Down - Bring it on in Belgium!

*****
Phil Anselmo is on fine form with the best Down set I have seen yet!

Down ***** are not always the best live, but today they go all out to impress and their material is getting more and more commercially viable. Phil Anselmo commands the stage like the veteran in the game he is. He storms round the stage shouting out the vocals totally in key as he runs through a good selection of Down material.

Opening with the blistering 'Eyes of the South' which has in bedded Blues riff and Southern flair and starts the set off in style. Followed by the stoner riffs of new favourite 'Witchtripper' which is a real highlight of their set, we can smell a funny aroma in the air while this songs goes through it's fantastic riffage led by Crowbar man Kirk Windstein who takes the band on a Black Sabbath Esq. voyage. Like the track 'Temptation's Wings' that see's the light of day later in the set and is one of the bands more commercial numbers and has a killer radio friendly Pantera friendly chorus to it.

I really like the radio friendly Down material think it has a real kick to it and would love to hear more songs done in this style, these songs really show Phil's vocals at the best they can be. The Whole of the set is from what could only be called my favourite Down album 'Nola' other than the new 'Witchtipper' and the truly fantastic odyssey which is 'Lysergik funeral Procession' which has seen various different versions of played over the years but this one is to the point and aimed at you like a gun. This is a really killer set by the New Orleans based band and one no fan would want to miss.

I think the fans had requested this album and with songs like the Alice in Chainsinspired 'Lifer' and the down beat 'Pillars of Eternity' I can see why this work has stood the test of time with the album coming out eighteen years ago in 1995. 'Losing All' has some kick to it and a killer riff that goes round and round your head for days, while 'Stone the Crows' is more chilled like a 70's Rock song.

I think a lot of inspiration must of come from bands from this period for this song, the likes of Jefferson Aeroplane, Cream, Verging on 70's on the road American Rock. This leads nicely into the clugging closing number 'Bury me in Smoke' which see's help from Atilla from Mayhem and a whole host of friends including members of Agnostic Front, a truly brilliant set from Down.

Down - Setlist
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Eyes of the South
Witchtripper
Lifer
Lysergik funeral Procession
Temptation's Wings
Pillars of Eternity
Losing All
Hail the Leaf
Stone the Crow
Bury me in Smoke

Review and Photo's by Dan Devour

Check Out! the Video for 'Stone the Crow' Below...