Black Sabbath speaks through Down

The Black Sabbath influence on “Nola” by Down is like an answer to the question of whether God directly interacts with our world or simply set the dominoes up and is watching them fall into place. Down is evidence that it’s the latter; Black Sabbath set the course for metal and Down is just the pinnacle of 25 years of Black Sabbath’s endless reach in the landscape of metal.

This album is nothing short of worship, an unrelenting prayer. It’s the lord (Ozzy Osbourne for sake of this metaphor) using Phil Anselmo as a conduit to spread the Good Word—the good word of Black Sabbath.

When you boil it down, “Nola” is the epitome of everything metal should be, and the epoch of 90s metal. The band, at its conception, consists of five powerhouses in their own rights. Phil Anselmo, notably the lead singer of the just as influential groove metal band, Pantera, is the vocalist of this supergroup. His vocal range and talent are indisputable across his projects but is especially impressive on this album.

The southern perspective on guitar technique is another crucial aspect of this album and would not be possible if not for Corrosion of Conformity’s Pepper Keenan and the gargantuan presence of Crowbar’s Kirk Windstein. This, coupled with Jimmy Bower of Crowbar and Pat Bruders of Goatwhore on drums and bass respectively, makes for a musical force to be reckoned with.

A big part of what makes this album so spectacular is how cohesive it is. It’s a harmonious, collective work of art. To dissect it or look at the tracks individually would be a disservice. It would be like splicing a scene of movie out and judging the whole film based on that scene alone; it’s just not how you discuss a movie, and it’s just not how you discuss this album. Each song is structurally fundamental to the tone and cohesion of the work. It’s the sort of album you can’t shuffle because it wouldn’t make any sense anymore, like watching a movie out of order.

That being said, there’s certainly tracks that stand out more than others and bear more structural weight than others. The opening track, “Temptation’s Wings,” is exactly the start this album requires. It’s wah-pedal heavy, chugging riffs, hypnotic repetition, and a slow build to Anselmo’s ripping screams.

There’s no rest, no breathing room as the first track leads into the thundering intro of “Lifer.” The song leaves the listener on soaring guitar riffs and into the drum solo of “Pillars of Eternity.” This track features wailing and guttural vocals layered over tick-y drums and growly guitars.

“Rehab” is a slower, more contemplative track and the landmark that you’re getting into the meat of the album. There’s plenty of Anselmo’s screeches, but more of his cleaner (relative to his abilities and prior work) vocals and spoken lyrics.

The first seven tracks are a whirlwind of bluesy, ‘Sabbath inspired riffs and tireless drums; they fly by in the way time does when it’s being enjoyed. Track seven, “Eyes of the South,” is the landmark of the band’s southern influence with the thrumming, bluesy introduction that plucks along before erupting into the main riff, which smacks of characteristically southern, Lynyrd Skynyrd-esque guitar tone.

The blues element of this album is not limited merely to guitar tone and song structure, however. The subject matter of this album includes dissatisfaction with one’s life, mental struggle and self-medication.

“Jail,” a dissonant, reflective almost exclusively instrumental track, is indicative of the direct Sabbath inspiration on this album. The hard left turn from the plowing riffs and belted vocals on tracks one through seven is a direct reference to tracks like “Orchid” and “Embryo” by Black Sabbath. This track fades seamlessly into “Losing All,” another seminal track on the album. Anselmo opts for dryer vocals and soul-baring honesty for this track. The riff and drum ensemble on this song stay thematically consistent to the album by being a vulgar display of talent.

“Losing All” is almost overshadowed by the groundbreaking track that is “Stone the Crow.” The main riff of the latter starts at the zero-second of the track. If I had never heard this song before, I would insist it’s Tony Lommi himself playing. If God is everywhere, then this song is like stepping onto hallowed ground. This song is Black Sabbath the way that Nirvana is The Beatles and Soundgarden is Led Zepplin; it’s a loving interpretation of something greater and holier than the result. This track was released as a single and received extensive praise and radio play.

The thundering conclusion of the track trickles into another pensive track reminiscent of “Fluff” by Black Sabbath. This interlude swells into yet another nearly overshadowed track— “Swan Song.” It’s almost unfair for such a good track to be sandwiched between the overbearing weight of “Stone the Crow” and “Bury Me in Smoke.” This song is just as good as the rest of the album and undoubtedly reflects the themes and style of the album, but when you’re coming off the high of “Stone the Crow” and anticipating” the supereminence of “Bury Me in Smoke,” it just doesn’t resonate quite the same.

There’s little that can be said about the final track on this superb album. “Bury Me in Smoke” enters with grinding, guitars and cymbal-heavy drums, only to ebb into enthralling chugging riffs and growly vocals. The song is a slow build, with rushing riffs and solos and slugging, heavy lows before the ultimate crescendo. It is a challenge to findthe words that express just how monumental this track is . It’s likely that the band knew this fact themselves, which reasons why it’s the concluding track on this epoch-making album. Just when you think this track is done, it fades back in with a few more bars of unrelenting, suffocatingly heavy riffage.

This album is as pioneering as it gets. It’s the line between tradition and progress and is mandatory listening for all metal persuasions.