Watch: DOWN Drops Studio Teaser For First Full-Length Album Since 2012

On Wednesday, July 9, longtime Down guitarists Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein officially entered OCD Recording in Metairie, Louisiana to begin tracking guitars for the band’s highly anticipated new studio album – their first full-length in over a decade. The as-yet-untitled record is slated for release in 2026 through their new label home, Nuclear Blast Records.

A short in-studio video featuring Keenan and Windstein working through one of the album’s new songs has surfaced online, alongside a handful of behind-the-scenes photos, giving fans their first taste of the long-awaited recording sessions. The album marks Down‘s return to full-length output after more than 12 years, with the lineup of vocalist Philip H. Anselmo, guitarist Pepper Keenan, drummer Jimmy Bower, bassist Pat Bruders, and Windstein himself once again reuniting under the NOLA metal banner.

Down‘s signing with Nuclear Blast was first announced this past April, with the label stating: “Nuclear Blast is proud to be in the trenches with NOLA legends Down as their partner in their long overdue return to the metal world. In addition, we are excited to bring some of their key past catalog releases back into the spotlight, especially on the vinyl side. There are so many longtime Down fans at Nuclear Blast who are excited to be working with one of their all-time favorite bands. 2026 can’t come soon enough!”

Frontman Philip Anselmo echoed the sentiment, saying, “It’s good to sign with Nuclear Blast Records. It’s a good label home and we’re ready to make some awesome recordings!”

Keenan, who also plays in Corrosion of Conformity, added, “Having already been a part of the Nuclear Blast family with COC, it is an honor and a privilege to be here as well with my brothers in Down. The team at Nuclear Blast is a well-oiled machine and you can definitely tell they love what they do. We are in the right place.”

Drummer Jimmy Bower summed it up: “Nuclear Blast is a great label that put out some excellent records. It’s an honor to have them work our jams!”

This new studio activity follows a string of recent live appearances, including a Western U.S. tour with Danzig and a headlining slot at this year’s Milwaukee Metal Fest. It also marks a significant creative milestone for a band that hasn’t released a full-length album since 2012’s Down IV – Part I.

In April 2024, Kirk Windstein spoke to Concrete Spew about the musical direction of the upcoming material: “It just sounds like Down. I mean, it sounds refreshing because we haven’t done it in so long… So it sounds like Down. I think, to me, it sounds more old-school Down.”

He went on to describe the new writing process as more organic and stripped-down: “We’re not overthinking it. We’re not trying to make things too complex… We just kind of got away – and I hate to say ‘got away’ – but we needed to go back and look at each other and just go, ‘Let’s just get in a room and do it like we did from the beginning.'”