Down IV Part I: The Purple EP

The sludge blues sound is perfected on this record for the second time in down's career. What im saying is that they were one thing when they perfected it with NOLA but now they're something different. a slight reinvention. So the bass is great, sad to see Rex gone but replacement Pat Bruders might be even bigger shoes to fill if he ever leaves. Maybe. What I really enjoy on this new EP is the lyrics. Phil is on another level. A new level, if you will. Every riff on this slab is fantastic and oozing with blue sludge. Blue sludge to represent blues and sludge metal. hahaha anyway, I just think if youre a Down fan you wont regret buying this. It's killer.

I actually knew right away I was going to like this short record upon first listen. I was drawn in by the thick Sabbathy sound. Now that I have listened a few more times I am loving it. Sludgy, heavy, and really good writing. I can't stop listening and that doesn't happen to me that often these days. This album really does kick. And to think, we have 3 more EP's on the way.

A speedy pace to the album, Steeple gallops evenly until it breaks down into massive riffs narrowly eclipsed by a mildly restrained Anselmo. The mixing on Steeple, fantastic, establishing the suffocating heavy bricks on your chest sound Down has perfected. We Knew Him Well is busy, motivated, and passionate. This is the agitated part of the ride, Anselmo belting out painfully, with his band mates aggressively pounding a power track stained with heavy blues and agony. A black and white video of the Louisiana-based quintet for We Knew Him Well shows the rockers crowded in a small space, almost on top of each other, which incidentally matches the sound of this track. Dogshead is thick molasses, not sweet, boots stuck in mud wretchedness, led by killer bass. Conjure follows, a trippy mind-blower, so modern day Black Sabbath, so Cajun Down, two unique spices from the same family; I can’t get enough of this haunting metal spiritual. Gentle and rolling in transitions, Down IV Part 2, is more Appalachian than Rock Mountains, still traversing ruggedly, but not as sharp and radical from song to song as Down II, Bustle in Your Hedgerow, or as diverse as the beloved NOLA. Impossible to please the masses, some fans have wished for more Stone The Crow and complained that the new stuff is too experimental. To each his own, but you may want to clean out your one-hitter if you claim Down to be experimental. Sufferer’s Dears surges with a nasty delivery and curse-laden lyrics, authentic and real. Ending in style, Bacchanalia comes in silently and leaves with an unexpected Jar of Flies (AIC) instrumental fashion. The final minute of Part 2, extraordinary, a flavor unseen to this point, it deserves special attention and notice, as it carries a tune that is solidly more of the same concrete mix. If you are new to Down, I believe there lays a best practice when listening to them. More than any band I dig, Down is an extended feeling and their form of art is reduced when one takes the whole, breaks it apart, and judges it piece by piece(like I must do by necessity here). Down is a throwback, put the needle on the black circle, and let it spin band. Pun fully intended, the Down experience becomes disjointed any other way than to surround yourself in their cloud of smoke and let the stillness settle in. From that stoner perspective, Down IV, Part 2, isn’t markedly different than any earlier blends, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Oddly, in Down, I’m not looking for new direction or musical innovativeness, I simply want to feel their groove, be in their space, and Down IV, Part 2, is another got-the-goods, light it up, puff and pass musical trip.

This EP represents the future of music in the digital age - several killer tunes released primarily for digital download. As done here, Phil and the gang have recorded 6 classic Down tunes, all of which are heavy sludge-fests without the filler seen on a 12-15 song LP. Best music they've released since NOLA - strongly recommended, and I greatly anticipate the next EP next year.

Down still continues to put together amazing music. These guys are like the all star team of heavy metal and their deep, chunky riffs blended with a hard southern rock feel make for some badass music. Can't wait to see them come back to Atlanta!

I think this is easily their best effort since NOLA. The sound is little more raw as opposed to the polish that 3 Stars brought us. Pepper and Kirk's riffs are thick and groovy as ever. Phil's voice is great and fits the feel of this album. Easily one of my favorite album purchases this year.

The riffs are the album are filled with sludge. Phil's voice is far from what it was on NOLA or Down II but he is still better than most singers in hard rock/metal right now. Pepper and Kirk haven't lost a step on the axe, the opening riff on "Levitation" to start off the album is fantastic. The single "Witchtripper" has some nice touches on the drums and overall song is pretty good. The last track "Misfortune Teller" seems to be the one that stands out the most. IMO the last song on each album is one of Down's better songs on a release. This is up there in a 9 minute mark and has a nice groove to it throughout. I'm somewhat disappointed in DOWN IV but it is slightly better than most of Over the Under, and we still have more left in store.

There's not much to say except that this is a really great CD and you will be satisfied if you buy it. The sound is hard driving, dark deep and groovy. The more you listen the better it gets. Phil is back in top form as well; I'm looking forward to the next one.