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"What I want to know is can you watch something that can change you?" This is the query put forth by one M. Shawn Crahan, a.k.a. Clown or #6, sole creator of this "brutal slice-of-life double-DVD" that is "equal parts revealing documentary [and] stream-of-consciousness art film and live video." Or so says the press release. Ultimately, however, what we've got here is a failure to impress. Roadrunner Records has essentially released an extreme example of market saturation, perhaps the equivalent of carpet bombing a Britney Spears concert with crotchless panties. Oh, right. The would-be chanteuse doesn't wear any. That said, this 2-DVD package reeks of cashing in or/and selling out, especially since the band is on apparent hiatus. Would this have made more sense as a companion piece for 2004's Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses, the record to which it mostly pertains? Yes. As a stand alone, however, it is fatally flawed. Get Machine Head's Elegies if you want a great DVD from Roadrunner.
As to the notion of hiatus, Joey Jordison himself stated that Slipknot were "taking time off" -- at least at the time of the interview. In light of Jim Root's interview with Heath McCoy of the Calgary Herald (published January 15, 2007), perhaps the break could be more permanent. Hmmm, Slipknot appears to have some cracks showing through the masks. "To be honest, I'm a lot more comfortable with [Stone Sour]," Root said. "The energy [in Slipknot] is powerful, but it's pain and anxiety that makes it what it is. I don't know if that would exist if [Slipknot] was as comfortable as [Stone Sour]. ... In a nine-piece-band is one guy gonna call up eight guys and have a 45-minute discussion about every decision? No. So things are a lot more democratic in Stone Sour. Plus, we're closer and it's a lot easier to communicate. In Slipknot that's the big problem -- communication."
Back to the DVDs, Jordison's interview is quite revealing and can be watched, in spite of the overblown qualities attributed to his band. Of the group he says "It's bigger than us [nine]. ... Only the nine of us know [what it's like to be in Slipknot]." He quickly hedges his bet by saying "the fans know" and that "our music is so personal." Really? Ugh. Jordison goes on to say "the love and the magic will never disappear -- not with us 9. We're the only 9 that can do that and we're still together … all 9 of us are still together; 3-piece bands don't stay together. ... That tells you something right there. ... I challenge anyone to do what we do 'cause I don't think they'd last fuckin' five minutes." His boldest statement is thus: "You don't sell as many records as we do if your music sucks." How then does one account for the Backstreet Boys, Creed, or Eminem? Same story. End of list, Joey.
In summary, thank (insert deity of your choice here) that only the nine of them can be Slipknot, never minding that the band existed as a 6-piece and released a poorly received album in 1996 before the self-titled album from the 9-piece version came out in 1999. Voliminal: Inside the Nine would be laughable except that it is extremely difficult, nigh impossible, to watch. The menu screens are obtuse while the cut-and-pasted together footage from the first disc is amateurish at best. DVD-2 consists of nine live tracks, interviews with each band member, and five videos from Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses, including the "controversial video for "Vermilion 2," which was never officially released." There are also apparently "Easter eggs" or "rabbit holes" on DVD-1. Those, and this package altogether, really, are meant only for the most rabid of maggots. "We constantly remind all of you that we don't push the envelope because we are the envelope," said the Clown. This writer says throw the damned envelope away. One doesn't need 2 DVDs to chronicle this erstwhile band -- not even one, really. If you're over 17 and have seen them live, you know what I mean. In a word: gratuitous.
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