I judge, Down's sound has matured further. This third album holds a new energy but still maintains the distinguished Down sound. Heavy, thick guitars that touch the chords of blues at times. Phil Anselmo furthers his range of vocals and offers, what I judge to be, a new side of himself. Although not as heavy as I judge NOLA to be, Down still presents their classic heavy riff-laden guitar mastery.

Down has always been an excellent band. 1995's NOLA is a legendary album, and 2002's II-A Bustle in Your Hedgerow didn't fail to amaze either. Excellent musicianship, powerful riffs, and killer songwriting are the rule for Down.

That's part of what makes this album so frustrating.

Unfortunately, Down has become another band that has fallen prey to the disgusting trend of mastering albums in a manner that squashes dynamics and reduces amazing songs to near-unlistenable levels of mediocrity.

This album would easily be a five-star effort if it was not for the terrible production that makes a shambles of otherwise excellent compositions. Put this one on the list of yet another great album by a great band trashed by the loudness wars.

Down is one of my all time favorites and I have listened to the first two albums countless times. Unfortunately, I feel like Over the Under is just a weak album. The mixing on this album is horrible and the studio staff should be ashamed. I also found most of the songs to be boring and uninspired. With there first two albums, every song was its own entity, but with this one it just doesn't do anything for me. It is still worth a listen, but it is not worth the praise that most have given it here on Amazon.

I am a huge fan of the first two Down releases, and am disappointed in this CD. I can get into most of the songs, but I am let down that the overall style is less aggressive and, well, pissed-off and evil. And "Nothing in Return" sounds way too close to Zepplin's "No Quarter."

Also, I hate the mix of this CD; the low frequencies dominate so much that the CRUNCH of the guitars is lost.

I was introduced to Down quite by chance. Someone had bought their first LP, NOLA and didn't dig it, and wanted to move it. So I took a listen and after the first song knew I had to have it. As any Down fan knows, NOLA is one of the great hard rock albums of the last decade. I didn't think they could improve on it, and while Over the Under doesn't eclipse it, it comes damn close. What I like about Down is they are evolving with each recording. Bustle in Your Hedgerow was a pretty varied release, but it has some serious classics on it - Lysergik Funeral and New Oleans is a Dying Whore among others. Over the under is another new chapter. Phil in particular is giving his voice more free reign and I like what I hear. There's depth there, particularly on Beneath the Tides and the killer closer. Of course, you also get the guitars, and boy do you get them. From the first second they are everywhere, weaving mountains of sound, and the playing is soulful and scorching at the same time. Down have emerged as the most interesting and productive of Phil's 'side projects'. I feel they are ready to conquer the world with over the under. He can finally emerge from the considerable shadow cast by Pantera and enter a new phase of his amazingly productive career./