Archive Volume One: Live 96-98

AMG Review of Archive Volume One: Live 96-98

Jason Ankeny
All Music Guide

Archive Volume One: Live 96-98 is the first of three limited-edition archival releases available during Boris' 2005 U.S. tour and documents a series of senses-shattering live dates from the band's formative years. While no recording can accurately reproduce the visceral, almost mystical power of the Boris live experience, the disc nevertheless comes close to achieving apocalyptic transcendence -- fan favorites like "Huge," "Mosquito" and "Scar Box" emanate from the darkest recesses of the creative consciousness. This is the musical equivalent to quicksand -- dense, sludgy, and all-enveloping; it swallows you whole and takes its sweet time crushing your soul.