DOWN are set to release a six-song EP, now titled Down IV Part 1 The Purple EP in September and the first single ‘Witchtripper’ premiered exclusively on RollingStone.com yesterday. Click here to listen to the new track.

Anselmo told Rolling Stone that like the well-known Pantera songs ‘Fucking Hostile’ and ‘Psycho Holiday’, ‘Witchtripper’ was a song title that he had to be convinced of at first:

“Somebody would suggest to me, ‘Hey, man, that might make a killer song title’ and at the time I’m like, ‘You’re out of your fucking mind. There’s no way I’m gonna call a song ‘Witchtripper’! I was like, ‘OK, check this out, you dicks. ‘Witchtripper’ you want, ‘Witchtripper’ you will get. I laid it on them and sure enough, they were right – it worked, as usual. So there goes the genius of Phil Anselmo. Always doubting, and I’m the last one to get it.”

It’s been a while since DOWN have released any new material, the last being ‘Down III: Over The Under’ in 2007 and 2011 also saw a line up change for the band, with frontman Phil Anselmo’s Pantera cohort, Rex Brown stepping down from bass duties and former Crowbar man, Pat Bruders taking over. DrummerJimmy Bower states, “He brought a new life into the band, and a new style on bass, and it’s fuckin’ killer, man! It made total sense to get Pat.”

Read the full interview on RollingStone.com here.

DOWN are heading to the UK in October and you can find the dates below:

Fri 19th October – MANCHESTER Academy
Sat 20th October – BIRMINGHAM Institute
Sun 21st October – LONDON Roundhouse

Tickets are on sale now, priced