A sludgecore supergroup featuring ex-Pantera/current Superjoint Ritual frontman Philip Anselmo, Crowbar guitarist Kirk Windstein and drummer Jimmy Bower, Corrosion Of Conformity guitarist Pepper Keenan and former Pantera bassist Rex Brown, Down’s debut UK tour rolled into London town last night. Anselmo and Brown hadn’t visited Britain in a decade, but the pugnacious frontman hasn’t changed much, taking his time at the microphone between songs and making the Astoria as pumped-up as he was. At times Phil’s intensity levels bordered upon the comedic, notably after demolishing an umpteenth microphone stand. “Bring me another or I’m gonna punch somebody in the fuckin’ mouth,” he growled threateningly, the mask momentarily cracking into a smile upon realising a roadie had already done so.
Dave Ling A brief, faithful extract from Led Zeppelin’s ‘Dazed And Confused’ segued into ‘Lies, I Don’t Know What They Say But…’, the rest of the set pulling from the band’s two albums. ‘Lysergik Funeral Procession’, ‘Ghosts Along The Mississippi’, ‘Learn From This Mistake’, ‘New Orleans Is A Dying Whore’ and ‘There’s Something On My Side’ were all culled from 2002’s ‘Down II: A Bustle In Your Hedgerow’, and the rest - ‘Lifer’ (dedicated to Dimebag Darrell), ‘Losing All’, ‘Rehab’, ‘Temptation’s Wings’, ‘Underneath Everything’, ‘Eyes Of The South’, ‘Jail’, ‘Stone The Crow’ and ‘Bury Me In Smoke’ - from the ‘NOLA’ debut in 1995. There were rants about record company foes and the numerous rivals gathered in the sold-out crowd. “Look around you and admit it, you fucked up ten years ago, man,” Anselmo seethed at anyone who might’ve been present from Pantera’s label Eastwest. “You can call yourself a doom band or whatever the fuck you want,” he then challenged to all the other musos in da house, “but you’re looking at the fucking kings right here. Don’t you ever forget it.” After three encores and almost two hours onstage, few would’ve had the balls to try.
Dave Ling (Classic Rock, Metal Hammer)
www.daveling.co.uk
