Down @ Copenhell 2022
"Play some of the less old ones!"
Last time I saw Down was a live transmitted studio show two years ago during COVID, celebrating the 25-year anniversary of their first release, "NOLA" ('95). This time, they seem to be doing a bit of the same, seeing as how 8 out of 11 songs tonight are taken from that album.
Don't get me wrong, that's a powerful fucking debut right there. But I never understood the whole canon, considering how its younger brother "A Bustle in Your Hedgerow" ('02) is so much more creative, diverse, and dynamic.
As such, I'm more than happy as the band sets off with its monolithic opener "Lysergik Funeral Procession". "Ghosts Along the Mississippi" is obviously another highlight, as is the gnarly "Witchtripper" from that EP thingy.
As confident and well-playing as the band is, Anselmo seems to having a bit of a regular day at the office. He doesn't talk much in between songs except for his usual "get your hands up". And we gladly obey one of metal's all-time biggest badasses – the man still commands a natural respect even in spite of certain unfortunate media incidents. As my buddy says, who's rarely less than spot-on about anything, "On some days, Anselmo's your cool uncle; on others, he's a white supremacist".
I know complaining about the setlist might be a cliché, but why in the ever-loving tits of Christ would you write a goddamn behemoth of a song like "New Orleans Is a Dying Whore" and then NOT play it??
All that aside, I gotta say it gets a bit demanding to wait through "Losing All", "Pillars of Eternity", "Swan Song", and "Eyes of the South" – more than decent songs as they are – before the equal parts wonderful and mandatory "Stone the Crow" makes for some musical variety, and, not surprisingly, yields the biggest crowd response and singalong.
Seeing as how Down wear their Louisiana ancestry on their sleeve – an American state of such musical diversity and heritage – it's surprising how they don't stand more by those bluesy and catchy components that they do so well, rather than the much less colorful material from that omni-worshipped debut.
A song like "On March the Saints" should be mandatory as well. And yes, I know complaining about the setlist might be a cliché, but why in the ever-loving tits of Christ would you write a goddamn behemoth of a song like "New Orleans Is a Dying Whore" and then NOT play it?? As my aforementioned buddy remarks on our way there, it's actually a bit uncanny how many amazing songs this band has written. Tonight, though, they don't grace us with a whole lot of them.
But again, don't get me wrong: We're having a great ol' time. It's around 9 pm on a sunny evening on a metal festival; we're drinking, headbanging, rocking out, and all-round partying as is customary. And again: There is nothing downright bad about "NOLA". I've spent many an hour in the company of Down through the years, and I'd gladly do it again.
Rating: 4 out of 6
Genre: Sludge / stoner metal
Venue: Copenhell, Hades Stage
Date: Thurs., 16/6/2022
Setlist:
- Lysergik Funeral Procession
- Hail the Leaf
- Lifer
- Witchtripper
- Ghosts Along the Mississippi
- Losing All
- Pillars of Eternity
- Swan Song
- Eyes of the South
- Stone the Crow
- Bury Me In Smoke