On Wednesday, July 9, longtime Down guitarists Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein formally entered OCD Recording in Metairie, Louisiana to start monitoring guitars for the band’s extremely anticipated new studio album – their first full-length in over a decade. The as-yet-untitled file is slated for launch in 2026 via their new label dwelling, Nuclear Blast Information.
A brief in-studio video that includes Keenan and Windstein working via one of many album’s new songs has surfaced on-line, alongside a handful of behind-the-scenes pictures, giving followers their first style of the long-awaited recording periods. The album marks Down‘s return to full-length output after greater than 12 years, with the lineup of vocalist Philip H. Anselmo, guitarist Pepper Keenan, drummer Jimmy Bower, bassist Pat Bruders, and Windstein himself as soon as once more reuniting beneath the NOLA metallic banner.
Down‘s signing with Nuclear Blast was first introduced this previous April, with the label stating: “Nuclear Blast is proud to be within the trenches with NOLA legends Down as their associate of their lengthy overdue return to the metallic world. As well as, we’re excited to deliver a few of their key previous catalog releases again into the highlight, particularly on the vinyl aspect. There are such a lot of longtime Down followers at Nuclear Blast who’re excited to be working with considered one of their all-time favourite bands. 2026 cannot come quickly sufficient!”
Frontman Philip Anselmo echoed the sentiment, saying, “It is good to signal with Nuclear Blast Information. It is a good label dwelling and we’re able to make some superior recordings!”
Keenan, who additionally performs in Corrosion of Conformity, added, “Having already been part of the Nuclear Blast household with COC, it’s an honor and a privilege to be right here as properly with my brothers in Down. The crew at Nuclear Blast is a well-oiled machine and you’ll undoubtedly inform they love what they do. We’re in the proper place.”
Drummer Jimmy Bower summed it up: “Nuclear Blast is a good label that put out some glorious information. It is an honor to have them work our jams!”
This new studio exercise follows a string of latest reside appearances, together with a Western U.S. tour with Danzig and a headlining slot at this 12 months’s Milwaukee Steel Fest. It additionally marks a major inventive milestone for a band that hasn’t launched a full-length album since 2012’s Down IV – Half I.
In April 2024, Kirk Windstein spoke to Concrete Spew in regards to the musical path of the upcoming materials: “It simply appears like Down. I imply, it sounds refreshing as a result of we’ve not achieved it in so lengthy… So it appears like Down. I believe, to me, it sounds extra old-school Down.”
He went on to explain the brand new writing course of as extra natural and stripped-down: “We’re not overthinking it. We’re not making an attempt to make issues too complicated… We simply sort of bought away – and I hate to say ‘bought away’ – however we wanted to return and take a look at one another and simply go, ‘Let’s simply get in a room and do it like we did from the start.'”
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