Down 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.
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 "Nodferatu's Lair",[2] in Southern
Louisiana where they lived and recorded the album in 28 days without anyone leaving the house.[citation needed]
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."[5] 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.
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. Prior to the album's release the song had originally been titled "Wars".
Personnel
Down
Phil Anselmo – vocals, guitar on "Landing on the Mountains of Meggido"
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.[11] Afterward, the band once again entered an indefinite hiatus to focus on their respective bands.