It’s finally time: Down have delivered details on their long-promised and heavily anticipated next album. Following their Dr. John cover from earlier in the year, the sludgey, stoner-approved supergroup have unveiled an original cut called “Blood Oath,” which is a part of the forthcoming Volume V.
“Blood Oath” is thick. The song begins with open-aired, waggle-heavy, melancholy guitar harmonizing from Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein. And it only gets heavier, the band soon lunging into a death-marching groove full of graveyard guitar hooks and midnight creepin’ lyrics (“Nighttime twice, daylight null”). Philip Anselmo also injects a handful of references to their beloved NOLA.
“Anybody who’s from New Orleans is going to get a kick out of the references to the city,” Anselmo said in a statement of the song’s shout outs to the French Quarter, and more. “Musically, it’s got a big hook. It’s a Down song, but it takes a turn.”
You’ll find a black-and-white, performance-style music video for the crushing dirge up above.
A press release notes that Down’s Volume V was primarily crafted across two songwriting sessions. The group — Anselmo (Pantera), Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity), Windstein (Down, Sun Dont Shine), drummer Jimmy Bower (Crowbar, Eyehategod) and bassist Pat Bruders (Goatwhore, Crowbar) — convened at their vocalist’s home studio, Nodferatu’s Lair. Songs were written on the spot, while the record was put together across 2025. The vibes were apparently immaculate.
“There was a sense of lightness in the air,” adds Anselmo. “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.”
“Everybody played their asses off, wrote great riffs, and Philip is singing amazing,” Windstein continues. “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.”
It turns out that the 10-song album also features a massive guest spot from King Diamond. The metal icon hops on the mic for the aptly-titled “Merciful Fate.” The song is apparently a 120 bpm ripper that finds Anselmo and King Diamond handling a duet, while the Danish metal royal’s wife, Livia Zita, also appears on the cut.
Down’s Volume V is out November 20th through Nuclear Blast Records. A pre-order for the double LP on “Smoke”-colored vinyl (limited to 500 copies) is available now in Revolver’s shop.
Down are on tour now with Helmet and Spirit in the Room, and play Cleveland, Ohio’s House of Blues tonight (August 19th).
Volume V tracklisting:
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
Down tour dates 2026:
8/19 Cleveland, OH -House Of Blues !
8/20 Pittsburgh, PA -Stage AE !
8/22 Royal Oak, MI -Royal Oak Music Theatre !
8/23 Toronto, ON -HISTORY !
8/25 Montreal, QC -MTELUS !
8/26 Worcester, MA -The Palladium !
8/28 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA -Montage Mountain Amp (Berzerkus) $
8/29 New York, NY -Jones Beach Amp (Berzerkus) $
8/30 Silver Spring, MD -The Fillmore !
9/1 Cincinnati, OH -Bogarts !
9/2 Chicago, IL -Ramova Theatre !
9/4 Shakopee, MN -Mystic Lake Amphitheater %
10/3 Sacramento, CA – Aftershock $
10/24 Fort Worth, TX – Sick New World Texas $
12/5 Denver, CO – Decibel Metal And Beer Fest $
! with Helmet, Spirit in the Room
$ festival
% with Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies, Hatebreed