Down
NOLA
Elektra/Asylum
Lineup:
Philip
Anselmo – vocals
Pepper
Keenan – guitars
Kirk
Windstein – guitars
Todd
Strange – bass
Jimmy
Bower - drums
This
supergroup, completely consisting out of band members born in the New Orleans,
LA area (hence the name of the album (‘NOLA’) is one of the best to come, ever.
Consisting of Pantera’s Phil Anselmo, Corrosion of Conformity’s Pepper Keenan,
EYEHATEGOD’s Jimmy Bower, Crowbar’s Kirk Windstein, and Crowbar’s Todd Strange.
The sound to this group is not as much of a metal sound as most would expect
from them, but it is easily still a metal and still a heavy sound. The CD opens
with “Temptation’s Wings”, a great way to get started to say the least. From
there it goes on to “Lifer”, another very solid song. The rest of the CD
doesn’t give in much at all with tracks like “Rehab”, “Hail the Leaf”, “Eyes of
the South”, “Jail”, “Stone the Crows”, “Pray for the Locust” (a great acoustic
track that even though it isn’t anything like the rest of the album (no vocals
or anything), it remains my favorite track on the album), and “Bury Me in
Smoke”. There really isn’t a weak track or even a weak spot on this album; it
is just straightforward great music all the way through, no bullshit or anything.
Very well done.
The
sound quality on this is very well done. It is left pretty raw, but with the
southern heavy metal sound, that is how it should be. It helps to bring out
that feeling of being down south or wherever while listening, they knew exactly
what they wanted with the sound on this, and they hit the nail on the head.
This
is one of the best supergroups that you will ever hear. It features members of
bands that are known for putting out amazing loud and heavy music, yet this
album really barely makes it into the category of metal, featuring more of a
hard rock sound with a southern twang to it. That makes for some great music,
in fact, it makes for an 87 out of 100.
Track
listing
1.
Temptation’s
Wings
2.
Lifer
3.
Pillars
of Eternity
4.
Rehab
5.
Hail
the Leaf
6.
Underneath
Everything
7.
Eyes
of the South
8.
Jail
9.
Losing
All
10. Stone the Crow
11. Pray for the Locust
12. Swan Song
13. Bury Me in Smoke
Elektra/Asylum
Philip
Anselmo – vocals
Pepper
Keenan – guitars
Kirk
Windstein – guitars
Rex
Brown – bass
Jimmy
Bower - drums
If
their first release was great, this one is plain flat out amazing. Gone is
bassist Todd Strange and in is Pantera’s Rex Brown, being the first born Texan
in the band. The lineup at the point of the albums release reads something
like; Philip Anselmo (Pantera, Superjoint Ritual, Viking Crown, Christ
Inversion, Southern Isolation, Necrophagia, Enoch, Eibon, and Body and Blood
(some of those projects he is no longer a part of or are by now defunct)),
Jimmy Bower (EYEHATEGOD, Crowbar, Corrosion of Conformity, Superjoint Ritual),
Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity), Kirk Windstein (Crowbar), Rex Brown
(Pantera). So in other words, Phil got really active and did a lot of projects.
Anyway, this album is fairly interesting due to the recording process. They
knew they had another album to do, and with a twenty-five day deadline, the
band stocked up on as many drugs and as much alcohol as they could, went off to
a private area on some of Phil’s private Louisiana land and just stayed there
for 25 days and in that time completely wrote and recorded the album. By the
quality of the album, there is no way you would’ve been able to guess that it
had been written and recorded in that time. The album begins with “Lysergik
Funeral Procession”, which starts off as kind of a slow jam before speeding up
and grooving through a great rock sound; Awesome melody and a great job by Phil
putting some good emotion into it as well. “There’s Something On My Side”
follows that, another great melody, and that leads right into “The Man that
Follows Hell”, which is pretty much what you will find on the rest of the
album, a great rock song with a great melody to it, very catchy riffs and all.
“Where I’m Going” is another song of great interest as it is more of a soft
slow track that provides a great break and shows a great ability by the band to
play something other than straightforward rock. Other great songs on this are
“Stained Glass Cross”, “Ghosts Along the Mississippi”, “Learn From this
Mistake”, “Doobinterlude”, “New Orleans is a Dying Whore”, “The Seed”, and “Dog
Tired”. This is another album from the band where there really isn’t a bad
track on the entire album. Each track has their own sound, their own catchy
riffs, and their own overall great melody. This album is also another album
from the band that comes off as softer than what you would expect from these
guys. This one doesn’t even reach being a metal album, but is instead just a
great solid hard rock album. Described by some a Black Sabbath with a New
Orleans twist to them (or other similar descriptions). However you describe
them, one word will always come up, especially with this release, and that is
the word, “Great.”
The
sound quality on this album is even more raw than the first, and really that
only adds to the feeling. You can almost feel like you are with the band during
those 25 days of writing and recording with the sound quality on this. It
really enhances the sound of the CD.
This
is one of the best releases from any member of any of the bands involved in
this project. It blends hard rock with a New Orleans twang almost to
perfection. Out of 100 this is a 93.
Track
listing
1.
Lysergik
Funeral Procession
2.
There’s
Something On My Side
3.
The
Man that Follows Hell
4.
Stained
Glass Cross
5.
Ghosts
Along the Mississippi
6.
Learned
From My Mistake
7.
Beautifully
Depressed
8.
Where
I’m Going
9.
Doobinterlude
10. New Orleans is a Dying Whore
11. The Seed
12. Lies, I Don’t Know What They Say, but...
13. Flambeaux’s Jamming With St. Aug
14. Dog Tired
15. Landing on the Mountains of Meggido
Band avg. score - 90
