Down guitarist Kirk Windstein has offered an exciting update on the band’s long-awaited new studio album — their first full-length in more than a decade. Speaking with The Heavy Metal Sitdown, Windstein revealed that recording is already well past the halfway point, with drums, rhythm guitars, and bass completed.
“We’re totally in the — I would say past the middle point of even recording it,” Windstein said. “We’re churning along pretty good. We have to take a break right now due to touring stuff [with our other projects]. But the drums are all done. Pepper [Keenan] and I did the rhythm tracks. The bass is done. I’m not sure if Phil [Anselmo] started singing yet or not. That’s kind of on his time.”
The guitarist went on to say that the band plans to resume work in November 2025: “We’re really gonna kind of try to dive back into [completing the record] in the month of November, kind of between early November to maybe Thanksgiving, just finish up everything that we have to do on guitars and bass. And the rest is up to Phil. And then [we’ll get into the] mixing [process].”
First Down Music Since 2014
This will mark Down‘s first full-length studio release since Down IV – Part II in 2014 and their first full LP since 2007’s Down III: Over the Under. In April, the band announced they had signed with Nuclear Blast Records, with the new album expected in 2026.
When the deal was announced, Nuclear Blast called Down‘s return “long overdue,” adding: “Nuclear Blast is proud to be in the trenches with NOLA legends Down as their partner in their long overdue return to the metal world. In addition, we are excited to bring some of their key past catalog releases back into the spotlight, especially on the vinyl side. There are so many longtime Down fans at Nuclear Blast who are excited to be working with one of their all-time favorite bands. 2026 can’t come soon enough!”
Frontman Phil Anselmo said: “It’s good to sign with Nuclear Blast Records. It’s a good label home and we’re ready to make some awesome recordings!”
Guitarist Pepper Keenan added: “Having already been a part of the Nuclear Blast family with Corrosion of Conformity, it is an honor and a privilege to be here as well with my brothers in Down. The team at Nuclear Blast is a well-oiled machine and you can definitely tell they love what they do. We are in the right place.”
Drummer Jimmy Bower echoed the sentiment: “Nuclear Blast is a great label that put out some excellent records. It’s an honor to have them work our jams!”
In April 2024, Windstein spoke to Concrete Spew about the musical direction of the upcoming material: “It just sounds like Down. I mean, it sounds refreshing because we haven’t done it in so long… So it sounds like Down. I think, to me, it sounds more old-school Down.”
He went on to describe the new writing process as more organic and stripped-down: “We’re not overthinking it. We’re not trying to make things too complex… We just kind of got away – and I hate to say ‘got away’ – but we needed to go back and look at each other and just go, ‘Let’s just get in a room and do it like we did from the beginning.'”
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