Down

Written by Souther_Metal_Junky on November 1st, 2007

The year after Far Beyond Driven and Deliverance are released, the good ole southern boys of down release this godly piece of sludge to unsuspecting ears. From start to finish this album keeps you there and in the atmosphere. The album has different lyrical topics and playing styles on every song, yet this doesn't create a loss of cohesion, it just seems to make every song a single. Thats how fucking masterful this album is! Yes, there is at least one complaint I've heard about NOLA, and it's that the production just makes it sound like a loud demo. Though this may be true, I think with the genre and dirty feeling trying to be portrayed from the album I think it only enhances the content. Instrumentally all i can say is flawless. Kirk and Pepper keep you wanting more of their dueling guitars, as they switch between solo and rhythm you don't know which one you want to concentrate on so you have to either choose, or zoom out. Bower's drumming though a bit loud, seems to fit as perfectly as any could into the mix. It remains simple and enhances the overall experience without trying to draw attention from the overall feel. Kirk recorded the session bass and I usually don't have a keen ear for the bass, but I can hear this one rumble in at opportune times once it's done following the guitars. The vocals show a cleaner side of Phil's singing, not usually seen in VOP or FBD. He does however remain to throw in his trademark screeches, and screams at the best of times. It literally seems that on this album nothing was done wrong. From the more widely known songs of Temptations Wings, Lifer, Rehab, Hail the Leaf, Eyes of the South, Losing All, Stone the Crow, and Bury Me in Smoke; to the less heard Pillars of Eternity, Underneath Everything, Jail, Pray for the Locusts (guitar interlude), and Swan Song, this album doesn't have one less than great track.