Behold! –the band that simply will not die. No matter how little air they can inhale through their decaying masks, no matter how much excess heat their solid black jumpsuits trap in, no matter the huge amount of scorn they draw from both parents and metal purists, or even the fact that the genre they were once such a big part of is more or less in the same graveyard as hair metal, the Slipknot machine just keeps rolling on. However, there was a period during the band’s 11-year history where rumors speculating Slipknot’s disintegration were floating around numerous magazines and over the Internet. While those rumors eventually simmered down and were slapped in the face with the release of Vol. 3 The Subliminal Verses, band member Shawn Crahan (the clown) set out to record the band’s journey through the making of that album, and more specifically, the grueling world tour that followed. Set out to give fans a glimpse into what life on stage and on the road is like for a band such as Slipknot, Crahan has assembled a very gritty, raw collection of footage over the his band’s world trek. Now…although this seems like an interesting idea, the execution painfully misses the mark in more ways than one.

Voliminal: Inside The Nine is a 2 disc DVD set, with the first disc being the real meat of the package. Starting off strangely with a clip of the band’s performance being canceled at a particular date somewhere not being taken to lightly by the crowd, the formula of the footage is soon revealed. Step 1: Insert a 30 second clip of the band playing a random song at an unsteady volume that sounds like it was recorded with a handheld digital camera (which it was). In almost every short live clip, the drums overpower everything and make distinguishing individual songs very difficult for even seasoned Slipknotters Step 2: Insert a slightly longer clip of some backstage tomfoolery that the band/road crew happens to be engaging in with no narration or anything of that sort at all. Step 3: Insert a random piece of “artsy” footage that has seemingly nothing to do with the band (such as a ladybug, a flower, or a Jamaican man silently playing steel drums…). And thus, the lack of coherence is revealed in a formula; such as the one previously mentioned one that just seems to keep repeating itself for 80 minutes. There is no narraration or explanation behind any of the non-musical scenes, and thus the entire first disc suffers from a lack of coherence because of it.

Strangely, the second disc is what I think would make this a worthwhile purchase, for seriously diehard fans. It contains 9 different interviews of all the band members. Some of the interviews are intentionally funny, like the one with Chris Fehn as he shows up the interviewer in a round of golf. Others are just silly, such as the 30-second interview with Craig Jones. All of them are completely unmasked, with only a few of the members hiding behind sunglasses (does Mick Thompson give off a huge Kerry King resemblance to anyone else?). Other material on this disc includes 5 music videos of the biggest hits from Vol. 3: the Subliminal Verses which most fans have probably youtubed one thousand times over by now. 9 live songs are also included, which I thought would be the best part of the DVD, though sadly, I fail to see why this band gets so much hype as a live act. Corey Taylor’s voice sounds hoarse and tired in EVERY live cut and I can’t imagine why. Just listen to Sic, The Heretic Anthem, or The Blister Exists. Death metal bands who play much faster, scream and growl with more intensity NEVER sound hoarse, so I am led to believe that Corey Taylor keeps re-injuring his voice night after night, and the overall band performance suffers from it.

If you are still reading this, I am pretty sure it did not change your opinion. Those who still think Slipknot have a good amount of life in them have probably already picked this up, and those who just see them as too cartoonish to be taken seriously are probably using this review as evidence to support their claim. While the band interviews are the most interesting part in this reviewer’s humble opinion, the main attraction just does not do what it intended to do. The randomness and overall poor quality of the sound/video that documents the band’s world tour attempted to show how hectic and crazy life on the road really is for a band such as Slipknot. However, it comes off as something like a scrapbook that only the band members can make sense of, yet decided that the rest of the world should see. I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of Slipknot’s fan base can neither relate to what kind of lifestyle this DVD chronicles, nor be captivated by the jarringly random song selection, film editing, or the intentionally lo-fi sound quality.

For seriously serious fans only.