The Perfect Storm

Deep in the heart of New Orleans with metal supergroup Down and what's left of the city that made them underground legends

The power still doesn’t work in the basement of Phil Anselmo’s modest New Orleans home, and by the looks of his dilapidated, decaying neighborhood, it probably won’t switch back on any time soon. This despite the fact that Hurricane Katrina—a Category 5 storm responsible for more than 1,800 deaths and an estimated $81.2 billion in damage—hit Louisiana over two years ago.“Is this where you take journalists to kill them?” I ask, laughing nervously while stealing a glance at the incredibly intricate demon paintings on the staircase walls—grotesque masterpieces completed by a local New Orleans artist who’s now institutionalized. “I mean, it’s not like anyone would hear me scream down here, right?”Anselmo says nothing. I’m not sure if this is because he didn’t hear me, or because an idea just p...

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