Down III: Over the Under

The monstrous southern rockers have returned! Seven years separate the first (1995) and second release (2002), and now five years of anticipation have crawled by since Down's last release, Down II: A Bustle in...

The 3rd studio album by Down, at 59:54 minutes long, with 12 songs, released in 2007. This CD is absolutely incredible and is better than the 1st and 2nd albums because it plays perfectly all the way through. This CD is one of those that simply just makes sense in the way it was recorded, structured, and produced. It is heavier than the first 2 albums and Phil’s singing is at its best. This CD gives fans (and just listeners) an idea of what is to come in the future for Down...on albums 4 and 5. Every fan of heavier rock-and-roll music should own this CD, it’s awesome! The CD booklet artwork is incredible too, it’s definitely creative, classy, and straightforward...it reflects upon the band’s image and music greatly. It also contains all of the songs’s lyrics, in unique fonts. 5/5, 10/10 perfect CD!

Yep, as everyone's already said, 5 long years have 'crawled' by since the last Down album, and Over the Under has been one of the most anticipated records of the year if not decade. So... does it live upto expectations? Of course! After hearing a live version (on video) of I scream way back in March, i knew this was going to be big. This is a mammoth album. Heavy, groovy and you can tell that they've spent a lot of time writing this material. Its very personal. The band also seemed to have improved by leaps and bounds in terms of musicianship.Bower Power for example, just blew me away on this. Awesome control, fills and execution on the kit. The songs, without exaggerating almost all of the track are stand out; NOD, 3 suns, Path, Nothing in return, On march the saints, I scream, Pillamyd... absolutely awesome. The tracks on this album are all instantly catchy, which is a good thing, where as II was more of a grower. I'm just glad Down is back... you can feel the pain, the anguish in this record... takes you down to New Orleans. Down Rocks. 5 stars. NOD and Pillamyd are absolutely brutal! Awesome!

A lot has happened in the five years since the release of Down's previous album. Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown's former Pantera bandmate Dimebag Darrell was senselessly murdered not long after the band disbanded, and New Orleans, the hometown to most of Down's members, was devestated by Hurricane Katrina. All the tragedy and sadness that has been experienced has been laced into "Over the Under", which re-unites Phil, Rex, Corrosion of Conformity frontman Pepper Keenan, Crowbar's Kirk Windstein, and Eyehategod's Jimmy Bower; and all five pour their emotion into their music. They also manage to concoct the best brand of southern-fueled hard rock, which shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone really. Phil does much less screaming here and really puts his heart and soul into his lyrics, while the rest of the band is what you would expect to hear if you're a fan of Down or any of the member's other outfits. Opening track "Three Suns and One Star", "The Path", "On March the Saints", the aptly titled "Mourn", and the "Jail"-flavored "His Majesty the Desert" are spectacular and uncompromising in their delivery. There's no real instantly listenable tracks here like "Stone the Crows", but make no mistake that that is not a bad thing. It should be also noted that "Over the Under" is a different animal than what was heard on "NOLA" and even "A Bustle in Your Hedgerow"; but don't let that put you off of this. All in all, "Over the Under" is a triumphant return for the beloved Down, and here's hoping that there will be more to come with less tragedy to fuel it.

DOWN has really captured the magic once again. "Over the Under" keeps the hard hittting riffs coming, but they expand their sounds well beyond that. DOWN keep the creativity strong with longer , psychedelic songs, and Phil Anselmo is a helluva SINGER, not just a screamer...and he writes some very strong lyrics. Dig "On March the Saints", a dig at the way the gov't mishandled their hometown of NOLA after Hurricane Katrina... among many others. Pepper and Kirk do some really interesting guitar work, sometimes layering different parts together to create songs, in addition to the gut wrenching heaviness, without EVER sounding cheap or "attempting" to sound commercially acceptable. Best Hard Rock Album of the Year...no question!!

WHY DO SOME PEOPLE FEEL THE NEED TO COMPARE THE WHOLE AGAINST THE SUM OF IT'S PARTS?! IT'S LIKE SAYING THEN THAT JOHN LENNON AND GEORGE HARRISON'S SOLO CAREERS MEANT NOTHING AND THAT THE BEATLES AS A BAND HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THEIR UNDYING SUCCESS. HOW MANY TIMES IS PANTERA GOING TO BE WEIGHTED AGAINST DOWN? ACCEPT IT, PANTERA IS DEAD. THAT'S SAID, HAVING WAITED A FULL YEAR OR MORE FOR THIS ALBUM TO FINALLY COME OUT (WHEN PEPPER FIRST SPOKE OF IT ON THE NOLA WEBSITE)I KNEW THAT THE MATERIAL ON THIS ALBUM WOULD BE THEIR HEART-FELT BEST. POUNDING DOOBIE-LADEN GROOVES AND ANSLEMO'S ASTONISHING DOG ROSE MELODIES, DOWN III, SOUNDWISE IS DEFINITELY MORE REFLECTIVE OF TUNES LIKE STAINED-GLASS CROSS FROM II. DON'T GET ME WRONG YOU ARE STILL GETTING COMPARITIVE "HITS" FROM THE BAND WHO WROTE QUITE POSSIBLE THE HEAVIEST SONG OF ALL TIME, BURY ME IN SMOKE. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THEM OUT LIVE TOO BEFORE YOU GO GIVING THIS 2 STARS...

Phil Anselmo of Pantera and other band members of Down have put together a number of fantastic albums, and this is one of my favorites.

All of us Down fans have waited a long time for this. If you are down with Down, why are you reading all these loving reviews, and haven't bought it yet? This album has been in my stereo since I got it! Only gripe, is that Amazon TOOK WAYYYYYYYYY TOO LONG to ship out the CD! Fave songs are: Beneath the Tides, Pillamyd and In the Thrall of it All, and Nothing in Return. Stop Reading. Buy Album. Play Loud. Repeat ... PLAY LOUD! If Down is playing in your town. GO! Sorry to be so bossy. But, I'm right, as always. ;-)