Rex Brown has announced that he is no longer a part of Down. The official word came after Brown missed much of Down's current tour. Rumors had spread about his status with the band, although members reassured fans that his break from Down was merely temporary.
The former Pantera bassist has quit the band to focus on a new project, Kill Devil Hill, which features drummer Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio), guitarist Mark Zavon (Ratt, W.A.S.P.) and singer Dewey Bragg.
Brown tells 8CountNews.com: "Down's not officially over. I'm just officially out of the band. Things came to a head. They are better off doing what they're doing. They have Patrick Bruders [of Crowbar] playing bass. I kind of lost the passion after a while. There were other problems that we had, so it was best that we parted ways."
You can listen to the entire audio interview below.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Josh Hart is a former web producer and staff writer for Guitar World and Guitar Aficionado magazines (2010–2012). He has since pursued writing fiction under various pseudonyms while exploring the technical underpinnings of journalism, now serving as a senior software engineer for The Seattle Times.

“The six-string bass guitar was a dream – if Leo Fender could come back today I think he would approve”: 10 6-string bassists you need to know

“It’s great to tap like Les Claypool and thump like Marcus Miller, but the world of a studio bassist is different”: Having graced hits by OutKast, TLC, and Usher, LaMarquis Jefferson carved a niche in a scene long dominated by synthetic low-end