Heavy metal supergroup Down delivered an emotional performance earlier today (Wednesday, June 3) at the 2026 Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden. During their set, frontman Phil Anselmo took a moment to dedicate the fan-favorite track “Lifer” to his late Pantera bandmates, “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and Vinnie Paul Abbott, as well as legendary Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne.
Fan-filmed footage of the tribute was quickly uploaded to YouTube by the “HojasLive” channel, capturing the special moment.
The festival appearance arrives as the band, featuring Anselmo, guitarists Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein, drummer Jimmy Bower, and bassist Pat Bruders, prepares for their next major release. In a recent interview with “Metal Nation“, Windstein offered a highly anticipated update on the recording sessions for Down‘s first collection of original material in over a decade.
“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.
Discussing the creative dynamic within the group, the guitarist compared the current studio energy to the band’s earliest days in the 1990s.
“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.
Following their European festival run, Down will hit North American stages late this summer for the two-week “Strap It Down” headlining tour. The trek kicks off on August 15 in Atlanta, Georgia, featuring support from Helmet and Spirit In The Room. The run concludes on September 4 in Shakopee, Minnesota, where the band will perform as direct support for Slayer. The itinerary also includes appearances at Zakk Wylde‘s “Berzerkus” festival on August 28 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and August 29 in Wantagh, New York, sharing the bill with Lamb Of God and Black Label Society.
Ahead of the upcoming album, Down recently issued a special cover of Dr. John‘s “Right Place, Wrong Time“. The track was initially released as a video to celebrate Mardi Gras and is now available across all major streaming platforms.
The forthcoming studio project will be the band’s first batch of original music since the release of the Down IV – Part Two EP in May 2014. Produced by Michael Thompson and recorded at Anselmo‘s Nodferatu’s Lair studio, that EP debuted at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling approximately 10,000 copies in its first week. Its predecessor, Down IV Part I – The Purple EP, landed at No. 35 with around 12,000 first-week units in September 2012.
