Pepper Keenan & Kirk Windstein on DOWN's New Album Volume V, The lost NOLA Tapes & More | Sonic Road Highlights Ep. 43

Phil Anselmo and King Diamond trading lines on "Merciful Fate" might be one of the best heavy metal moments of the last 10 years. That's one of the stops in these 15-minute highlights from Episode 43 of The Sonic Road Podcast with Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein of DOWN, recorded ahead of Volume V (Nuclear Blast Records, Nov. 20). Pepper and Kirk talk about throwing out the computer tricks and telling the mix to "just think Back in Black." They tracked their guitars at the same time while Phil sang along and called the turnarounds, and they say it felt like a skateboard contest. At Nodferatu's Lair they sleep in little kid beds side by side and talk riffs with the lights off. Plus: the 70s-style turn in "The Myth," how Ozzy's passing shaped "Ozz," the five NOLA two-inch reels that still need to be baked and digitized, Pepper's long-saved solo material, Kirk's studio-only solo records, writing and recording Down II in 28 days, and the nail-gun test that picked the room for COC's drum sound. We start with an Emma Ruth Rundle crowd that wouldn't stop talking, a trip to Attic Records in Millvale, PA, and Beau's first spin of NOLA on cassette in '95. We end with Kirk's underground pick, Blast, and a nod to RĀDE. 🎙️ Watch the full episode: [INSERT FULL EPISODE LINK] 🛒 VOLUME V — OUT NOV 20 ON NUCLEAR BLAST 🔴 Pre-order (Nuclear Blast US store): https://shop.nuclearblast.com/products/down-volume-v 🎧 Pre-order digital (Bandcamp): https://downofficial.bandcamp.com/album/volume-v 🍎 Pre-add (Apple Music): https://music.apple.com/us/album/volume-v/6796236881 🎟️ THE GREAT NOLA TRENDKILL — NOV 20–21, LAKEFRONT ARENA, NEW ORLEANS 🎫 Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.com/the-great-nola-trendkill-2-day-new-orleans-louisiana-11-20-2026/event/1B006522ED382003 🌐 DOWN official site: https://www.down-nola.com 🎙️ THE SONIC ROAD PODCAST ▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@thesonicroad 🎧 Spotify: The Sonic Road Podcast on Spotify 🍎 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonic-road-podcast/id1796040439 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/share/1B865BcX44 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thesonicroad 🐦 X: @thesonicroad 🌐 Website & Newsletter: thesonicroad.com 🔗 All Links: linktr.ee/thesonicroad #DOWN #KingDiamond #HeavyMetal #NewOrleans #Podcast