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Things are looking up for Down.
After weathering a series of personal storms over the past several years, the southern-metal supergroup is finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, says drummer Jimmy Bower.
In 2004 and 2005, Down -- which also features former Pantera singer Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown, along with Corrosion of Conformity singer-guitarist Pepper Keenan and Crowbar guitarist Kirk Windstein -- were devastated by a one-two punch that would have killed many bands.
First came the horrific onstage murder of Anselmo's former guitarist and bandmate Dimebag Darrell Abbott, who was shot to death during a show with his new band Damageplan. Less than a year later came Hurricane Katrina, which flooded Bower's home and destroyed Anselmo's house, taking his musical memorabilia and personal possessions along with it.
But as the saying goes, what didn't kill them made them stronger. Six months after Katrina, they regrouped and decided to make Down their No. 1 priority. And they channelled all their grief, frustration and anger into their tellingly titled 2007 album Down III: Over the Under, exorcising their demons in songs such as Mourn, On March the Saints and I Scream.
"We were just trying to get something positive out of all the negativity and tragedy that was surrounding us," Bower says.
Down plays next Monday at the Commodore.