The Documentary of NOLA: Life, Death, & Heavy Blues from the Bayou

Phil Anselmo of Pantera and Down as featured on the Noisy

New Orleans native Phil Anselmo exports his style to Dallas band Pantera, thereby changing the landscape for metal in the 90s. Meanwhile, a visit from the Melvins to the New Orleans area would change the landscape for metal as we know it, with Kirk Windstein of the band Shell Shock was discovering that slower was, for him, heavier.

Down Are Poised To Release Their New EP - Down IV - Part 2, On May 13th

"Down is the New Orleans sludge-metal supergroup led by Pantera’s Phil Anselmo and Corrosion Of Conformity’s Pepper Kennan, and later this spring, they’ll release their new EP Down IV – Part Two. The first track we’ve heard from it is a titanic, bludgeoning deep-head-nod groove called “We Knew Him Well,” and it’s gloriously messy but locked-in in the way that only New Orleans metal bands can pull off. Listen to it below."

Down, Live At Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte NC - October 2nd 2012

Down, Warbeast and Mount Carmel at Tremont Music Hall - Charlotte, NC on October 2, 2012

Few bands are capable of the live act and crowd response that Down deliver. Phil Anselmo will always be considered one of the greatest front men in all of metal and without fail, proves once again what a great show they put on. The packed house at Tremont Music Hall, gave our all and the chorus to every single song was sung loud and proud. Thank ya fellas, we Lifers are ready for the next show as soon as yall can make it back. Also stoked to see how many shout outs Jeff Clayton and Antiseen got from Phil. Good to know that we are in the presence of some amazing talent.

All images courtesy of the Tremont Music Hall Tumblr page

Phil Anselmo of Down, getting a huge response from the packed house

Pepper Keena and Kirk Windstein laying down the riffage

Pepper Keenan of Down rippin' into another lead

Phil Anselmo laying into another great track with Down

Kirk Windstein is a monster shredder and Down proves once again how great of a live act they are

Down, 'The Purple EP': Exclusive First Listen, Repost From Billboard.com

Down need no introduction. Hell, they rarely even need opening acts, when they decide to take the show on the road. With "The Purple EP" about ready to be unleashed upon the masses, Down is taking their creative output in a new direction. Instead of focusing on definitive albums, they plan on releasing blocks of music, an EP at a time. We cannot thank them enough as we only have three albums worth of material for a band that has been playing sporadically for over 17 years. Cannot wait for the new material!

Check out all things Down

Link to original article on Billboard.com

Down - the all star metal band featuring members of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar and EyeHateGod

The only downside of Down, the members of the all-star metal band led by Phil Anselmo, have long complained, is arranging time for the group amidst their other commitments. But they think they've found a way to solve that. "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP," a sludgey, six-song set that drops on Sept. 18, is the first of four planned EPs the quintet hopes to release in relatively short order -- at least shorter than the five years since "Down III: Over the Under" came out. (Listen to an exclusive stream of the EP below.)

Listen: "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP"

"It's about getting people more music quicker," frontman Phil Anselmo ( Pantera, Superjoint Ritual, Arson Anthem, etc.) tells Billboard. "It's obviously easier to knock out six songs rather than 12 songs. Me personally, I hate doing full-length records 'cause it drains the f*** out of you. And (an EP) leaves ways less chance for songs that you'd consider filler songs to get through. I think it's the healthiest way for Down to continue to get music out on a reasonable schedule."

Guitarist Pepper Keenan (ex- Corrosion of Conformity) says he DOES still like to make what he calls "the giant records" (i.e. albums), but he likes both the efficiency of the EPs as well as the opportunity to change styles form one to the other. "It allows us to shift gears between EPs," Keenan explains. "With Down we have a couple of styles of songs, and it's sometimes heard to fit a particular song with an album, so we have to put it aside for who knows how long. Now we can we can create EPs that can shift progression and diameters as they progress. That's our idea -- in theory, at least."

Actually, Keenan says Down has "mapped out" where it hopes to take the other three. "We're not just shooting blindly," he says. While "The Purple EP" -- which marks the debut of Crowbar bassist Pat Bruders in place of Pantera alumnus Rex Brown -- is raw and immediate in a manner Anselmo and Keenan compare to Down's 1995 debut "NOLA" ("hamfisted is a term they both use) Keenan predicts "Down IV Part 2" will be more fleshed out like "Down III." The third, he says, will likely be "trippy, acousticy, mellow, cleaner, not bombastic, the kind of songs we've been talking about for years but can never place anywhere." And the fourth? "I'm assuming that one is just gonna be doom as f*** -- giant, bombastic, slow, bury-me-in-smoke type of things. Apocalyptic. We'll have fun with it."

Anselmo, however, prefers not to promise when the other EPs will surface. "We are the worst; we are liars of the first degree when it comes to telling the public or anybody else some set date or time for the next release!" he says with a laugh. "It always seems like five friggin' years go by, no matter what we say. But, once again, the reason we're doing the EPs is to get the product out quicker to our audience. That just means concentrating on a handful of songs instead of an entire record, and it works."

And, Anselmo adds, the other EPs might not continue the color scheme in their titles. "People are calling it 'The Purple EP,' but I had nothing to do with that," he says. "Left that totally up to..,the press, to the fans. I left it up to everybody else. Call it what the f*** you want, and we'll move on from there. I honestly don't care. I don't know what the next one's going to be called, if anything. The music speaks for itself."

Down kicks off an 11-date North American tour on Sept. 18 in Fort Worth, Texas. Anselmo says the group plans to play European festivals during the summer of 2013 and may book other tours during the interim.

Ink N' Iron Fest - June 8th to 10th

Every year we still keep thinking about flying out to Long Beach for the Ink N' Iron Fest and once again, we completely forgot about it. Poor planning on our end for sure as this show is damn cool. With most everything we dig under one roof, Ink N' Iron is truly a destination event.

Ink N' Iron Fest

Ink N' Iron Fest in Long Beach, California

Check out some more photos we found online searches and from the H.A.M.B. with Bad Bob 

Looking for a clean Coupe, here is perfect Hot Rod

A plethora of scantily clad tattooed ladies to be found

Bitchin' little Triumph chopper

5 Window Chevy step side circa late 49' and chopper are ready to roll

Early 1962 Chevy fleetside Truck with clean lines

Corrosion Of Conformity Releases New Self Titled Album Through Candlelight Records

Not sure if yall have been sleeping under a rock or maybe just worn out by being obliterated with the amount of albums being released, but damn if we aren't stoked for the new Corrosion of Conformity self titled release. As a fan of the band since the early 90's I missed out on their early hardcore albums, but have gone back and listened to their entire catalog numerous times over. Seeing them as a three piece, is a different beast, but does not feel as if they lose any steam. If anything, it has made them more feral and ready to claw their way back to the top with or without Pepper Keenan back in the band. 

Below is a great interview with Reed Mullin about the band, their history and where they are heading.The new album is coming out on the amazingly great label Candlelight Records and looking forward to picking up one of their cd bundles.

New self titled Corrosion of Conformity album being released by Candlelight Records

Link to article on Metalholic Magazine

Corrosion of Conformity‘s eighth studio album is self-titled, which is perhaps a metaphor for the band coming full circle three decades after its formation. Founders Reed Mullin (drums), Mike Dean (bass, vocals) and Woody Weatherman have been on a lifetime journey of friendship and music. Over the years each member has stepped away for a bit, but all have come home. The band’s newest release, which hits digital outlets and stores today on Candlelight Records, marks both a return to the band’s early days as a trio, and another example how much each has grown together and apart. The whole of C.O.C. is much stronger than the sum of its parts. There exists a dynamic, a synergy between these three men which allows them to bridge into any musical sub-genre and still retain the essence of their signature sound.

While many Corrosion of Conformity fans are sad that the band’s fourth member, Pepper Keenan is too busy with Down at the moment to partake in this joyous reunion, one listen to the new record should salve that wound. In fact, it feels more appropriate that the band made this album as a trio just as it began. For had Pepper been available, this three decade sonic celebration might simply have become a moment of nostalgia rather than a stepping stone for another decade of C.O.C.

The night before the album’s release I spent some time talking to Mullin about the band’s history, the new album, his hope for a special show with both Pepper and former vocalist Karl Agell, his list of best drummers, and the five albums that changed his life. We also spoke of conspiracy theories and men dancing naked with owls, how the band came to record this album at Dave Grohl’s new Studio 606, and what’s going on with his Righteous Fool project. Tune in for 30 minutes of C.O.C. and Roll with Reed Mullin.

Raleigh, North Carolina's favorite sons, Corrosion of Conformity

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