Metal
Down release “Volume V” on 20 November through Nuclear Blast, and have premiered “The Myth”, the second single after “Blood Oath”. It is the band’s first full-length since “Over The Under”, which came out on 24 September 2007.
“‘The Myth’ has some epic moments,” says Philip H. Anselmo of the track that opens the record. “It’s a 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… The track and video are both straightforward and hammering.” The video is directed by MetalDave Media.
The material came out of two writing sessions at Nodferatu’s Lair, Anselmo’s home studio, and took shape over the course of 2025 with the band playing face to face. Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein chose to record guitars simultaneously. Dave Fortman mixed it and Maor Appelbaum mastered it.
“This is one of those songs that almost wrote itself,” adds bassist Pat Bruders. “Especially when we all got in the same room together to work it out.”
The record release show is on 20 November itself at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, as part of The Great NOLA Trendkill, a two-day festival staged by Housecore Horror, Housecore Records and Live Nation on the 20th and 21st. The bill also has Pantera, who according to the promoters have not played New Orleans in thirty years, plus Black Label Society, Corrosion Of Conformity, Power Trip, Crowbar, Eyehategod, Rāde, Herakleion and Pig Destroyer.
The album comes on CD, digital and double vinyl, and of the eight colour variants the label already lists five as sold out. Before the release show, Down play Sick New World Texas in Fort Worth on 24 October; on 5 December they headline day two of the Decibel Metal And Beer Fest in Denver.
Text by Roger Estivill