The Cold Vein
| The Cold Vein | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Studio album by Cannibal Ox | ||||
| Released | May 15, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 2000–2001 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 73:45 | |||
| Label |
Definitive Jux DJX007 |
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| Producer | El-P | |||
| Cannibal Ox chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Alternative Press | 8/10 |
| The Boston Phoenix | |
| HipHopDX | 5/5 |
| NME | 9/10 |
| Pitchfork Media | 8.3/10 |
| Rolling Stone |  |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Spin | 7/10 |
| Uncut | |
The Cold Vein is the debut album by American hip hop duo Cannibal Ox. It was produced by El-P and released on his Definitive Jux label on May 15, 2001. The album has since been reissued by iHipHop Distribution.
The Cold Vein was the first full-length album to be released on former Company Flow member El-P's newly founded Definitive Jux record label, and its release was preceded by a significant amount of hype, particularly within the hip hop community. In late 2000, a split double vinyl single appeared on Def Jux, containing three new songs by Company Flow and two tracks taken from The Cold Vein: "Iron Galaxy" and "Straight Off The D.I.C." (see 2000 in music). These songs also appeared on the label compilation album Def Jux Presents, released on March 20, 2001. The first single, "Vein", was released in April 2001 with "A B-Boy's Alpha" serving as its b-side. The album was eventually released on May 15, 2001.
The Cold Vein was well received by critics, drawing many favorable comparisons to the 36 Chambers-era Wu-Tang Clan. Many praised El-P's production work, with CMJ contributor Brian Coleman writing "Producer El-P of Company Flow gives this Harlem-bred and Brooklyn-based vocal duo of Vast Aire and Shamar what usually sounds like a full goth orchestra perched in a dank basement, with thick synth strings, simulated outer-space found-sounds and choppy, pounding drums." Allmusic contributor Jack LV Isles wrote, "El-P (a serious candidate for producer of the year) lays out some of the most lushly intriguing sounds and beats that feel as herky-jerky as they sound gilded with silk."
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