The Cold Vein

---

---

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Cannibal Ox's Vast Aire Kramer and Vordul Megala Shamar have struck a cold vein in hip-hop and come up with digital gold. Digging for dignity in an iron galaxy, to raise human tragedy beyond the small black print of the crime pages, these rap Vikings write rhymes in the blood of the slain, spit-sacred thought in the service of salvation. With production by Company Flow's El-P (who also appears on the group's ghetto-vaudeville theme tune "Ox out the Cage" and the industry-sniping "Ridiculoid"), the backdrop to their rap reality-myth is a drone-heavy matrix of gritty, atomised funk and reconstructed beats. Alaska and Cryptic of Atoms Family (the larger group to whom Can Ox pledge allegiance) guest on "Atom", colliding with their compadres like charged molecules. While on "A B-Boy's Alpha" Vast and Vordul present a rugged primer to the strife life. Powered by a paralysing banshee-wail, "Raspberry Fields" douses the Beatles with brown acid and dumps them on the baddest corner on the block for a battle to the death with the flesh-eating MCs. Closer "Pigeon" unlocks the rock box, pitching bowed electric guitar with redemptive organ chords, while Vast takes flight with words that lick the air with violence and Vordul spreads melanin wings to shield his fellow warriors from horror. No bad blood here, just cold veins locked in pitched battle to rend the world from the grip of iron, and release its populous like ions. --Chris Campion

---

Description
Debut album from New York avant-garde hip-hop stars Vordul and Vast Aire, proteges of former Company Flow mainman El-P,who produced this record. Features lyrically dense, intelligent, sci-fi inspired raps over El-P's raw synths and heavy beats.

---

Customer reviews

review by: in the cold vein date: 2007-03-10 rating:
Trust the reviews people
Too often I've read over-zealous reviews on here and have been disappointed after buying and playing the cd a few times. I agree with the person above: the same thing happened to me a couple of years ago when I originally picked up 'The Cold Vein' - I foolishly left the cd languishing at the bottom of my pile after first listening 'cos I couldn't get my head around the production/beats or even the rhymes. It pains me now to think how long it took me to give Can Ox another spin.

Put simply, this is without a doubt one of the best albums I own, certainly the best hip-hop album. It's worth buying for 'Iron Galaxy' alone - surely the best intro to any hip-hop album ever?

Calling it a genius, monumental, genre-redefining piece of art is no exaggeration; the drony, inspired production by El-P is futuristic and yet, sounds so deep and earth-shattering as if it's been around forever, waiting for you to catch on; the beats are really tastefully chopped up and rearranged; Vaudel and Vast's rhymes and subject matter are based on their real experiences of living in NYC, but are expansive and intelligent and thought-provoking enough for anyone to get into..and their different styles do indeed perfectly compliment each other.

"Put a mic in front of me, and I'm gonna bless it,
hummingbird style, seventy times in one second."


All great art is hard to put into words so I'll shut up now and just say: "BUY THIS NOW!".

---

review by: hip-hop-head date: 2006-10-28 rating:
Genius
Initially I found the unorthodox layered beats on The Cold Vein too much to take in. However, when I sat down one afternoon and listened to the whole album properly I realised that I had never heard a work of such uncompromising brilliance, it struck me like a blow to the face.

Vastaire and Vordul demonstrate what a great duet are able to achieve over a set of beats which are in my opinion completely unmatched in 21st century hip-hop. This is the evolution of a genre from materialistic showmanship to hard-edged metaphorically-expressed reality. Vastaire spits insightful and creative lines in his own unique and impetuous style e.g. "The samples the flesh and the beat's the skeleton/ you got beef but there's worms in your Wellington/ I'll put a hole in your skull and extract the gelatine." Vordul spit's a semi-metaphorical dose of street talk with less hard hitting lines but a nicer flow which fits with Vast perfectly.

Such is the strength of tracks that my favourite tends to be whichever is currently playing, there are no weak ones and that surely is the definition of a classic. Produced by the standout (I should say genius) producer El-P (of Company Flow fame), Cold Vein takes the listener on a relentless journey through a reality expressed in other-worldly fashion. The range of samples used is another outstanding feature of this album.

To say it's my favourite album of all time is an understatement, it's a total no-brainer. No hip-hop album I have ever heard comes anywhere near to being as good as this one. When I listen to this album I imagine myself floating through space. It is from another world, another time and another place. It is also a work of contemporary genius. How this is possible I don't know but it's the truth.

All this might sound a bit far-fetched but it truly is difficult to put into words just how good this album is. If you do one thing after reading this review, buy the album and take the time to listen to it. IT IS AMAZING.

---

review by: domflanuk date: 2006-08-01 rating:
Genius!
I first heard this album when it was released at the end of 2001 and at first I just couldn't warm to it. I felt like I just couldn't quite catch the beats, and the flow and style of vast aire and vordul mega were alien to me.
Fast forward to today in 2006 and this is one of my favourite albums of all time! I played it on the way to work today and it was fantastic.
Its an album that cant be appreciated or understood in a few listens, every listen uncovers something new and peels back another layer of genius! From the dark and completely original production of el-p, to the pure genius lyrics of vast aire this album is simply breathtaking! Among my favorite lyrics is Vast Aire on Straight off the D.I.C where he says "They call me starvin harlem scissor tongue... I lick tissue", or when he says "ask blind man steven if he even knows how the sunset looks... thats sumthin you couldnt feel with a braille book". No other MC comes close to this kind of intelligent wordplay.
When I listen to this album I listen in the knowledge that not everyone will get to appreciate this album as they may not take the time necessary to understand it... but that just makes it all the more special to me!

---

review by: date: 2006-07-14 rating:
The Cold Vein-Intangible Dopeness
I would describe this album as first of all a classic,second of all as dope.When I say it has intangible dopeness i mean that it is a dopeness that you cannot explain.Ihavent put my finger on why this album is so good.Ill give it my best shot to explain:Vast Aires lyrics are full of wit and his delivery is unbelievable,Vordul Mega's flow is amazing and the thing that is best about this album is the legend El-p's atmospheric and apocalyptic beats.This album is one of the best underground hip hop albums ever.This is abstract hip hop at its best and if you like it you should check out the other Def Jux albums as Def Jux is the best label out.You wont be dissapointed with this album.


review by: lyricalrealmmaster date: 2005-06-29 rating:
you need this album
this is one of the best albums ,it has ill rhyme flavors and heavy orginal production by in my opinion the best producer in the game [el-p]it is so amazing that my vocabulary aint large enuff to fully complement it if you like something different and original but as good as any classic then this is probably the album you have waited for ever for its dark abstract mistical futuristic rugged and smooth it is every thing a good album needs to be with a huge sense of ceativity [a classic album]

---

Similar products

Labor Days
I Phantom
Vaudeville Villain
Take Me to Your Leader
Dr. Octagonecologyst

---

Similar categories

Music . Styles . Dance & Electronic . Bestsellers
Music . Styles . Hip-Hop & Rap . Bestsellers
Music . Styles . Hip-Hop & Rap . East Coast
Music . Styles . Hip-Hop & Rap . Experimental
Music . Styles . Hip-Hop & Rap . General AAS
Music . Styles . Pop . General AAS
Music . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . CD . CD Album

---