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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Anselmo And Gang Do It Again, 2 Jun 2006
The mighty metal supergroup Down created a monster with their debut 'NOLA', a fine tour-de-force of gigantic riffing and Phil Anselmo's raspy vocals. With Down II, the group stick to what they do best, as Phil sings in 'The Man That Follows Hell' - 'I do one thing, I do it well'. And what they do is create monstrous metal anthems full of fat, juicy riffs, harsh vocals and a hell of a lot of attitude.
Combining members of notorious metal acts such as Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar and Eyehategod, Down are naturally mean, dirty and ultimately heavy. Opener 'Lysergik Funeral Procession' sets the mood perfectly with its big chunky riffs and angsty mind-set, with Phil snarling 'now I'm so damn mad'.
The album has its share of classic Down style tunes, which is a funny thing when you consider they've only made two albums to date. But nonetheless they certainly have their own style, epitomised by the riff-onslaughts of 'There's Something On My Side', 'The Man That Follows Hell', 'Beautifully Depressed' and 'Ghosts Along the Mississippi', the latter having one of the best adrenaline rushing, fist pumping riffs any of the band members have ever knocked out.
'New Orleans Is A Dying Whore' is another straight-up brutal Down number, evolving around two main riffs, the first is thick, slow and punishing, the second is equally punishing, just faster and like a big heady rush. Those who enjoy their metal with heavy yet sophisticated guitar/drum writing will enjoy these songs, the last of which is found in 'The Seed', and Down aren't hiding their love for the riff here, it opens with a kind of desperate groan of 'the power of the riff compels me', as if being said on a death bed. Yes, these guys die by their music.
Down II has its more experimental side, something the band didn't really stretch past the ballads 'Jail' and 'Stone The Crow' from their debut. There are a few slower ballads on this album, the best of which is 'Learn From This Mistake', a swansong for addicts everywhere with touching lyrics from Phil and some stylish, patient guitar playing from the guys. You just wait for Pepper Keenan to think, 'Argh, f*ck it' and burst into a riffing flames. But it never happens, and the song succeeds as a mellower touch. `Stained Glass Cross' deserves mention for its difference, standing out in the album as rather, well, out of place. But nonetheless I enjoy it. Starting out slow and gloomy it takes a right angle turn to a bouncy, jingly, catchy little number. Unusual, but like the more experimental 'Stone The Crow' from 'NOLA', it works.
Down's second album is an instant metal classic in my opinion. Slightly more padded out than 'NOLA', and probably more consistent, it's a step up. Great musicianship from a supergroup that actually works. Go buy if you're a fan of any of the member's other bands, or if you cimply enjoy a nice slab of old-style metal.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Down by the river..., 30 May 2006
Seven years after the classic debut, NOLA, stoner-rock supergroup Down released this doozie of a follow-up. Recorded at erstwhile Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo's gaff, near New Orleans, this is another sumptuous album of swamp-metal boogie jams.
Guitarist Pepper Keenan's frankly massive riffs are underpinned by a none-more-heavy rhythm section comprising Kirk Windstein (Crowbar) Rex Brown (Pantera) and Jimmy Bower (EyeHateGod). Atop the resultant cacophony, Anselmo reflects darkly on his addictions, exorcises his inner demons and muses upon... well, being Phil Anselmo, pretty much. Whether or not you were previously aware that Anselmo once 'died' following a heroin overdose, these ponderings make for compelling listening (see 'Ghosts Along the Mississippi' in particular) and though he may have since ditched the needle, he and his band-mates were evidently "affected" by something during the making of this. Accordingly, Down II... is angry, regretful, haunting and wholly addictive.
Awesome stuff.
Matt Pucci
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pantera, Corrosion of conformity and Superjoint Ritual rolled into one!, 14 Aug 2006
Wow, what can I say? I thought they could never improve on NOlA (their first), but I was mistaken! For NOlA was such a great peice of musicianship. But this far surpasses NOLA, it seems like a much more mature album than NOLA, with songs like Beautifully depressed and Ghosts along the mississippi, this album just stays strong for all 15 of it's amazing tracks. Every track has a unique, powerful riff which is surpassed by the following track. in other words, this album just gets better as it goes along. Perhaps the peak of this album is not the last track as you might expect, after what i just said, but no, it peaks around 3/4 of the way through with the song 'New Orleans is a dying Whore', despite the odd name, I find that this song is the most meaningful of all the tracks on this truly exceptional album from Phil Anselmo, Pepper Keenan, Rex Brown and the rest. I hope you can enjoy this album as I have many times, since it's release.
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