freedom. Whereas in the past I may have written
while and it’s been five years since the last album.
about things going on in my life—the status of
Once again, we’ve broken our promise of, “Sure,
this, the status of that—things I could actually see,
you’re gonna hear a new Down record before
touch and control, with Down I can write in a not
five years are up!” Didn’t happen.
-so -pointed direction and still come up with lyrics that allow the listener to have their own way of
Other members of Down have said in
interpreting it.
interviews that this EP is the first in a
Is that the idea behind “Witchtripper”?
next couple of years.
That song came about when we were last in Spain.
There’s definitely a contingent in the band that
series of four EPs to be released over the
We were in this tiny little town, and when we got
wants that to happen. But we’ll see where it goes.
off the plane, we saw all these witches, like lady-
There’s talk of doing an acoustic EP. But is my
the
head there right now? I’m not sure. It’s a cool idea,
airport. We get into town, and there’s all these
though. But what would we do on the other two?
little shops with little witches for sale, witches in
Speed metal? That ain’t happening. I mean, Down
the hotel lobby—it was bizarre. So we asked the
is Down is Down. We can go in different directions,
on-a-broomstick-type-witches,
decorating
locals what was going on, and someone brought
and we’ve shown on every record that we’re a
to our attention that there were all these big rocks
flexible band. We can write metal, we can write
on the local roofs and on people’s front porches in
acoustic songs, we can write a “Stone the Crow”-
this particular town. They told us that the stones
type song. We’ve done all those things. I think
were symbols to ward off the evil of witches
it’s within our capabilities to do whatever we want.
and the spells they may cast. Now, I’m not one
It’s just a matter of doing it.
for believing in curses or any of that stuff, but we were all out one day and Pepper says, “Damn,
Did you write or record any other songs
man—them things must be witchtrippers!” Like,
that didn’t make the EP?
the witch comes to land on your roof, trips over
Two or three things come to mind. Maybe they
one of these stones, and it’s over with. So you
didn’t fit stylistically for this EP. But if there’s a
hear this whole story I’m telling you, and obviously
completed Down song that isn’t on any of the
there’s no way that I can put into two or three
records, I’m all for putting it out. If we have a song
verses that this is what the song is particularly
that is unreleased and kinda has a different feel
about. I basically took the lore of the land and went
than what’s coming out or what has come out, I
from there. But if someone isn’t privy to the story
don’t wanna write around that song. But we can
and they hear the song, they’re not gonna know
always write Down material. Down songs aren’t
what the hell I’m talking about. So let them come
like science. It’s very off the cuff, and it comes very
up with their own ideas. It has to work both ways.
easily to us, depending on your definition of easy.
Do any of the other songs have any
You guys recently split with Rex [Brown, bass,
particular stories behind them?
also formerly of Pantera]. Is Patrick Bruders
Like I say, the lyrics are meant to be open to
the Down bass player from here on in?
interpretation. There are lines in the songs that
Pat is a bad mother******, I’ll tell you that. And
make perfect sense and other lines that are like,
I think you’ll hear it on the new EP. He’s really
“Where the hell is Phil coming from on this stuff?”
stepped up big time. He’s really classically and
And where I’m coming from is a place where
truthfully a bass player. He plays with his fingers,
I want to stir your imagination.
and he’s got this particular feel. I’ve played in a million bands where the bass just basically follows
Why did you guys decide to record an EP
the guitar riff, but Pat has a knack for hearing the
instead of a full-length?
riff, digesting it, and writing a complementary
To be perfectly honest, it’s easier on us and it’s
bass line that not only doesn’t get in the way but
quicker to get the stuff out to the public this way.
actually enhances the riff. So the answer is yes.
We’ve been sitting on some of these songs for a