Report: DOWN Reunion Caused By WITCHCRAFT
October 19, 2007, 17 years ago
MTV.com has issued the following report from Chris Harris and Jon Wiederhorn:
While they may not be terribly well-known in North America, former Norrsken guitarist Magnus Pelander and his bandmates in WITCHCRAFT are owed a debt of gratitude by DOWN fans the world over. After all, the Swedish sludge-rockers are largely responsible for getting Down back together.
Sound strange? Well, it isn't. Long before Down began writing material for this year's Down III: Over the Under, frontman Phil Anselmo got a hold of one of Witchcraft's LPs and instantly fell in love with the band - so much so, in fact, that it inspired him to show up, unannounced, on Down guitarist Pepper Keenan's doorstep after a long silence. Anselmo wanted to introduce Keenan to his "new favorite band" and, through an impromptu listening session, the pair's relationship was rekindled - and Down were resurrected.
Pelander's not quite ready to take credit for Down's revival, but he certainly appreciates Anselmo's endorsement.
"I found out a couple of years ago, and it was mind-blowing to hear that," the singer/guitarist said. "I remember hearing the rumor that we were one of Phil's favorite bands, and I was like, 'What?' He's a metal icon, and I have nothing but respect [for] all those guys. We actually met Phil and Pepper twice, once when we were touring the US, and Phil's been talking about us in interviews - and that's really nice."Read the full story at MTV.com.
