Down have welcomed back a familiar face to the band, with longtime member and Crowbar frontman Kirk Windstein rejoining the sludge-metal supergroup. The news comes as the band plans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its debut album NOLA in 2020.
The legendary lineup of guitarist Windstein, singer Philip Anselmo (Pantera), guitarist Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity), and drummer Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod) formed Down in 1991, releasing NOLA four years later in 1995. Windstein left the band in 2013, and was replaced by Bobby Landgraf. Bassist Patrick Bruders rounds out the current lineup, having replaced Rex Brown (Pantera) in 2011.
Windstein told Revolver that he’s back in the lineup, declaring, “I’m in, 100 percent. The quote from Pepper was, ‘If you ain’t doing it, I ain’t doing it.’ Phil, Pepper and Jimmy are three of my oldest, closest friends, so this is a no-brainer for me.”
When asked if his return was permanent, he responded, “As far as I know, I’m back in the band. Bobby Landgraf did a fantastic job, and he’s a very good friend of mine. … It’s been six and a half years since I jammed with those guys, so I’m excited. It’s gonna be fun.”
Prior to Windstein’s return, Down had already announced June shows at the Graspop Metal Meeting festival in Dessel, Belgium, and at the Copenhell festival in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 2020 gigs will mark the first Down concerts since the band performed at the 2016 edition of Psycho Las Vegas.
Windstein, meanwhile is still set to release his debut solo album, Dream in Motion, on January 24th. He recently unveiled the title track and its accompanying video right here at Heavy Consequence.