''Down IV – Part I'' (informally known as ''The Purple EP'') is the first EP by American
sludge metal
Sludge metal (also known as sludge or sludge doom) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated through combining elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. It is typically harsh and abrasive, often featuring shouted vocals, heavi ...
band
Down. It was released on September 18, 2012. It is the first album featuring bassist
Pat Bruders
Patrick Bruders is an American musician who is the current bassist for heavy metal supergroup Down, former bassist of extreme metal band Goatwhore from 1997 to 2004, and former bassist for sludge metal band Crowbar from 2005 until 2013.
...
due to the departure of former bassist
Rex Brown in 2011, and the last to feature guitarist
Kirk Windstein
Kirk Windstein (born April 14, 1965) is an American musician. He is the frontman, vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and sole constant member of the sludge metal band Crowbar. He is also a founding member of the heavy metal supergroup Down, playing ...
, who left in 2013.
Background
In January 2012, vocalist
Phil Anselmo
Philip Hansen Anselmo (born June 30, 1968) is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal vocalist best known as the lead singer for Pantera, Down (band), Down, and Superjoint, amongst other musical projects. He is the owner of Housecore Records ...
announced that the band has been recording songs in the studio since October 2011. The band planned to release a series of EPs over the next few years. On May 21, 2012, Down performed "Misfortune Teller" for the first time in North Carolina. On July 26, 2012, another new song, "Witchtripper", was made available for streaming.
It was released on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
on July 31, 2012. The band revealed the artwork and title of their first EP to be ''Down IV Part I – The Purple EP'' in July 2012.
Lyrics and style
The band decided to go back to its roots and the style of writing that was most prominent on their
debut album. "We're writing it like we did the first one," said
Pepper Keenan
Pepper J. Keenan (born May 8, 1967) is an American guitarist and vocalist, best known for his work with heavy metal bands Corrosion of Conformity and Down. He joined Corrosion of Conformity in 1989, but did not become the lead singer until the ...
. "Just get together in the jam room, right in each other's faces. That's how a lot of the
classic rock
Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
bands worked; jamming it out,
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...
-style."
[Ling, Dave, "Live! Down"; '']Classic Rock
Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
'' #148, August 2010, p105
Much of the work was done at Phil Anselmo's barn "Nodferatu's Lair" in Louisiana, where the band also recorded their second album, ''
Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow''. Influences such as
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
,
Trouble
Trouble may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin
* ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film
* ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Trouble'' ...
, and
Witchfinder General played a significant role in the writing process, with the EP containing traces of
doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...
and
Southern rock, giving it a dark, raw and ominous feel.
Anselmo described the album as:
"Very stripped down. Nothing flashy. Straight to the point… really just DOWN music. If you liked the first record, the demos… something like that… This record, we're pretty dead straight and honest and on the money as far as making it as simple and direct as possible and I think we did that. . . It has that practice-room vibe to it. We didn't really try and fucking slick it out and anything. We went the more raw route, as far as an approach."
The lyrics tackle subjects outside of just personal experiences unlike most of the band's previous work, exploring such themes as the faith and imperfection of mankind and cultural belief systems.
Critical reception
The EP was received well by critics.
Artistdirect.com and
Loudwire
''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...
both giving the EP a perfect 5 out of 5 star rating. Natalie Zed of
About.com gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars in her review. She stated:
"While the sound of this record is classic Down, delivered without experimentation or flourish, the form of the album is where the band allow themselves freedom to explore, and very successfully. The Purple EP is at once extremely satisfying, but also leaves the listener hungry and wanting more – a fine balance."
Commercial performance
Released on September 18, 2012, nearly 17 years after their debut album ''
NOLA
Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian worship. ...
'', ''The Purple EP'' debut on the
''Billboard'' 200 at number 35, number 15 on the
Rock Albums
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
chart, number 7 on the
Independent Albums
The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' maga ...
chart, and topped the
Hard Rock Albums
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
chart all in the week on October 6, 2012.
The album peaked at number 57 on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
.
Track listing
Personnel
*
Phil Anselmo
Philip Hansen Anselmo (born June 30, 1968) is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal vocalist best known as the lead singer for Pantera, Down (band), Down, and Superjoint, amongst other musical projects. He is the owner of Housecore Records ...
− lead vocals
*
Pepper Keenan
Pepper J. Keenan (born May 8, 1967) is an American guitarist and vocalist, best known for his work with heavy metal bands Corrosion of Conformity and Down. He joined Corrosion of Conformity in 1989, but did not become the lead singer until the ...
− guitar
*
Kirk Windstein
Kirk Windstein (born April 14, 1965) is an American musician. He is the frontman, vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and sole constant member of the sludge metal band Crowbar. He is also a founding member of the heavy metal supergroup Down, playing ...
− guitar
*
Pat Bruders
Patrick Bruders is an American musician who is the current bassist for heavy metal supergroup Down, former bassist of extreme metal band Goatwhore from 1997 to 2004, and former bassist for sludge metal band Crowbar from 2005 until 2013.
...
− bass
* Jimmy Bower − drums
Charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Down IV Part I - The Purple EP
2012 EPs
Down (band) albums