The finest moments are as invigorating as anything in modern heavy music, most notably the gruff judder of Witchtripper and the sprawling psych-metal gumbo of Misfortune Teller.

The rest sounds exactly as you might expect, but with frequent hints that this stoner supergroup are at last returning to their best form.

Dom Lawson
Writer

Dom Lawson began his inauspicious career as a music journalist in 1999. He wrote for Kerrang! for seven years, before moving to Metal Hammer and Prog Magazine in 2007. His primary interests are heavy metal, progressive rock, coffee, snooker and despair. He is politically homeless and has an excellent beard.