Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow
In 1995, some of rock & roll's most notorious--and well-respected--beer drinkers and hell-raisers stepped outside the bounds of their respective bands to form a sort of underground supergroup. That instantly legendary cult band, Down, featuringPantera's Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown,Corrosion of Conformity's Pepper Keenan,Crowbar's Kirk Windstein and Eye Hate God's Jimmy Bower, shared a common birthplace in New Orleans, a love forBlack Sabbath, and if the songs "The Seed" and "Doobinterlude" are any indication, a propensity for a certain leafy substance. On this headbanging, 15-track follow-up to 1995'sNola, Down once again serve up a sludgy, sonic stew of Sabbath-influenced heaviness. Recorded in Louisiana,Down IIhas the swampy sounds, stoner-rock vibe, and dirt-bag patina of authentic, deeply rooted old-school rock 'n' metal. From the stripped down, gently creepy "Where I'm Going," featuring dobro, farfisa, and Hammond organ to the '70s metallic grind-groove of "Lysergik Funeral Procession" to the Southern-fried midtempo "Stained Glass Cross" to trippier, party-time entries,Down IIprovides an apt soundtrack for those still celebrating thedazed and confusedlifestyle.--Katherine Turman