DOWN guitarist Pepper Keenan has explained how "Volume V" was actually recorded, and the answer is: the way they did it in 1994.
Speaking to Michael Christopher of Vanyaland about how the November 20 Nuclear Blast album relates to the rest of the catalogue, Keenan pointed straight back at the band's platinum debut. "We recorded it closer to the way we did 'NOLA'," he said. "And I'm in one speaker and Kirk's in the other. We did one guitar track each."
That is a real production decision rather than a nostalgic gesture. Two guitarists, one pass each, panned hard left and hard right, means no layered rhythm stack to hide behind — every part has to hold up on its own, and the stereo image is defined by the difference between two players rather than by the width of a doubled track.
"So, it sounds amazing, but it's very simplistic in its approach, almost like 'Back In Black'," Keenan continued. "I'm not saying that's a simple album, but stripped down. It's not a lot of overdubs. It's straight and to the point. We really focused on the songwriting and arrangements and didn't put a lot of glitz and shit on top of it. I like doing that as well, but it's more straightforward, not necessarily in terms of the songwriting, but in terms of the production. I kind of think the world needed that a little bit, you know?"
Asked what DOWN means to him now, he refused the premise of the question. "It's still the same thing, dude. We haven't put any more pressure on ourselves, hence why we do new music so rarely. But when we do do 'em, and we're still in a circle, we're still drinking beer and smoking weed and rocking out like we're teenagers. It's still the same thing, the same mentality. We've known each other for so long. It's just a bunch of metalhead buffoons who grew up in the same neighborhood."
That neighbourhood is the whole point. Philip H. Anselmo, Keenan, Kirk Windstein, Jimmy Bower and Pat Bruders met as teenagers in New Orleans before any of them fronted PANTERA, led CROWBAR, played guitar in EYEHATEGOD or sang for CORROSION OF CONFORMITY. "We all sounded different, but we're still from the same 20-block radius," Keenan said.
"Volume V" came out of two writing sessions at Anselmo's home studio Nodferatu's Lair, jammed face to face across 2025 in a tradition running back to "Down II". It was produced by Eddie Mapp and the band, mixed by Dave Fortman and mastered by Maor Appelbaum.
DOWN are currently on the "Strap It Down" North American tour with HELMET and SPIRIT IN THE ROOM, closing September 4 in Shakopee, Minnesota as direct support to SLAYER.