Customer Reviews
Melvins in playful mood... - By: Soufflé, 19 Dec 2002 
Melvins have been ploughing a hilarious noisy furrow for many a year, releasing a steady stream of often brilliant aggressive rock albums, with a few up-tempo forays to keep us on our toes.
Once signed to Mike Patton's faultless Ipecac label, Melvins began to sprout forth albums at a dizzying rate of knots. This album was originally meant to make up part four of the terrific 'Crybaby'/'Bootlicker'/'Maggot' trilogy, but the label bottled it, & so 'Colossus Of Destiny' gained a solo release.
It's not your usual Melvins fare, but it's a fascinating document of what must have been a memorable experience. Word has it that the gig was so loud, people had to physically get out of the way of the barrage of noise, but the mix presented here is much easier on the ears.
Basically, 'Colossus Of Destiny' is one hour-long noise 'piece', with a fast & furious stab at 'Eye Flys' (from 'Gluey Porch Treatments') as a coda. It begins with guitarist/vocalist King Buzzo thanking the crowd for coming, & then, well, it kicks off....
Like enormous slow Pacific waves, the shrieking, alien feedback & tape effects build from silence, then pound & dissipate, & you're transfixed. Glacially slow, almost elegant, it has a similar effect to Earth's brilliant experiment 'Earth 2',in that the noise takes on a hypnotic & strangely calming effect. At times it's just beautiful, at others it's as terrifying as Coil or Swans at their most brutal. But never is it anything less than engaging. You 'have' to listen to it.
Not for everyone, then, & certainly something to confuse the hardcore Melvins fan, but I'd say it's one of their better projects.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm - By: , 04 Oct 2001 
Not too sure about this one, if the Melvins have tried to discourage the masses before, they have succeded here. This is a live album & if I had gone to this show, I would have been disappointed. There isn't any music on this album, it's just them on stage making some noises. They're good noises & it's well recorded but the fact remains that it's just sounds. This is one for the collectors & the established Melvins fans, if you are a first time listener, avoid for now.
