Customer Reviews
Trust the reviews people - By: A. C. Raymond, 10 Mar 2007 
Too often I've read over-zealous reviews on here & have been disappointed after buying & 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 & yet, sounds so deep & earth-shattering as if it's been around forever, waiting for you to catch on; the beats are really tastefully chopped up & rearranged; Vaudel & Vast's rhymes & subject matter are based on their real experiences of livingin NYC, but are expansive & intelligent & thought-provoking enough for anyone to get into..and their different styles do indeed perfectly compliment each other.
"Put a micin front of me, & I'm gonna bless it,
hummingbird style, seventy timesin one second."
All great art is hard to put into words so I'll shut up now & just say: "BUY THIS NOW!".
Genius - By: J. Stocks, 28 Oct 2006 Initially I found the unorthodox layered beats on The Cold Vein too much to take in. However, when I sat down one afternoon & 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 & Vordul demonstrate what a great duet are able to achieve over a set of beats which arein my opinion completely unmatchedin 21st century hip-hop. This is the evolution of a genre from materialistic showmanship to hard-edged metaphorically-expressed reality. Vastaire spits insightful & creative linesin his own unique & impetuous style e.g. "The samples the flesh & the beat's the skeleton/ you got beef but there's wormsin your Wellington/ I'll put a holein your skull & 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 & 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 expressedin 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 & 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 & take the time to listen to it. IT IS AMAZING.
Genius! - By: Dominic Flanagan, 01 Aug 2006 I first heard this album when it was released at the end of 2001 & at first I just couldn't warm to it. I felt like I just couldn't quite catch the beats, & the flow & style of vast aire & vordul mega were alien to me.
Fast forward to todayin 2006 & this is one of my favourite albums of all time! I played it on the way to work today & it was fantastic.
Its an album that cant be appreciated or understoodin a few listens, every listen uncovers something new & peels back another layer of genius! From the dark & 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 listenin 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!
The Cold Vein-Intangible Dopeness - By: Brucepapoose, 14 Jul 2006 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 & his delivery is unbelievable,Vordul Mega's flow is amazing & the thing that is best about this album is the legend El-p's atmospheric & apocalyptic beats.This album is one of the best underground hip hop albums ever.This is abstract hip hop at its best & 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.
you need this album - By: , 29 Jun 2005 this is one of the best albums ,it has ill rhyme flavors & heavy orginal production byin my opinion the best producerin the game [el-p]it is so amazing that my vocabulary aint large enuff to fully complement it if you like something different & 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 & smooth it is every thing a good album needs to be with a huge sense of ceativity [a classic album]
