Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow
II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow is the second studio album by American band Down, released on March 26, 2002. The subtitle "A Bustle in Your Hedgerow" is borrowed from the lyrics of "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin.
II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 26, 2002 | |||
Recorded | September 28, 2001 – November 26, 2001 | |||
Genre | Sludge metal | |||
Length | 65:58 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Producer | Down Warren Riker | |||
Down chronology | ||||
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Background
Down II was the band's first album in seven years since the release of NOLA, the longest gap between their three studio albums to date. Being a supergroup, the band went on hiatus in 1996 so that members could focus on their main bands (namely Eyehategod, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, and Pantera). Down reformed in 1999 with Pantera bassist Rex Brown replacing Todd Strange. The band wanted the album to have a "bluesy" feel, so they moved into Phil Anselmo's barn, dubbed "Nosferatu's Lair", in Southern Louisiana where they lived and recorded the album in 28 days without anyone leaving the house.
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
Metal Hammer | |
Rock Sound | |
Rock Hard (de) | 9.5/10[2] |
Down II was not received as well as the band's debut release, NOLA. Blabbermouth reviewer Borivoj Krgin stated, "Down II appears to have been thrown together more haphazardly, with much of the material falling short of the standard set by Down's classic debut offering." However, UK critics were more enthusiastic, with Metal Hammer awarding the album 8/10 and Rock Sound declaring it "a storming experience from the depths" and rating it at 4/5. Despite its poor US reviews, the album debuted at number 44 on the Billboard 200.
Accolades
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Metal Hammer | United Kingdom | "Albums of the Year"[3] | 2002 | 4 |
Kerrang! | United Kingdom | "Albums of the Year"[4] | 2002 | 14 |
Terrorizer | United Kingdom | "Albums of the Year"[5] | 2002 | 20 |
Rock Hard | Germany | "The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time"[6] | 2005 | 319 |
Tour
To support the album, Down toured on the second stage of Ozzfest in 2002. They also scheduled an 18-date tour that began May 1 in New York and ended on May 25 in Dallas.[7] Afterward, the band once again entered an indefinite hiatus to focus on their respective bands.
Date | City | Country | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
April 28, 2002 | Birmingham | United States | Five Points Music Hall |
April 29, 2002 | Atlanta | The Roxy | |
May 1, 2002 | New York City | Roseland Ballroom | |
May 2, 2002 | Philadelphia | Trocadero | |
May 3, 2002 | Worcester | The Palladium | |
May 5, 2002 | Cleveland | The Palladium | |
May 6, 2002 | Cincinnati | Bogart's | |
May 7, 2002 | Columbus | Newport Music Hall | |
May 9, 2002 | Grand Rapids | The Orbit Room | |
May 10, 2002 | Detroit | Harpo's | |
May 11, 2002 | Chicago | House of Blues | |
May 13, 2002 | Minneapolis | Quest Club | |
May 15, 2002 | Denver | Ogden Theater | |
May 17, 2002 | Las Vegas | House of Blues | |
May 18, 2002 | West Hollywood | House of Blues | |
May 19, 2002 | San Francisco | The Fillmore | |
May 21, 2002 | Scottsdale | Cajun House | |
May 23, 2002 | San Antonio | Sunset Station | |
May 24, 2002 | Houston | Sunset Station | |
May 25, 2002 | Dallas | Deep Ellum Live |
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Lysergik Funeral Procession" | Phil Anselmo, Jimmy Bower, Pepper Keenan, Kirk Windstein | 3:10 |
2. | "There's Something on My Side" | Anselmo, Keenan, Windstein | 5:21 |
3. | "The Man That Follows Hell" | Anselmo, Keenan | 4:33 |
4. | "Stained Glass Cross" | Anselmo, Bower, Keenan | 3:36 |
5. | "Ghosts Along the Mississippi" | Anselmo, Bower, Rex Brown, Keenan, Windstein | 5:06 |
6. | "Learn from This Mistake" | Anselmo, Brown, Keenan | 7:14 |
7. | "Beautifully Depressed" | Anselmo, Bower, Keenan, Windstein | 4:52 |
8. | "Where I'm Going" | Anselmo, Keenan | 3:10 |
9. | "Doobinterlude" (instrumental) | Bower | 1:50 |
10. | "New Orleans Is a Dying Whore" | Anselmo, Bower, Keenan, Windstein | 4:15 |
11. | "The Seed" | Anselmo, Bower, Keenan | 4:21 |
12. | "Lies, I Don't Know What They Say But..." | Anselmo, Brown, Keenan | 6:21 |
13. | "Flambeaux's Jamming with St. Aug" (instrumental) | Bower | 0:59 |
14. | "Dog Tired" | Anselmo, Bower, Keenan | 3:21 |
15. | "Landing on the Mountains of Meggido" | Anselmo | 7:49 |
Total length: | 65:58 |
- The song "Ghosts Along the Mississippi" takes its title from a book by photographer Clarence John Laughlin, whose photographs were used extensively in the booklet art for NOLA.
- The title "Landing on the Mountains of Meggido" refers to a hill overlooking a valley where the kibbutz of Megiddo, Israel is located. In apocalyptic literature this place is identified as the site of the final battle between the forces of good and evil at the end of time, known as Armageddon.
Personnel
- Down
- Phil Anselmo – vocals, guitar on "Landing on the Mountains of Meggido"
- Pepper Keenan – guitar
- Kirk Windstein – guitar
- Rex Brown – bass
- Jimmy Bower – drums, all instruments on "Doobinterlude"
- Additional musicians
- Stephanie Opal Weinstein – backing vocals on "Landing on the Mountains of Meggido"
Charts
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
2002 | The Billboard 200 | 44 |
2002 | German Album Charts[8] | 67 |
References
- O'Neill, Brian. "Allmusic". Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- Stappert, Andreas. "Rock Hard review". issue 179. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- "Metal Hammer - Albums of the Year". Rocksound. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
- "Kerrang! - Albums of the Year". Kerrang!. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
- "Terrorizer - Albums of the Year". Rocksound. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
- [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 83. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- "charts.de". Retrieved 31 May 2013.