Down IV: Pt.2

初期ブラック・サバスにも通じるあのドゥーミーなグルーヴが渦巻く、邪悪なるメタル・サウンドがここに! パンテラのフロントマンであり、メタル・シーンにおいてカリスマ的存在感を放つフィリップ・アンセルモが所属するバンド:ダウンの最新章が遂に幕を開ける…! 過去3枚のアルバムを発表してきた彼ら。本来なら4枚目のアルバムを作成するところだが、さすが我が道を突き進む暴君、通常のアルバムを発表するのではなく、4枚のEPからなるシリーズを「DOWN IV」として位置づけ、そのEPを一枚づつ発売していく、という手法で、彼らの濃厚な世界観を表現することにしたのだ。既に1枚目のEPは2012年に発表済(DOWN IV PURPLE EP)だが、遂にその2枚目となるEPが完成、発売が決定した! これまでメタリカ、ヘヴン&ヘルとのツアーや、ダウンロード、サウンドウェイヴ、オズフェスなどのHM/HRフェスで圧倒的な存在感を見せつけてきた彼ら。そのパワー+パッション+ピュア・ヘヴィ・メタルの三拍子揃ったメタル・サウンドを再び今リスナーに叩き付ける!

When it comes to New Orleans sludge supergroup Down, pretty much everything the band does is big. That's why, despite the band announcing their next album would be released as a series of EPs, it's no surprise that Down IV, Pt. II is a massive, shambling best-of that feels like the band is trying to redefine "extended play." True to form, Down deliver a crushing wave of Southern sludge metal that scrapes the low end of the sonic spectrum for some gnarly, down and dirty riffs. The EP finds frontman Phil Anselmo in fine form, pushing his raspy voice to its limits on songs like "We Knew Him Well" and "Conjure," leaving nothing on the table as puts his anguished vocal chords through their paces. While releasing the album as a series of EPs means that the album is doled out 30 minutes at a time, Down IV, Pt. II feels more complete than some of the band's sprawling, hour-long full-length albums. There's a consistency to the EP that can get lost when a band is trying to work their way toward a longer running time, so although fans might not be getting a big a dose of new Down material as they might crave, they're certainly reaping the benefits of quality over quantity. ~ Gregory Heaney|