Voliminal: Inside the Nine
Encyclopedia
Voliminal: Inside the Nine is the third video album by American heavy metal
band Slipknot
. Released December 5, 2006 through Roadrunner Records
, the 2-disc DVD set features an 84 minute movie created by band member Shawn "Clown" Crahan. The set also includes live performances, music videos from songs on the band's third studio album, Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)
, and the first unmasked interviews with all of the band members.
The movie featured footage recorded from the recording of Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) through the end of the tour in support of the album spanning a total of 28 months. The DVD was promoted on various websites for the weeks leading up to its limited theatrical release. Critical reception of the album was mixed, Dawn
wrote the album has "a raw sound" calling it "an audible treat for thrash and speed metal fans". However, Billboard
would tell fans to "save your cash for the band's next tour". Voliminal would be certified gold, platinum, and double platinum in Australia, the United States, and Canada respectively.
. Crahan received help from the band's record label Roadrunner
, who supplied them with tapes, camera cleaning equipment and funds to hire people to operate the cameras when Crahan himself couldn't. Recording began when Slipknot entered The Mansion and continued until they had finished touring in 2005, reportedly covering 28 months of the bands time together. Crahan's intentions were to capture as many different Slipknot situations as he could, so when the opportunity to produce a DVD came, he would be in a position to begin work immediately. During the period in which the footage was being shot, Crahan began making little tests of the footage and revealed them to his fellow band mates, judging their reactions to help him establish areas of interest from them. The whole recording process produced over 300 60-minute tapes of footage.
, Crahan watched and analysed all of the footage recorded for the DVD. However in contrast to Disasterpeices this DVD was intended to show a previously unseen side to the band. During an interview in 2006 guitarist Mick Thomson explained that with the DVD the band intended to "bring something new", he also went on to add "[there's] more backstage stuff, getting to see more inside stuff as opposed to just a concert performance." Crahan explained how he wanted to allow the viewer in on more of their time instead of just their performance, recalling a moment when the band were in Australia. He included the footage in the film, explaining; "So I go down to Australia and I go ‘Jesus, there’s bats in the air.’ I’m going to film it and share it with you because it’s part of our lives together. But most bands and people don’t want to share that side of it and I think that’s wrong." Throughout the movie whenever the band members appear unmasked, their faces are blurred, whereas on the second disc, during the interviews, they are completely revealed. When questioned on the subject during an interview on The Sauce in 2007, Crahan explained that when the band perform, the masks are always a part of their show and footage of them unmasked is blurred to represent this. Further adding; "We chose to blur it because, it's really an intrusion. [...] That's our safe place and I kind of broke the veil a little bit by grabbing a camera and trying to show everybody those kinds of things that go on."
Prior to the release of the DVD, a promotional website was launched which featured two short teaser videos. Also, for the five weeks prior to its release five short teaser videos were released through the Roadrunner Records
website respectively. The DVD was released on December 5, 2006 and was premiered in 22 separate theatres across the United States. Following the release of the DVD, a music video for the song "The Blister Exists" was released, the video featured footage from Voliminal: Inside the Nine and was of the same style as the movie.
called the DVD "an audible treat for thrash and speed metal fans", he went on to compliment drummer Joey Jordison
, stating that he "structures his beats and percussions in a very traditional thrash set-up, almost as well as (dare I say it) the great Dave Lombardo
of Slayer
fame". Ultimate Guitar called the DVD "behind-the-scene action in an unorthodox format, complete with choppy editing and absolutely no specific chronology". They would go on to state though the DVD "only gives partial attention to the music", "The best moment in the 2-disc collection comes during a chat with Corey Taylor, who shares his feelings about everything from his less-than-perfect relationship with his father to the obstacles that the band faced in its early days". TuneLab wrote "Slipknot takes a unique approach to their latest film, as they turn what could have been a mundane video of live footage and band antics into a rather peculiar and extremely interesting movie". The "scatterbrained and choppy" style of Voliminal "[will cause] the viewer to feel like he or she is "outside looking in", rather than being truly involved with the band's happenings". Reviewing for Blogcritics
, Chris Beaumont wrote "[he] was enthralled and bored by the documentary". He went on to state, "the best part is watching them perform", despite the "audio is near unlistenable"; "these guys know their way around the stage...this shows the whole package". Reviewing for Billboard
, Christa Titus criticized the DVD writing it "randomly [strings] footage from concerts and the usual backstage antics with images of pigeons and overflowing toilets, then tossing in whatever visual effects struck M. Shawn Crahan's fancy while he edited it." She concluded "Save your cash for the band's next tour...that's where you'll get your money's worth". Film School Reject's Cole Abaius wrote of the DVD, "[Except fans], probably no one else will purchase or enjoy this DVD". He added that with no narration, "the images are left to speak for themselves", only "some just don’t speak loudly enough". Despite the mixed reviews, Voliminal was certified gold in Australia, platinum in the United States, and double platinum in Canada. The album peaked at the 5th spot on Billboards Music Video charts, and remained on the chart for 10 weeks.
Interviews
The second disc includes interviews with all nine members of the band which are the first formal interviews of Slipknot to be released without their masks, excluding members appearances outside of Slipknot.
The Concert
Music videos
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
. Released December 5, 2006 through Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
, the 2-disc DVD set features an 84 minute movie created by band member Shawn "Clown" Crahan. The set also includes live performances, music videos from songs on the band's third studio album, Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)
Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)
Vol. 3: is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. The album was released on May 25, 2004, through Roadrunner Records, and a special edition, containing a bonus disc, was released on April 12, 2005. It is the band’s only album produced by Rick Rubin and also the only one not...
, and the first unmasked interviews with all of the band members.
The movie featured footage recorded from the recording of Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) through the end of the tour in support of the album spanning a total of 28 months. The DVD was promoted on various websites for the weeks leading up to its limited theatrical release. Critical reception of the album was mixed, Dawn
Dawn (newspaper)
Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
wrote the album has "a raw sound" calling it "an audible treat for thrash and speed metal fans". However, Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
would tell fans to "save your cash for the band's next tour". Voliminal would be certified gold, platinum, and double platinum in Australia, the United States, and Canada respectively.
Conception and recording
The initial idea for the DVD came to percussionist Shawn Crahan, three weeks before the band entered The Mansion in 2003, where they would work on their third studio album Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)
Vol. 3: is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. The album was released on May 25, 2004, through Roadrunner Records, and a special edition, containing a bonus disc, was released on April 12, 2005. It is the band’s only album produced by Rick Rubin and also the only one not...
. Crahan received help from the band's record label Roadrunner
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
, who supplied them with tapes, camera cleaning equipment and funds to hire people to operate the cameras when Crahan himself couldn't. Recording began when Slipknot entered The Mansion and continued until they had finished touring in 2005, reportedly covering 28 months of the bands time together. Crahan's intentions were to capture as many different Slipknot situations as he could, so when the opportunity to produce a DVD came, he would be in a position to begin work immediately. During the period in which the footage was being shot, Crahan began making little tests of the footage and revealed them to his fellow band mates, judging their reactions to help him establish areas of interest from them. The whole recording process produced over 300 60-minute tapes of footage.
Production and promotion
Similarly to the editing process of their previous DVD DisasterpiecesDisasterpieces
Disasterpieces is the second video album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Released on November 22, 2002, a 2-disc case DVD features Slipknot performing a concert at London Dockland Arena, as well all of the band's music videos up until its release including songs from Slipknot and Iowa.The...
, Crahan watched and analysed all of the footage recorded for the DVD. However in contrast to Disasterpeices this DVD was intended to show a previously unseen side to the band. During an interview in 2006 guitarist Mick Thomson explained that with the DVD the band intended to "bring something new", he also went on to add "[there's] more backstage stuff, getting to see more inside stuff as opposed to just a concert performance." Crahan explained how he wanted to allow the viewer in on more of their time instead of just their performance, recalling a moment when the band were in Australia. He included the footage in the film, explaining; "So I go down to Australia and I go ‘Jesus, there’s bats in the air.’ I’m going to film it and share it with you because it’s part of our lives together. But most bands and people don’t want to share that side of it and I think that’s wrong." Throughout the movie whenever the band members appear unmasked, their faces are blurred, whereas on the second disc, during the interviews, they are completely revealed. When questioned on the subject during an interview on The Sauce in 2007, Crahan explained that when the band perform, the masks are always a part of their show and footage of them unmasked is blurred to represent this. Further adding; "We chose to blur it because, it's really an intrusion. [...] That's our safe place and I kind of broke the veil a little bit by grabbing a camera and trying to show everybody those kinds of things that go on."
Prior to the release of the DVD, a promotional website was launched which featured two short teaser videos. Also, for the five weeks prior to its release five short teaser videos were released through the Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
website respectively. The DVD was released on December 5, 2006 and was premiered in 22 separate theatres across the United States. Following the release of the DVD, a music video for the song "The Blister Exists" was released, the video featured footage from Voliminal: Inside the Nine and was of the same style as the movie.
Reception
Critical reception for Voliminal was mixed. The newspaper DawnDawn (newspaper)
Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
called the DVD "an audible treat for thrash and speed metal fans", he went on to compliment drummer Joey Jordison
Joey Jordison
Joey Jordison , is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work as the drummer for the nu metal band Slipknot. He grew up in Waukee, Iowa with his parents and two sisters, and was given his first drum kit at the age of 8...
, stating that he "structures his beats and percussions in a very traditional thrash set-up, almost as well as (dare I say it) the great Dave Lombardo
Dave Lombardo
Dave Lombardo is a Cuban American heavy metal drummer best known for his work with American thrash metal band Slayer. He has performed with Slayer on seven albums, including their groundbreaking 1986 release Reign In Blood and their 2006 release Christ Illusion, for which he received critical praise...
of Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
fame". Ultimate Guitar called the DVD "behind-the-scene action in an unorthodox format, complete with choppy editing and absolutely no specific chronology". They would go on to state though the DVD "only gives partial attention to the music", "The best moment in the 2-disc collection comes during a chat with Corey Taylor, who shares his feelings about everything from his less-than-perfect relationship with his father to the obstacles that the band faced in its early days". TuneLab wrote "Slipknot takes a unique approach to their latest film, as they turn what could have been a mundane video of live footage and band antics into a rather peculiar and extremely interesting movie". The "scatterbrained and choppy" style of Voliminal "[will cause] the viewer to feel like he or she is "outside looking in", rather than being truly involved with the band's happenings". Reviewing for Blogcritics
Blogcritics
Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site—a self-proclaimed "sinister cabal of superior writers"—was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn...
, Chris Beaumont wrote "[he] was enthralled and bored by the documentary". He went on to state, "the best part is watching them perform", despite the "audio is near unlistenable"; "these guys know their way around the stage...this shows the whole package". Reviewing for Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, Christa Titus criticized the DVD writing it "randomly [strings] footage from concerts and the usual backstage antics with images of pigeons and overflowing toilets, then tossing in whatever visual effects struck M. Shawn Crahan's fancy while he edited it." She concluded "Save your cash for the band's next tour...that's where you'll get your money's worth". Film School Reject's Cole Abaius wrote of the DVD, "[Except fans], probably no one else will purchase or enjoy this DVD". He added that with no narration, "the images are left to speak for themselves", only "some just don’t speak loudly enough". Despite the mixed reviews, Voliminal was certified gold in Australia, platinum in the United States, and double platinum in Canada. The album peaked at the 5th spot on Billboards Music Video charts, and remained on the chart for 10 weeks.
Contents
The first disc of Voliminal: Inside The Nine is a 84 minute movie constructed of a mixture of live performance, backstage and studio footage. The film was shot on handheld digital cameras and features rapid edits between footage which follows no chronological order. Throughout the movie there are also ten "rabbit holes", nine of which feature additional footage for each band member respectively.Interviews
The second disc includes interviews with all nine members of the band which are the first formal interviews of Slipknot to be released without their masks, excluding members appearances outside of Slipknot.
The Concert
- "(sic)" (The Eurockeenes Festival 2004EurockéennesThe Eurockéennes de Belfort is one of France's largest rock music festivals. The Eurockéennes, a play on words involving the words rock and européennes , is a festival based in a nature reserve in Malsaucy near Belfort...
) - "The Blister Exists" (WFF 2004With Full ForceWith Full Force is a metal, hardcore and punk festival held annually in Germany since 1994. The 2011 edition took place on July 1 and July 3 at the Roitzschjora airport in Löbnitz near Leipzig in the Saxon county of Delitzsch.-2010:...
) - "Eyeless" (WFF 2004)
- "VermilionVermilion (song)"Vermilion" is a song by American metal band Slipknot. The song is released as the second single from their third album, Vol. 3: ....
" (TMF Awards 2004TMF AwardsThe TMF Awards are an annual television awards show broadcast live on TMF .The first Dutch TMF Awards were held in 1995, as a brand extension to the recently launched local Dutch music channel TMF. The show was very small and held in the company cafeteria...
) - "DualityDuality (song)"Duality" is a song by the American heavy metal band Slipknot, the song was released as the first single from their third album Vol. 3: , released in 2004...
" (Summer Sonic 2005Summer Sonic FestivalThe Summer Sonic Festival is an annual two or three-days rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa....
) - "The Heretic Anthem" (Summer Sonic 2005)
- "Pulse of the Maggots" (Summer Sonic 2005)
- "Before I Forget" (Summer Sonic 2005)
- "People = Shit" (Summer Sonic 2005)
Music videos
- "Duality"
- "Vermilion"
- "Vermilion Pt. 2"
- "Before I Forget"
- "The Nameless"
Personnel
Aside from their real names, members of the band are referred to by numbers zero through eight.- (#0) Sid WilsonSid WilsonSidney George Wilson also known as Ratboy or DJ Sid, #0 , is an American disc jockey known as the turntablist of the Grammy Award winning band Slipknot. He is the youngest member of the band.-Biography:...
– turntables - (#1) Joey JordisonJoey JordisonJoey Jordison , is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work as the drummer for the nu metal band Slipknot. He grew up in Waukee, Iowa with his parents and two sisters, and was given his first drum kit at the age of 8...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, mixing - (#2) Paul GrayPaul Gray (Slipknot)Paul Dedrick Gray also known as The Pig or by his number #2 was an American musician, best known as the bassist, primary songwriter and one of the founding members of the Grammy Award-winning metal band Slipknot....
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - (#3) Chris FehnChris FehnChristopher Michael "Chris" Fehn , or known by his number #3, is an American musician known as one of the two custom percussionists of the Grammy Award winning nu metal band Slipknot and is the current bassist for the band Will Haven.-Personal life and career:Fehn was born and raised in Des Moines,...
– custom percussion, backing vocals - (#4) Jim Root – guitars
- (#5) Craig Jones – samplesSampler (musical instrument)A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
, mediaSampling (music)In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically... - (#6) Shawn Crahan – custom percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, backing vocals, editing - (#7) Mick Thomson – guitarsElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- (#8) Corey TaylorCorey TaylorCorey Todd Taylor sometimes known by the number 8, is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of Slipknot and Stone Sour. Taylor was raised by his single mother. He developed a fond feeling toward classic rock after his grandmother introduced him to it...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Neil Zaugg - producer, editor
- Corey Brennan - management
- Scott Kaven - visual effects, fly on the wall
- Michael Boland - package design
- Monte ConnerMonte ConnerMonte Conner is a producer and A&R person for Roadrunner Records. He has worked with numerous bands including, Slipknot, Trivium and King Diamond.- Discography :#Trivium - The Crusade#Stone Sour - Come WhatMay#Jerry Cantrell - Degradation Trip...
- A&R - David Rath - project coordinator
- Ben Kim - menu design
- Chuck Close - authoring
- Jean-Luc Cohen - sound design
- Tom Hutten - audio mastering
- Paul Hickey - director of photography
- Bobby Tongs - videography
- George Christ - videography
- Jon Van Allen - videography
- Michael Ericson - videography
- Steve Faust - gaffer
- Cory Doss - grip
- Dale Cowdin - audio
- Jennifer Chiodo - makeup