The Official video is here
Some cool info from the press release:
Down was never just a band.
It’s a brotherhood rooted in childhood friendships that have endured for decades. It’s an homage to the city of New Orleans, LA. It’s the sound of five heavy metal lifers jamming together in a room without rules. It’s music meant for anybody who has ever headbanged, played air guitar, or worn a weathered tour t-shirt like armor. For over three decades, the quintet—Philip H. Anselmo, Pepper Keenan, Kirk Windstein, Jimmy Bower, and Pat Bruders—have quietly built a legacy like no other. When these individuals congregate, it’s out of pure love for music and one another. As soon as they get together, magic ensues conjured by earthquaking grooves, bellowing straight from the soul, and riffing loud enough to awaken an ancient deity.
In 2026, Down begins another chapter with Down V [Nuclear Blast].
“We were all excited about this,” smiles Philip. “There was a sense lightness in the air. Everyone’s attitude was really positive. There was more focus than ever. It just felt fresh again. Each one of us was individually striving for something, and I believe we achieved what we wanted to achieve. The record is definitely a journey. It’s classically Down, but it’s also unique.”
“Everybody played their asses off, wrote great riffs, and Philip is singing amazing,” adds Kirk. “There’s so much electricity when we get together. To me, it’s the same vibe as our debut NOLA, but we’ve got another 35 years of experience as songwriters. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“The five of us are from the same era, grew up together, and accomplished a lot on our own,” Pepper observes. “We all sounded different, but we’re still from the same 20-block radius. As far as what makes Down special, we knew one another before any of us had done anything. There’s history.”
Their bond runs deep. The guys initially crossed paths as teens in various local bands throughout New Orleans. Over the years, each musician went off and made a name for himself with Philip notably fronting Pantera, Pepper holding down guitar and vocals for Corrosion Of Conformity, Kirk leading Crowbar, and Jimmy slinging guitar in Eyehategod.
However, Down always called to them…
In 1991, their first impromptu jam session yielded a now-legendary demo that made its way around the world. From there, the three-song tape effectively laid the foundation for 1995’s Platinum-certified NOLA. Metal Hammer cited the latter as “a rock classic, period,” and Stereogum professed, “Our modern understanding of what metal in the Deep South sounds like and means starts with NOLA, and we should pay our respects.” The band delivered fan favorites such as Down II: A Bustle In Your Hedgerow [2002], Down III: Over the Under [2007], Down IV – Part One [2012], and Down IV – Part Two [2014]. Each tour proved to be special in its own right. Beyond packing houses on global headline jaunts, the group shared the stage with the likes of Metallica, Heaven & Hell, Danzig, and Melvins in addition to igniting festivals such as Aftershock, Louder Than Life, Hellfest, and Sick New World. It's no wonder Revolver christened the collective one of the “12 Greatest Supergroups in Hard Rock and Heavy Metal History.”
Two writing sessions yielded the bulk of material on Down V. Upholding a tradition dating back to Down II, the members retreated to Philip’s home studio and their de facto clubhouse “Nodferatu’s Lair.” Songs originated on the spot as they jammed face-to-face. Throughout 2025, the music naturally took shape. Pepper and Kirk chose to simultaneously record guitar together, giving the album a timeless punch.
“I’m in one speaker and Kirk is in the other speaker,” says Pepper. “This record is real, and it sounds like it. When we tracked our guitars, we played at the same time. If one of us fucked up, we made a promise to start over from the top. We wanted it to be so articulate and tight. It was challenging, but it was a hell of a lot of fun. Overall, the songs are strong, yet the production is simple and stripped-down.”
“These days, there’s no pressure,” Philip goes on. “We each showed up with what we had, and everybody added their input. It was a true band effort. Pat was coming up with incredible riffs, and he’s such a great bass player. With Down, I can look across from me, and I know these motherfuckers. I know their shortcomings, and I know their strengths. I also know they’re all blessed. When I see them, it brings a level of comfort. There’s zero weight on my shoulders. I just have to do what I do, and those guys make it easy.”
Down roar back to life with the single “Blood Oath.” Anchored by an alternately hard-hitting and hummable riff, it culminates on a clarion call chorus. With a sly tip of the hat to their stomping grounds, it practically bleeds old gold, black, and white. “Anybody who’s from New Orleans is going to get a kick out of the references to the city,” grins Philip. “Musically, it’s got a big hook. It’s a Down song, but it takes a turn.”
“Oh, you’ll know it’s Down right off the fucking bat,” laughs Pepper. “It’s heavy in its attack.”
The album opens with a blistering barnburner “The Myth.” It sets the tone with a powerhouse vocal, pummeling rhythms, and precise down-picking. “‘The Myth’ has some epic moments,” Philip continues. “It’s a straightforward jammer. It’s got a big nod to Trouble, but vocally I’m thinking of James Dewar, Ronnie James Dio, Ozzy Osbourne, Glenn Hughes, and many of the other greats.”
Then, there’s “Merciful Fate” featuring King Diamond. It reaches an apex with a vocal duel between Philip and King Diamond and fret-burning solos executed at a breakneck pace of 120bpm. The King’s wife Livia Zita even blesses the track with dark accents of her own.
“I love what King Diamond did,” beams Philip. “He has an incredible knack for hooks, an uncanny sense of the strange, and real brilliance. He blew me away. He stepped out of his wheelhouse a few times. He does all of his vocal styles, but there’s a really atmospheric breakdown and some bluesy parts. We wanted him to do his own thing. I just said, ‘Listen, feel it, and do it’. That’s what he did, and he killed it.”
“It was Philip’s idea, and he pulled it off,” Pepper elaborates. “The song was already epic, but it got bigger and bigger. We’re all still metalheads. We’re massive fans of this shit. We know what we’re stepping into, but having King Diamond on the album is ridiculous.”
The closer “Twice Told Tales” caps the trip off with a heavy and hypnotic denouement. “It’s a conglomerate of tight riffs and blues rock mixed with the diligence of classic metal,” Philip reveals. “It’s an important song to us. I could feel Ozzy Osbourne’s influence on me in the strangest way.”
In the end, Down V is record diehard fans have been hoping for, but it’s also the perfect gateway for the uninitiated.
“It’s a giant love letter to heavy metal,” Pepper concludes. “If you look back at all of the shit we’ve done, we weren’t destined for this; we made it. It was a lot of work, we did it our own way, and we’ve kept getting back together. It’s a pretty trippy story, but it’s our story. To this day, Down would be a band that I’d like if I wasn’t in it.”
“Down means the world to me,” Kirk notes. “My heart is in it 200%.”
“Way back in the day, we’d said, ‘This is a band we can grow old together in’,” Philip concludes. “We can do a psychedelic record, an acoustic record, or all of these different things because of the freedom Down provides. We’re older now. I’d like to think we’re a whole lot more mature. All of us see some kind of light at the end of the tunnel. We’re all one together. If you’ve never heard of us, this is the perfect place to start and then go right to NOLA afterwards. If you’ve been with us for a long time, I promise it sounds like a fucking Down album.” - Rick Florino