Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow

Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow
Studio album by Down
Released	March 26, 2002
Recorded	September 28, 2001 - November 26, 2001
Genre	Heavy metal, sludge metal, southern metal
Length	65:58
Label	Elektra
Producer	Down Warren Riker
Down chronology
NOLA (1995) Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow (2002) Down III: Over the Under (2007)

Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow is the second album by 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.

Background

This was Down's first album in seven years since the release of NOLA, the longest gap between the band's three studio albums to date. Since Down was 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 "Nödferatu's Lair," in southern Louisiana where they lived and recorded the album in 28 days without anyone leaving the house.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Metal Hammer
Rock Sound
Rock Hard (de)	9.5/10[2]

Down II was not received with the same positive reviews as NOLA. Blabbermouth.net 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

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.

Track listing

• 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

• Philip 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

References