Rarely does a piece of music so perfectly pay tribute to a great band of the past than this, the second release from the supergroup Down. Phil Anselmo and the boys have taken Master of Reality era Black Sabbath and added a little New Orleans blues flavor to create one of 2002's masterpieces of hard rock and metal.
The guitar tone of Pepper Keenan on tracks such as "Lysergik Funeral Procession", "Beautifully Depressed", and "Ghosts Along the Mississippi" is just dripping with doom/stoner splendor, much like a young Tony Iommi. Anselmo surprisingly shows the great potential that his voice always had, as he moves away from the constant screaming that he normally accentuates with Pantera to a more acceptable bluesy drawl. Apart from the multitude of heavy riffs and classic doom metal slow dirges, this CD is packed with catchy psychedelic melodies and moments of traditional New Orleans delta blues. Throughout the CD's 15 songs, the pace is relentless, and the tracking was set up perfectly as to drop in a more acoustic based tune amidst three or four rampagingly heavy songs. In addition, the production is superb, and captures perfectly that 70's vibe.
This is a stunning release, and one that every generation of headbanger should enjoy. Fans of Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Corrossion of Conformity, Pantera, and even Lynyrd Skynyrd will eat this up!
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