Down is a heavy-metal supergroup made up of members from Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity and Crowbar. The group’s first record, “NOLA,” was released in 1995, and many fans expected it to be the only release from the band. But to the surprise of many, the group decided to retreat to the swampland of New Orleans and record its second album, “Down II.”

For those of you expecting Pantera or Corrosion of Conformity, think again. It seems that Down was formed for the sole purpose of getting away from the extreme metal that its members are associated with, and are making songs instead that pay tribute to a more classical hard rock style – in other words, Black Sabbath.

If you can’t hear the influence of Ozzy and the boys on songs like “There’s Something On My Side” then you need to pull out a copy of Sabbath’s “We Sold Our Soul for Rock ‘n’ Roll” and give it a close listen.

It’s not as if Down is just a Sabbath tribute band, but they may be the closest thing to Sabbath we’ve heard in a long time.

And it’s damn nice to hear some good old-fashioned hard rock. No bells or whistles on this record, just grade-A rawk ‘n’ roll. Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein’s guitarwork is greasy and sleazy as hell, and best of all, Philip Anselmo gets to show off his singing chops. Granted, he isn’t going to be stretching the span of eight octaves, but his voice is powerful and emotional without being fancy.

Call it hard rock, call it metal, call it sludge metal, call it whatever the hell you want. But one thing is for sure: “Down II” is a damn good album that is a welcomed throwback to a time when the music mattered more than anything.

– Trevor Fisher

Doves’ newest contribution contains many musical elements that can be harnessed for great good, but in the wrong hands can also be used to inflict great evil. Unfortunately, “The Last Broadcast” seems to be a production of the dark side.

Doves has a Brit-pop sound with a ragged rock ‘n’ roll edge that seems to have been diagnosed with clinical depression. Its sound is as indebted to XTC and The Smiths as it is to Radiohead. Imagine Andy Partridge replacing Thom Yorke in Radiohead – now subtract songwriting genius, and voila, you have Doves.

The band, which consists of leader Jimi Goodwin and multi-instrumentalist twins Jez and Andy Williams, in certain respects sounds a lot like it’s trying to recreate Radiohead’s multi-textured “OK Computer” – just listen to the intro to “There Goes the Fear” and you will think Doves are offering up a “No Surprises” remix.

In the spirit of Radiohead, Doves manages to employ experimental guitar tones, various strings and electronica in an effort to bring vitality and freshness to the music. This tactic only works, however, as embellishment to songs that are already good enough to stand on their own – not as a substitute for solid songwriting. In short, you can’t polish a turd.

Tracks like “Caught by the River” and “N.Y.” hint at the beginnings of something worth listening to, but lack that unpredictable element of good songwriting that takes a song past the Johnny Dorm Room guitarist fodder into the realms of rock music that similar sounding bands like Radiohead occupy.

The album’s lyrics are equally ineffective. “Words they mean nothing/ so you can’t hurt me/ I said words they mean nothing/ so you can’t stop me.” These lyrics from “Words” sound more like an exchange between Pee-Wee and Francis from “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” than anything that would resonate with the human experience.

All things considered, “The Last Broadcast” comes across as mediocre Radiohead or XTC outtakes, offering little by way of originality to call its own.

– Tony Lombardo