Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow

Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow is the second album by Down, released on March 26, 2002. The subtitle "A Bustle in Your Hedgerow" is borrowed from the lyrics of "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin.

Album information

This was Down's first album in seven years since the release of NOLA, the longest gap between the band's three studio albums to date. Since Down was a supergroup, the band went on hiatus in 1996 so that members could focus on their main bands (namely Eyehategod, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar and Pantera). Down reformed in 1999 with Pantera bassist Rex Brown replacing Todd Strange. The band wanted the album to have a "bluesy" feel, so they moved into Phil Anselmo's barn, dubbed "Nödferatu's Lair," in southern Louisiana where they lived and recorded the album in 28 days without anyone leaving the house.

Critical reception

Down II was not received with the same positive reviews as NOLA. Blabbermouth.net reviewer Borivoj Krgin stated, "Down II appears to have been thrown together more haphazardly, with much of the material falling short of the standard set by Down's classic debut offering." However, UK critics were more enthusiastic, with Metal Hammer awarding the album 8/10 and Rock Sound declaring it "a storming experience from the depths" and rating it at 4/5. Despite its poor US reviews, the album debuted at number 44 on the Billboard 200.

Down

Down may refer to:

Music

Songs

Diary of a Mad Band

Diary of a Mad Band is the second studio album from American R&B group Jodeci, released in 1993 on Uptown Records and distributed through MCA Records. The album also featured the first ever album appearances from Timbaland and Missy Elliott (credited as Misdemeanor) and Sista two years before they became known in the music industry. New Jersey rapper Redman also makes a guest appearance on the album. It was Jodeci's second album to reach number-one on the R&B album chart where it stayed for two weeks. It spawned the #1 R&B hit "Cry for You"; "Feenin'" and "What About Us" were Top 20 R&B hits.

Release and reception

Dimitri Ehrlich of Entertainment Weekly believed the album at times bested the group's first, stating that the songs on their sophomore effort "often transcend the formulaic histrionics that marred their debut."

Track listing

(**): Track available on CD only

Chart history

Album

Singles

"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Personnel

Information taken from Allmusic.

Down III: Over the Under

Down III: Over the Under is the third studio album by Down, released five years after their previous album, Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow. It was released internationally on September 24, 2007, and in the United States on September 25, 2007.

Theme

Lyrical themes of Over the Under include the band's anger about Hurricane Katrina, Phil Anselmo's frustration over the murder of Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, and the bad blood between the two up until the guitarist's death.

Release and reception

The album was leaked in full on or around August 29, 2007. The album was also released on LP, and in a special edition digipak featuring a bonus track and an extended booklet. The album debuted at number 42 in the Irish Singles Chart on September 27, 2007. The album debuted at number 26 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 29,000 copies in its first week. On the UK Album Charts, the album debuted at number 46 on September 30, 2007.

Down III was #4 in Revolver's list of the 20 best albums of 2007 and #2 in Metal Hammer's year-end list. It was ranked #37 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.

Down IV – Part I

Down IV – Part I (informally known as the The Purple EP) is the first EP by Sludge/Southern Metal band Down. It was released on September 18, 2012. It is the first album featuring bassist Pat Bruders due to the departure of former bassist Rex Brown in 2011, and the last to feature guitarist Kirk Windstein, who left in 2013.

Background

In January 2012, Philip Anselmo announced that the band have been recording songs in the studio since October 2011. The band plans 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 made available for purchase on iTunes 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

With the EP, the band decided to go back to its roots and earlier style of song writing that was most prominent on the band's debut album. Much of the work was done at Anselmo's barn named "Nodferatu's Lair", where the band recorded their entire second album, Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow. Influences such as Black Sabbath, Trouble and Witchfinder General would play a significant role in the writing process with the EP containing traces of doom metal and southern rock influences, giving the EP a dark, raw and ominous feel.