DOWN has been confirmed for next year's edition of the Graspop Metal Meeting festival, set to take place June 18-21, 2020 in Dessel, Belgium. The announcement of DOWN's participation in the event comes less than a month after singer Philip Anselmo revealed that DOWN was planning to reunite in 2020 for some shows in celebration of the 25th anniversary celebration of the band's classic debut album. "We do have the 20th [sic] anniversary of 'NOLA' coming up, and I know that we have been offered some shows," Anselmo told Metal Nexus the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky. "And that's all I know. Pepper's [Keenan] still on tour [with CORROSION OF CONFORMITY]. CROWBAR's always on tour. And EYEHATEGOD, they're on tour for a long time. So, people ask me about it all the time." Anselmo's response appeared to once again suggest that DOWN's lineup for a hypothetical "NOLA" 25th-anniversary tour would feature guitarist Kirk Windstein. A founding member of DOWN, Windstein left the band in 2013 in order to focus on CROWBAR and his family life. He was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, DOWN's former guitar tech who was previously in GAHDZILLA MOTOR COMPANY, a 1990s outfit also featuring Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, WATCHTOWER), and HONKY. DOWN was forced to cancel a number of shows in 2016 after Anselmo was filmed giving a Nazi salute and shouting "white power" at a California concert. Keenan later offered his take on what transpired, telling Metal Wani that DOWN was "far from done" after the controversial incident. "You know, DOWN didn't do anything wrong," he said. "I mean, we were just guilty by association on that one. That was Phil's mistake. I've spoken to Phil and told him to get his shit together, and he is. He knows he made a mistake and was being stupid." He continued: "I've known the guy [most of my life]. He's not what that whole thing framed him to be at all. But, yeah, there's definitely a future for DOWN. I wouldn't throw all the shit we've done, beautiful music we've done on one stupid moment that was caught on camera, and he apologized for. [So we are] far from done." DOWN's last live appearance took place in August 2016 at the Psycho Las Vegas festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. The band's latest release was the "Down IV - Part Two" EP, which came out in May 2014. DOWN has not released a full-length album since 2007's "Down III: Over the Under". 1995's "NOLA" was largely credited with introducing the sound of underground New Orleans metal — "slow, super-heavy, doomsday guitar riffs stamped with Anselmo's trademark bellow," as described by NOLA.com — to a worldwide audience. The band has released albums and toured only intermittently, as its members all perform with other projects.
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