Mighty New Orleans based sludgesters, DOWN will release their new EP ‘Down IV – Part Two’ on 12th May through Roadrunner Records. Tracked at the infamous Nodferatu’s Lair – iconic vocalist Philip H. Anselmo’s home studio – and produced by Michael Thompson, Anselmo and DOWN, the new EP is the eagerly awaited sequel to ‘Down IV – Part 1: The Purple EP’.

To support the upcoming release, DOWN hit the US tarmac with Black Label Society this Spring and will grace UK shores exclusively this summer as Friday night headliners for the rapidly-growing metal festival BLOODSTOCK on 8th August. Tickets are available from Bloodstock.

On the new EP, the boys once again deliver passionate and powerful heavy music, laced with their signature gargantuan riffs and swamp blues leads. When the band retreated to ‘Nodferatu’s Lair’ at Anselmo’s Lousiana home in the fall of 2013, things had changed somewhat. For the first time in the band’s storied career, Kirk Windstein wouldn’t be handling guitar duties alongside fellow axeman, Pepper Keenan. Instead, longtime ‘family’ member, stage manager, and Honky guitarist Bobby Landgraf joined the ranks, alongside Keenan, Anselmo, drummer Jimmy Bower and bassist Pat Bruders.

“He was immediately at home,” affirms Anselmo. “Bobby had always been that guy in case of anything. Knowing his personality, he really locked in with what we do and took it to heart. He made himself belong. Honestly, the first day he came down he contributed a very strong riff to a key song. There’s that Southern element, which is imperative. I also catch a real old heavy metal vibe from this record. I can’t stress this enough. He took it all on, and he did a fucking awesome job.”

“It was a big deal for me,” beams Landgraf. “I drove ten hours up from Texas that first day, cracked a beer, and plugged in. We jumped right into the room, and I played this part. They all smiled. That was the moment for me. I’m a longtime fan, and I knew we were friends, but being a part of the writing and working towards something together was just incredible. As a guitar player, one of my goals was to be in a group like this. I want to make everyone proud.”

Making good on Down’s promise of a series of EPs, the second installment sees a pronounced progression among the individuals themselves as well.

For the future, Down’s sights are set on endless touring. Landgraf made his formal stage debut when the band headlined Anselmo’s first annual ‘Housecore Horror Film Festival’ in front of a packed crowd of the faithful in October 2013. Now, it’s just about bringing that inimitable sound everywhere possible.

Come see for yourself at Bloodstock Festival in August….

‘Down IV – Part Two’ tracklisting:

1. Steeple
2. We Knew Him Well
3. Hogshead/Dogshead
4. Conjure
5. Sufferer’s Years
6. Bacchanalia

Down were interviewed by SoundwaveFest TV in Australia. The guys talk about the early days of the band & the early demo tape they took around the world, the impact of Bobby Landgraf on the band & the sound of the new record! Philip also gives his thoughts on what happens when you die. Check out the full interview right here!

Part 2 of ArtistDirect’s monster interview with Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher, Gojira’s

Matt Heafy talks tattoos on Valentines Day with Pitcam.TV. Matt takes us through his impressive tattoos, although he only has three (two full sleeves) there is a lot to see & find out! He goes through the artists, the stories behind the artwork, how he got into tattoo art & getting pieces done on show days. Matt discusses his plans for future tattoos including getting his butt tattooed.

Bass Expo caught up with Trivium’s Paolo Gregoletto & Killswitch Engage’s Mike D’Antonio to discuss the challenges of playing in a band with 2 awesome guitarists, tone, technique & finding the ideal drummer. When asked about becoming bass players, the guys had this to say;

Mike D’Antonio: “Well, a lot of my friends had bands growing up and it looked like one of the funnest things to do ever, just jumping around in basements and moshing with buddies. Kids playing guitars and basses, I just couldn’t get enough of it. So at one point, [when I was] around fifteen (which I thought was a little late to start playing guitar or bass), I had one friend who had a bass for sale and one friend who had a guitar for sale. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the bass was the one I could afford so that was the one I started playing.”

Paolo Gregoletto: “It started back when I was about eleven years old and a couple of friends just wanted to play in a band and play covers of bands we enjoyed back in the day. I picked up the bass and I really enjoyed playing it and I stuck with it.”

Read the full interview right here.

Not only

Check out Episode 2 of Roadrunner’s Random Questions, this time with Lamb of God’s Willie Adler. We caught up with the Lamb Of God guitarist backstage at Brixton Academy to talk pets, super powers, rainy days, famous people & the worst advice he has ever taken.

Watch the video right here!

Southern sludge lords Down are currently laying waste to Australia. Check out this awesome live video of ‘Witchtripper’ performed

Dream Theater drummer Mike Mangini has released some short videos of him warming up to show how he prepares for the bands .

The awesome people at Bloodstock Open Air Festival have given us a pair of standard full weekend + camping tickets to giveaway! To enter the competition all you have to do is go to our Facebook Page, find the competetion post, ‘share’ the image & then email rr.competitions@roadrunnerrecords.com