New Orleans heavy metal legends DOWN have announced their long-awaited new studio album, Volume V, set for release November 20 via Nuclear Blast Records. The band have also unveiled the record’s lead single, “Blood Oath,” alongside an official music video.
Volume V marks DOWN’s first full-length studio album since 2007’s Down III: Over the Under and brings together the current lineup of Philip H. Anselmo, Pepper Keenan, Kirk Windstein, Jimmy Bower, and Pat Bruders.
“We were all excited about this,” Anselmo says of making the record. “There was a sense of lightness in the air. Everyone’s attitude was positive. There was more focus than ever. It just felt fresh again. Each one of us was individually striving for something, and I believe we achieved what we wanted to achieve. The record is a journey. It’s classic DOWN, but it’s also unique.”
Windstein echoed that sentiment, comparing the energy surrounding the album to the band’s landmark 1995 debut, NOLA.
“Everybody played their asses off, wrote great riffs, and Philip is singing amazing,” Windstein says. “There’s so much electricity when we get together. To me, it’s the same vibe as our debut NOLA, but we’ve got another 35 years of experience as songwriters.”
DOWN Return to Nodferatu’s Lair
Much of Volume V emerged from two writing sessions at Anselmo’s home studio and longtime DOWN headquarters, Nodferatu’s Lair. Rather than arriving with fully constructed songs, the musicians developed the material together through face-to-face jams throughout 2025.
Keenan and Windstein also recorded their guitars simultaneously, helping capture the chemistry and raw interplay that have long defined DOWN’s sound.
“The five of us are from the same era, grew up together, and accomplished a lot on our own,” Keenan explains. “We all sounded different, but we’re still from the same 20-block radius. As far as what makes DOWN special, we knew one another before any of us had done anything. There’s history.”
The album opens with “The Myth,” driven by forceful vocals, pounding rhythms and tightly executed down-picking. Elsewhere, “Merciful Fate” features a guest appearance from King Diamond, including a vocal exchange with Anselmo and contributions from Livia Zita.
The record concludes with “Twice-Told Tales,” a heavy, hypnotic track that Anselmo says carries an unexpected influence from Ozzy Osbourne.
“It’s a conglomerate of tight riffs and blues rock mixed with the diligence of classic metal,” Anselmo says. “It’s an important song to us. I could feel Ozzy Osbourne’s influence on me in the strangest way.”
“Blood Oath” Introduces Volume V
The first taste of the album arrives with “Blood Oath,” a groove-heavy track that incorporates references to DOWN’s New Orleans roots while delivering an immediate hook.
“Anybody who’s from New Orleans is going to get a kick out of the references to the city,” Anselmo says. “Musically, it’s got a big hook. It’s a DOWN song, but it takes a turn.”
“You’ll know it’s DOWN right off the fucking bat,” Keenan adds. “It’s heavy in its attack.”
Volume V was produced by Eddie Mapp and DOWN, mixed by Dave Fortman, and mastered by Maor Appelbaum at Maor Appelbaum Mastering in California.
The album will be available digitally, on CD, and across multiple 2xLP vinyl variants.
Volume V Tracklist
- The Myth
- Merciful Fate
- Turn Out The Light
- The Message
- Causeway Grief
- Blood Oath
- They Walk The Night
- They Came From Dust
- Ozz
- Twice-Told Tales
Find preorders at down.bfan.link/volume-v
DOWN are currently on their North American Strap It Down Tour with Helmet and Spirit In The Room. The remaining dates include festival appearances at Zakk Wylde’s Berzerkus Festival and a September 4 performance supporting Slayer.
August 19 – Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues
August 20 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
August 22 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
August 23 – Toronto, ON @ HISTORY
August 25 – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS
August 26 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
August 28 – Scranton, PA @ The Pavilion at Montage Mountain – Berzerkus Fest
August 29 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell at Jones Beach Theater – Berzerkus Fest
August 30 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
September 1 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
September 2 – Chicago, IL @ Ramova Theatre
September 4 – Shakopee, MN @ Mystic Lake Amphitheater – with Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies and Hatebreed
Additional festival appearances include:
October 3 – Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock
October 24 – Fort Worth, TX @ Sick New World Texas
December 5 – Denver, CO @ Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest
The Denver appearance will mark DOWN’s first performance in the city in more than twelve years.
Formed in New Orleans in 1991, DOWN released their Platinum-certified debut NOLA in 1995 before following with Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow in 2002 and Down III: Over the Under in 2007. The band later issued the Down IV – Part One and Down IV – Part Two EPs in 2012 and 2014 respectively.
DOWN lineup
Philip H. Anselmo – Vocals
Pepper Keenan – Guitars
Kirk Windstein – Guitars
Jimmy Bower – Drums
Pat Bruders – Bass