Down - "Down IV", 2012-2014

 

The release of the long-awaited fifth full-length Down album—unimaginatively titled “Volume V"—is approaching, and the first two singles have left me anything but eager to hear the rest of it. After all, the band’s downward trend has been evident for a long time, with every follow-up to “NOLA” failing to reach the heights of that magnificent southern metal masterpiece. Don’t get me wrong, “Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow…” wasn’t too far behind in terms of quality; it was a different-sounding and less cohesive record, but still an excellent collection of songs. It’s with “Down III: Over the Under” that the band’s songwriting and overall style started to shift toward something else, with the ’70s rock influences becoming more obvious and the sludge metal elements drastically reduced; Anselmo also began leaving behind his trademark mid-’90s skrieks to focus more on a melodic delivery, despite diminishing vocal abilities.

In other words, the band progressively transitioned from its typical sludgy Louisiana sound to a more nuanced style incorporating a wider palette of influences, but in the process it lost the angsty, swampy quality of its earlier output. If you strip the Southern roots from a band like Down, it loses its restlessness and turns into just another ’70s-inspired doom rock band; the dopesick feeling of “NOLA” and “Down II,” their sudden bursts of aggression and melancholy, and their unmistakable New Orleans swagger were what made those records unique and so damn spontaneous. 

This lengthy introduction was necessary to explain where I was coming from when the two "Down IV" EPs were released, in 2012 and 2014, respectively. I wasn’t particularly excited, especially after hearing the first single, “Witchtripper,” and watching its silly videoclip. Additionally, I didn’t like the idea of having to buy two EPs instead of a full-length album, as had always been the case before. I didn’t buy them right away until I came across a Japanese edition in 2014 featuring both EPs on one disc, as if it were a proper full-length. The production between the two EPs is actually very consistent, with the only noticeable difference being slightly louder mastering on Part 2, but that can be easily fixed by turning the volume down a notch when listening to the two sides back to back. In other words, it works well as a full-length, especially since the songs seem to follow the same trajectory style-wise. I decided to revisit "Down IV" because it’s the album I paid the least attention to over the years, and probably the band’s least successful collection of songs so far; therefore, it’s more interesting to dig into, especially with the new record dropping in less than two weeks.

"Down IV" basically follows in the footsteps of "III: Over the Under," but the band seems to have recaptured some sludge influences along the way, as well as a renewed passion for traditional 1970s/1980s doom metal, from classic Black Sabbath to Saint Vitus and Trouble; maybe then-new bass player Pat Bruders had something to do with it, but while Down always wore their influences on their sleeves, they're particularly obvious here, which isn't necessarily a good thing. Now listen, I love the doom metal universe, but Down has never been a doom metal band tout court, or at least that sound was mediated by a generous dose of southern-fried riffs and swampy sludge metal bravado. As with “III: Over the Under,” the band here also often seems to pay tribute to the masters of the genre instead of following the distinctive New Orleans style it established with “NOLA” back in the mid-90s, which is an increasingly puzzling decision. Considering how the band’s sound changed over the years, maybe “NOLA” really was a lucky strike and a one-of-a-kind record, the archetypal “lightning in a bottle” moment. That said, there are some pretty good moments on “Down IV,” and it’s an overall decent listen, although nothing ever reaches excellence during its lengthy runtime.

Songs like the opener “Levitation,” the single “Witchtripper,” or “This Work Is Timeless” sound quite similar to “III: Over the Under,” featuring ’70s rock–influenced stoner metal, up-tempo riffs mixed with more chugging or doomy passages. Things get more captivating on “Open Coffins,” most likely the best song across both EPs, a darker tune with harmonized guitars, a great sludgy break, and an atmospheric, extended finale. It can even bring to mind some of the songs on “Down II” stylistically, and Anselmo delivers one of the best performances on the record, along with a strong set of lyrics. While we’re at it, the lyrics throughout both EPs are somewhat impenetrable, in the style Phil developed around those years; they often show an interesting choice of words and can be cinematic, but they’re very different from what I consider his best lyrical era between '94 and '02.

"The Curse Is a Lie" is another interesting doom metal track that is clearly a Saint Vitus/Black Sabbath offspring, if not for the bluesier, more soulful vocals. Overall, Anselmo delivers a solid vocal performance on the first EP, maybe even better than on "Down III," although he once more forgoes his trademark screams, which appear briefly only on the closer, "Misfortune Teller."

The second EP (or the album's second side, if you prefer) is where classic doom metal takes center stage, but the songs overall sound a bit more disjointed, as if the band tried to patch riffs together. This is evident on the opener "Steeple," which mixes sheer heaviness with more up-tempo verses and a sludgy chorus quite incoherently, as well as in the busy but aimless riffing of "Hogshead / Dogshead" and the unmemorable "Sufferer's Years."

The single "We Knew Him Well..." stands out for its surprisingly old-school sludge metal style reminiscent of "Down II," but Anselmo's unusually unconvincing vocal melody detracts from its impact. The singer fares far better on "Conjure" and "Bacchanalia," easily the best songs on the second EP, with their blend of—again—traditional doom riffs and more melodic sections, even though "Bacchanalia" still suffers from a patchy structure featuring both a jam session-style intro and an acoustic outro that feel hastily glued to the main song.

Overall, the second part of "Down IV" fares similarly to the first, although it must be noted that Phil's vocals sound hoarser and more deteriorated despite only two years having passed between the releases; at least he compensates by reintroducing a few more screams into the songs.

Clocking in at 70 minutes, "Down IV" is probably too long as a full-length and would likely have benefited from cutting at least three songs from the tracklist. Compared to the more ambitious "III: Over the Under," it doesn't add much to the band's formula and marks a further departure from the original "NOLA" sound, while occasionally recapturing a bit of the sludgier mood of "Down II." Its biggest sin, though, is that it completely forgets the Southern elements that once distinguished the band—more so than on the previous record—in favor of a blend of stoner metal and doom that countless bands have been mastering more effectively over the years.

LISTEN: Spotify (Part I) / Spotify (Part II)