DOWN Return With ‘Volume V’ And Crushing New Single ‘Blood Oath’

DOWN are finally putting an end to the long wait for new music.

New Orleans heavyweights DOWN have announced their new album, ‘Volume V’, arriving November 20th, through Nuclear Blast Records, alongside its first single, ‘Blood Oath’.

It is a significant return. ‘Volume V’ will be DOWN’s first full length album since 2007’s ‘Down III: Over The Under’, following the two part ‘Down IV’ EP releases in 2012 and 2014.

The current lineup remains a ridiculous concentration of heavy music history: Philip H. Anselmo, Pepper Keenan, Kirk Windstein, Jimmy Bower and Pat Bruders. Much of ‘Volume V’ was written during two sessions at Anselmo’s Nodferatu’s Lair studio, with material taking shape throughout 2025 as the band worked together in the room.

‘We were all excited about this,’ Anselmo says.

‘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.’

DOWN ‘Blood Oath’ video

First single ‘Blood Oath’ carries plenty of that familiar DOWN weight, built around a thick central riff before opening into a surprisingly immediate chorus.

‘Anybody who’s from New Orleans is going to get a kick out of the references to the city,’ Anselmo explains. ‘Musically, it’s got a big hook. It’s a DOWN song, but it takes a turn.’

Keenan is considerably less delicate with his assessment: ‘You’ll know it’s DOWN right off the f**king bat. It’s heavy in its attack.’

The 10 track record also has a particularly interesting guest buried inside it, King Diamond appears on ‘Merciful Fate’, trading vocals with Anselmo, while Livia Zita also contributes to the track.

Elsewhere, closer ‘Twice-Told Tales’ carries an unexpected connection to Ozzy Osbourne’s influence on Anselmo.

‘Volume V’ was produced by Eddie Mapp and DOWN, mixed by Dave Fortman and mastered by Maor Appelbaum.

For a band whose debut ‘NOLA’ still casts a very long shadow over Southern metal, ‘Volume V’ has plenty to live up to. ‘Blood Oath’ suggests DOWN aren’t interested in escaping that history. They’re dragging it forward with them.

‘Volume V’ Tracklist

1. ‘The Myth’
2. ‘Merciful Fate’
3. ‘Turn Out The Light’
4. ‘The Message’
5. ‘Causeway Grief’
6. ‘Blood Oath’
7. ‘They Walk The Night’
8. ‘They Came From Dust’
9. ‘Ozz’
10. ‘Twice-Told Tales’

Pre order/save here.