Down’s guitarist Kirk Windstein has confirmed the band is deep into the process of creating a new full-length album, their first since 2014. The record is tentatively set for a 2026 release through their new label home, Nuclear Blast Records.
Speaking on The Jasta Show, Windstein revealed the significant progress already made. “Yeah, all the drum tracks are done and basically the bass tracks as well,” he stated (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
The band – featuring vocalist Philip H. Anselmo (Pantera), guitarist Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity), Windstein (also of Crowbar), drummer Jimmy Bower (Eeyehategod), and bassist Pat Bruders – recently convened at Anselmo‘s Nodferatu’s Lair studio for writing sessions, marking a significant reunion in their creative process.
Windstein described the experience enthusiastically: “We were out at the [Nodferatu’s] Lair and I’m, like, I said, ‘I haven’t been out here writing with you dudes since… It’s been, like, since for the first EP,’ so maybe 2011, early 2012… So it’s kind of like we haven’t written together in so long that it was so fresh.”
He highlighted the collaborative nature of the band, where every member contributes to the riff-heavy sound Down is known for. “I mean, we got together on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and I think we had seven songs written. Because you’ve got five dudes that can write riffs. I mean, your drummer can write riffs too. And Pat writes great, and Phil writes great. And you’ve got me and Pepper on guitar. So when you’ve got five dudes that can write riffs — there’s some songs that we all kind of have a riff in it even, or a part or half a riff or something.”
Windstein also touched upon the musical direction in an earlier interview with Concrete Spew, suggesting a return to the foundational sound of their classic 1995 debut, NOLA. “It just sounds like Down,” he explained. “I think, to me, it sounds more old-school Down… Like, the NOLA record is so simple, and it just wrote itself; it was so simple. And that’s how this is coming about, which is great.”
He elaborated on this approach: “We’re not overthinking it. We’re not trying to make things too complex… We just kind of got away — I hate to say ‘got away’, ’cause anything we do is Down, but, to me, we kind of got a little bit… We needed to go back and look at each other and just go, ‘Let’s just get in a room and do it like we did from the beginning.’ And that’s what it feels like to me. It’s very magical.”
Down, known for their unmistakable blend of gargantuan riffs, swampy leads, and Anselmo‘s hypnotic howl, first emerged with the platinum-selling NOLA. They followed up with critically acclaimed albums Down II: A Bustle In Your Hedgerow (2002), Down III: Over The Under (2007), and the two-part Down IV EPs (2012 and 2014).
While fans await more updates on the new music, they can catch Down headlining the first night of this year’s Milwaukee Metal Fest. The band recently completed a tour supporting Danzig.
