Nearly two decades after the release of Down III: Over The Under, Down are finally preparing to return with a brand-new full-length studio album.
The Louisiana-based metal supergroup has confirmed that its new record, Volume V, will arrive on November 20 through Nuclear Blast Records. The band has also introduced the album with its lead single, “Blood Oath.”
The upcoming release represents the first full-length studio album from Down since 2007. The group’s current lineup brings together some of the most recognizable names in heavy music, with Phil Anselmo of Pantera and Scour handling vocals alongside Kirk Windstein of Crowbar, Pepper Keenan of Corrosion of Conformity, Jimmy Bower of Eyehategod, and Pat Bruders of Saint Vitus.
The complete track listing for Volume V is:
- The Myth
- Merciful Fate feat. King Diamond
- Turn Out the Light
- The Message
- Causeway Grief
- Blood Oath
- They Walk The Night
- They Came From Dust
- Ozz
- Twice-Told Tales
“Blood Oath” serves as the first preview of the new material and gives listeners an early indication of what Down have in store when the complete album arrives this fall.
The album announcement arrives while Down are actively touring North America. The band began its “Strap It Down” tour on August 15 at The Eastern in Atlanta, Georgia, with Helmet and Spirit In The Room supporting the majority of the dates.
Remaining tour dates are as follows:
- Aug 19 – House Of Blues, Cleveland, OH
- Aug 20 – Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA
- Aug 22 – Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI
- Aug 23 – HISTORY, Toronto, ON
- Aug 25 – MTELUS, Montreal, QC
- Aug 26 – The Palladium, Worcester, MA
- Aug 28 – The Pavilion at Montage Mountain, Scranton, PA (Berzerkus Fest)
- Aug 29 – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY (Berzerkus Fest)
- Aug 30 – The Fillmore Silver Spring, Silver Spring, MD
- Sep 01 – Bogart’s, Cincinnati, OH
- Sep 02 – Ramova Theatre, Chicago, IL
- Sep 04 – Mystic Lake Amphitheater, Shakopee, MN (with Slayer)
Three more festival slots follow later in the year: Aftershock in Sacramento on October 3, Sick New World Texas in Fort Worth on October 24 and the Decibel Metal And Beer Fest in Denver on December 5.
You know it’s Down as soon as you hear them. Currently featuring vocalist Philip H. Anselmo, guitarists Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein, drummer Jimmy Bower, and bassist Pat Bruders, there’s no mistaking those gargantuan riffs, swamp blues leads, crashing drums, and hypnotic howls for absolutely anybody else under the sun. The band upholds a certain tradition that countless fans celebrate, expanding their own musical mythos as they leave its pillars intact and untouched. With a collective resume encompassing Pantera, Corrosion Of Conformity, Crowbar, and EyeHateGod, the quintet puffed out its first haze of sonic smoke from the belly of gritty old New Orleans on the 1995 platinum-selling classic, NOLA.
