Down guitarist Pepper Keenan recently opened up about the creative process behind the heavy metal supergroup’s highly anticipated new studio album, Volume V. Scheduled to arrive on November 20 via Nuclear Blast Records, the record marks the next major chapter for the veteran musicians.
During a recent interview with journalist Michael Christopher of Vanyaland, the musician was asked how the upcoming release compares to the band’s revered back catalog. He explained that the recording sessions closely mirrored the stripped-down, straightforward production approach utilized on their platinum-certified 1995 debut, NOLA.
“Well, we recorded it closer to the way we did [Down‘s platinum-certified debut album, 1995’s] NOLA. And I’m in one speaker and Kirk‘s [Windstein] in the other. We did one guitar track each. So, it sounds amazing, but it’s very simplistic in its approach, almost like [AC/DC‘s] Back In Black. I’m not saying that’s a simple [album], but stripped down. It’s not a lot of overdubs. It’s straight and to the point. We really focused on the songwriting and arrangements and didn’t put a lot of glitz and s**t on top of it. I like doing that as well, but it’s more straightforward, not necessarily in terms of the songwriting, but in terms of the production. I kind of think the world needed that a little bit, you know?” he explained.
When questioned about how the creative meaning behind the band has evolved for him over the years, the guitarist emphasized that the fundamental spirit of the group remains completely unchanged.
“It’s still the same thing, dude. We haven’t put any more pressure on ourselves, hence why we do [new music] so rarely. But when we do do ’em, and we’re still in a circle, we’re still drinking beer and smoking w**d and rocking out like we’re teenagers. It’s still the same thing, the same mentality. I don’t think that could ever change. We’ve known each other for so long. It’s just a bunch of metalhead buffoons who grew up in the same neighborhood,” he said.
Down operates as a lifelong brotherhood built on decades of friendship and a deep, shared connection to their hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, as Keenan said. For over thirty years, the band, featuring frontman Phil Anselmo, guitarists Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein, drummer Jimmy Bower, and bassist Pat Bruders, has crafted an untouchable legacy fueled by massive grooves, soulful aggression, and earth-shaking riffs.
Down released the music video for “Blood Oath“, the first song from Volume V, seven days ago.
“Anybody who’s from New Orleans is going to get a kick out of the references to the city,” Phil Anselmo said. “Musically, it’s got a big hook. It’s a Down song, but it takes a turn.”
Keenan put it more bluntly: “You’ll know it’s Down right off the f**king bat. It’s heavy in its attack.”
Most of the album came out of two writing sessions held at Anselmo‘s home studio, Nodferatu’s Lair, the same base the band have used since Down II. The five worked face to face and built songs on the spot across 2025. Keenan and Kirk Windstein tracked their guitars at the same time rather than separately.
“We were all excited about this,” Anselmo said. “There was a sense of lightness in the air. Everyone’s attitude was 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 a journey. It’s classic Down, but it’s also unique.”
Windstein reached back to the band’s 1995 debut for a comparison: “Everybody played their a**es off, wrote great riffs, and Philip is singing amazing. 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.”
Keenan pointed to how far back the five go: “The five of us are from the same era, grew up together, and accomplished a lot on our own. 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.”
The band met as teenagers in New Orleans before each built a separate career — Anselmo in Pantera, Keenan in Corrosion Of Conformity, Windstein in Crowbar and drummer Jimmy Bower in Eyehategod. Bassist Pat Bruders joined Down in 2011.
Track two, “Merciful Fate“, features King Diamond trading vocals with Anselmo at 120bpm, with solos to match. King Diamond‘s wife, Livia Zita, also sings on it.
Opener “The Myth” leads on down-picked rhythms and a heavy vocal. Closer “Twice-Told Tales” carries a connection to Ozzy Osbourne, who died in July 2025 while the album was being written.
“It’s a conglomerate of tight riffs and blues rock mixed with the diligence of classic metal,” Anselmo said of the track. “It’s an important song to us. I could feel Ozzy Osbourne‘s influence on me in the strangest way.”
Track nine is titled “Ozz“.
Volume V was produced by Eddie Mapp with the band, mixed by Dave Fortman and mastered by Maor Appelbaum in California. It comes out on CD, digital and double vinyl in several colour variants.
Volume V Tracklisting
- “The Myth”
- “Merciful Fate” (featuring King Diamond)
- “Turn Out The Light”
- “The Message”
- “Causeway Grief”
- “Blood Oath”
- “They Walk The Night”
- “They Came From Dust”
- “Ozz”
- “Twice-Told Tales”
Strap It Down Tour
Down are headlining North America with Helmet and Spirit In The Room supporting. The run opened in Atlanta on 15 August and closes on 4 September in Shakopee, Minnesota, where the band play direct support to Slayer.
Tour dates:
- Aug 26 – The Palladium, Worcester, MA
- Aug 28 – The Pavilion at Montage Mountain, Scranton, PA (Berzerkus Festival)
- Aug 29 – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY (Berzerkus Festival)
- Aug 30 – The Fillmore Silver Spring, Silver Spring, MD
- Sep 01 – Bogart’s, Cincinnati, OH
- Sep 04 – Shakopee, MN (direct support to Slayer)
The two Berzerkus dates are part of Zakk Wylde‘s 2026 festival, alongside Lamb Of God and Black Label Society. Down also play Aftershock and Sick New World Texas in October, and headline the second day of Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest Denver on 5 December, their first Denver show in more than twelve years.
