Band:	Down
Album:	Nola
Style:	Heavy metal, Sludge metal, Stoner metal
Release date:	September 19, 1995
Guest review by:	musclassia

01. Temptation's Wings
02. Lifer
03. Pillars Of Eternity
04. Rehab
05. Hail The Leaf
06. Underneath Everything
07. Eyes Of The South
08. Jail
09. Losing All
10. Stone The Crow
11. Pray For The Locust
12. Swan Song
13. Bury Me In Smoke

The late 80s and early 90s saw the founding and popularisation of a number of major Southern American metal bands, including the likes of Corrosion Of Conformity, Crowbar and Eyehategod. Members from each of these groups joined forces with Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo, and this unholy union was titled Down. Their debut, NOLA, dropped in 1995, offering one of the most outstanding demonstrations of Southern-style metal riffing ever put together in one package.

Whilst classed as sludge metal, the sound of this band is far less hardcore-based than what I've heard from Eyehategod, and is generally less abrasive than Crowbar. The sound is predominantly focused on mid-tempo, groovy, hooky riffs, with a clear Southern rock influence, and the sound can get quite doomy at times, especially on the extended outro track "Bury Me In Smoke". The production is also pleasantly clear, emphasizing the heavy punch of those powerful riffs but at the same time accentuating the lighter, cleaner aspects of the album's sound. It offers up a solid base for the band to shine on, and shine they do.

Throughout the album, the whole band is very much on song. In particular, whilst Phil Anselmo is clearly known mainly through Pantera and was a key part of their success, I would contend this is the finest I've heard him. Absolutely tearing it up with swagger and aggression on many tracks, he can offer up a smoother approach when necessary, or even a lonely, languished voice on the album's main experimental track, "Jail". However, the real strength of the album is the guitar work, and especially as a testament to the power of the riff. Whether it's the pummeling power of massive opener "Temptation's Wings", the slick groove of the (mostly) chilled, hazy "Rehab", which puts me in mind of cruising down a swampy river, or almost sinister nature of "Hail The Leaf", Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein consistently deliver. The best-known song from the album, "Stone The Crow", has a lighter sound and shows off the melodic capabilities of the band nicely, although I do find it gets slightly dull on repeat listens. Still it does work well as a nice intro to the band. Following that, however, the closing two tracks return to the massive sound of the rest of the album, delivering a strong conclusion. The band is also willing to mix it up a bit, whether the Anselmo-written, Keenan-played acoustic ditty "Pray For The Locust", or the very strange aforementioned "Jail", with echoed, despondent vocals and a simple, soft, repeating guitar line with added effects layered on top, offering a bizarre but welcome diversion from the core sound.

Since 1995, Down have delivered two more full-lengths and are currently in the midst of a multi-EP project. However, and I must admit I haven't heard Down II, I haven't come across anything by the band since NOLA that matches up to the consistent brilliance of this release. The songs are incredibly tight, focused and brimming with inspiration. NOLA truly stands as evidence of the huge talents of each musician involved in its making, and on the wonders that can, but so rarely do, come from "supergroup" collaborations.

Highlight tracks: "Temptation's Wings", "Rehab", "Swan Song"