Down

Down is accidentally a heavy metal supergroup. On its first album, NOLA, the band consisted of New Orleans natives and childhood friends: Pantera singer Phil Anselmo, Pepper Keenan of Corrosion Of Conformity, Eyehategod's Jim Bower and Crowbar's Todd Strange. But for II, released in 2002, the group had been pared back to Anselmo, Kennan and Bower, adding in Texan and former Pantera bassist Rex Brown to complete the roster. Down plays doom-y, boogying southern metal with strong ZZ Top elements and the occasional semi-psychedelic break. On 2007's III: Over the Under, Anselmo broke out of his creative shell, adding emotionally charged lyrics to Down's repertoire.