Down has officially finished tracking their highly anticipated new studio album. According to guitarist Kirk Windstein, the band is currently on the hunt for the right mixing engineer to polish the self-produced material, with their sights set on an October 2026 release date.
During a recent interview with “Metal Nation,” Kirk Windstein offered an exciting status update on the long-awaited project. The veteran group, rounded out by legendary frontman Philip H. Anselmo, guitarist Pepper Keenan, drummer Jimmy Bower, and bassist Pat Bruders, has completely finished the heavy lifting in the studio.
“It’s done. It’s been recorded. The process of trying to find… ‘Cause we kind of self-produced it, so it’s not that we’re looking for a producer. The work is done. We just need to find the right person to mix it properly. So that’s what we’re looking at right now. But we’re hoping to have a release by October or something, I would think,” Windstein explained.
Reflecting on the creative process behind the upcoming record, Kirk Windstein noted that the band’s songwriting chemistry has never been stronger. In fact, he compared the vibrant studio atmosphere to their earliest days writing their landmark 1995 debut, NOLA.
The guitarist detailed how the collaborative energy flowed seamlessly, emphasizing that everyone in the room—including their vocalist and rhythm section—brought heavy riffs to the table.
“It’s been amazing. It really clicked — when we started writing for this new record, it was like we were back in the ’90s or something, writing the NOLA record [debut Down album]. It’s, like, everybody’s got ideas. One guy’s got a riff and then somebody’s got something that works with that riff. We also have a situation where Jimmy Bower, who plays guitar in Eyehategod, he really started out as a drummer. I always joke with him — it’s not even a joke; it’s true — I’m, like, ‘Dude, you’re a way better drummer than you are a guitar player. But you’re perfect for Eyehategod,’ which is the only band he plays [guitar] in. But Jimmy can write killer riffs. Our bass player Pat does. And the thing a lot of people don’t know is how much Phil Anselmo is such a great songwriter and arranger, really, but he’s a great riff writer. And I think three of the 10 songs on the record are pretty much his songs; every part is his. And we’re, like, ‘This is great.’ We add a little something to it here and there,” he concluded.
The upcoming release will mark the first full-length effort from the band since their 2014 EP, Down IV – Part Two. Formed in the mid-90s as a side project for members of Pantera, Crowbar, and Corrosion of Conformity, Down quickly established a legendary status with their 1995 platinum debut, NOLA. Despite sporadic activity over the last three decades, the band has maintained a fervent following through releases like Down II: A Bustle In Your Hedgerow (2002) and Down III: Over The Under (2007), cementing their place as the standard-bearers of New Orleans heavy metal.
