Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow

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.

Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow
Studio album by Down
Released	March 26, 2002
Recorded	September 28, 2001 – November 26, 2001
Studio	Nodferatu's Lair, Louisiana
Genre	Sludge metal, Southern rock[1]
Length	65:58
Label	Elektra
Producer	Down Warren Riker
Down chronology
NOLA (1995) Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow (2002) Down III: Over the Under (2007)

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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Metal Hammer
Rock Sound
Rock Hard	9.5/10[4]

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." 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.

Accolades

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Metal Hammer	United Kingdom	"Albums of the Year"[5]	2002	4
Kerrang!	United Kingdom	"Albums of the Year"[6]	2002	14
Terrorizer	United Kingdom	"Albums of the Year"[7]	2002	20
Rock Hard	Germany	"The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time"[8]	2005	319

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Lysergik Funeral Procession"	Phil Anselmo, Jimmy Bower, Pepper Keenan, Kirk Windstein	3:10
2.	"There's Something on My Side"	Anselmo, Keenan, Windstein	5:21
3.	"The Man That Follows Hell"	Anselmo, Keenan	4:33
4.	"Stained Glass Cross"	Anselmo, Bower, Keenan	3:36
5.	"Ghosts Along the Mississippi"	Anselmo, Bower, Rex Brown, Keenan, Windstein	5:06
6.	"Learn from This Mistake"	Anselmo, Brown, Keenan	7:14
7.	"Beautifully Depressed"	Anselmo, Bower, Keenan, Windstein	4:52
8.	"Where I'm Going"	Anselmo, Keenan	3:10
9.	"Doobinterlude" (instrumental)	Bower	1:50
10.	"New Orleans Is a Dying Whore"	Anselmo, Bower, Keenan, Windstein	4:15
11.	"The Seed"	Anselmo, Bower, Keenan	4:21
12.	"Lies, I Don't Know What They Say But..."	Anselmo, Brown, Keenan	6:21
13.	"Flambeaux's Jamming with St. Aug" (instrumental)	Bower	0:59
14.	"Dog Tired"	Anselmo, Bower, Keenan	3:21
15.	"Landing on the Mountains of Meggido"	Anselmo	7:49
Total length:			65:58

• 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.

Personnel

Down

• Phil Anselmo – vocals, guitar on "Landing on the Mountains of Meggido"
• Pepper Keenan – guitar
• Kirk Windstein – guitar
• Rex Brown – bass
• Jimmy Bower – drums, all instruments on "Doobinterlude"

Additional musicians

• Stephanie Opal Weinstein – backing vocals on "Landing on the Mountains of Meggido"

Charts

Year	Chart	Position
2002	Billboard 200	44
2002	German Album Charts[9]	67

Tour

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.[10] Afterward, the band once again entered an indefinite hiatus to focus on their respective bands.

Date	City	Country	Venue
April 28, 2002	Birmingham	United States	Five Points Music Hall
April 29, 2002	Atlanta		The Roxy
May 1, 2002	New York City		Roseland Ballroom
May 2, 2002	Philadelphia		Trocadero
May 3, 2002	Worcester		The Palladium
May 5, 2002	Cleveland		The Palladium
May 6, 2002	Cincinnati		Bogart's
May 7, 2002	Columbus		Newport Music Hall
May 9, 2002	Grand Rapids		The Orbit Room
May 10, 2002	Detroit		Harpo's
May 11, 2002	Chicago		House of Blues
May 13, 2002	Minneapolis		Quest Club
May 15, 2002	Denver		Ogden Theater
May 17, 2002	Las Vegas		House of Blues
May 18, 2002	West Hollywood		House of Blues
May 19, 2002	San Francisco		The Fillmore
May 21, 2002	Scottsdale		Cajun House
May 23, 2002	San Antonio		Sunset Station
May 24, 2002	Houston		Sunset Station
May 25, 2002	Dallas		Deep Ellum Live

References

1. "Southern Rock mit metallischem Einschlag und der Schwermut des Südens". laut.de (in German). April 13, 2002.
2. "DOWN's PHILIP ANSELMO Checks In From 'Nodferatu's Lair' (Video)". Blabbermouth.net. December 22, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
3. O'Neill, Brian. "AllMusic". Retrieved May 31, 2013.
4. Stappert, Andreas. "Rock Hard review". issue 179. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
5. "Metal Hammer - Albums of the Year". Rocksound. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
6. "Kerrang! - Albums of the Year". Kerrang!. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
7. "Terrorizer - Albums of the Year". Rocksound. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
8. Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Rock Hard. 2005. p. 83. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
9. "charts.de". Retrieved May 31, 2013.
10. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1453044/pantera-frontman-gets-down-dirty.jhtml