Search - Icp, Insane Clown Posse :: Hell's Pit - Version 1

One year later, it's still one of their best.

John | New Jersey | 08/31/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One year ago today, I woke up totally excited. Why? Well Insane Clown Posse's The Wraith: Hell's Pit was released that day. The excitement I felt opening this cd hasn't been matched by much ( I had to work that day too, getting me even more anxious to hear it) I opened this album as if it had the secret to life in it. I put it on my stereo and geez, that day I just listened to it every track over and over, when the cd ended I just started it up again. I loved it. Darkest album from them since Ringmaster. The beat's were great (even though it did miss Mike E. Clark but he's back!) the lyrical work is all about hell, all the way's to get there and why you wanna avoid such a fate. When you think if icp you get a reaction of love or hate, never an "ah, they're ok" that is just how Insane Clown Posse is. The most loved and hated band in the world. Also, they're the biggest and best example of a scrub and an underdog coming out on top. Proving all the naysayers wrong. Staying true to a story that took almost 13 whole years to tell. Name one other band that did that? You can't. The connection between Insane clown posse their fans is incredible and also connection's between fans & fans. You meet another Juggalo and you act as you two have known each other for years. People who don't get it, will make fun of you. For no good reason. Not the point though, Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope have made something huge. Their own label, with great artist's on them. This cd also tells of thing's that were never told. Thing's such as "The Witch" which was originially spoken by Violent J on the first joker's card Carnival of Carnage. Night of the 44 seems to be a sequal to Night of the Axe (NOTE: night of the 44 was also mentioned on Carnival of Carnage) it was said "24" was a sequal to "12" from the Riddle Box as well.







Intro - 4/5 One thing you always get with icp is a great intro.





Walk into the Darkness - 5/5 THe Wraith: Shangri-La had " Walk into the Light" so it was inevitable that "Walk into the Darkness" would be on here. One of the darkest tracks.



Suicide Hotline - 10/5 Not only the best song on here but one of their best ever. J play's the part of a man who can't take much more of the poor world we live in.



C.P.K.'s - 3.5/5 A love it or hate it song, definetly good. Truth hurt's and preacher's do abuse their power for sin and negativity. Icp get's the final laugh though.



Truly Alone - 5/5 Like Suicide Hotline but J take's his depression and sadness out on other's this time.



Everyday I Die - 5/5 One of the only song's with guitar here, great track. J and Shaggy die and meet their fate in hell.



The Night of the 44 - 5/5 Only problem here is it is too short. Great track with some awesome rapping and chorus.



The Witch - 5/5 Has one of the best chorus' on the cd. Finally the long awaited story of the witch is revealed....



Bowling Balls - 4.5/5 CLASSIC horrorcore rap by the Insane Clown Posse, they haven't lost a step.



24 - 4/5 Doesn't seem like a 12 sequal at first, you'd have to ask j or shaggy about that one. Great rapping.



Burning up - 9/5 Second best track here, Violent J rap's his ass off here. Meaningful.



Sedatives - 3.5/5 Sick/scary beat. Pretty funny/ sadistic track.





In my Room - 6/5 another great chorus. Reminds me of Cemetary Girl (found on the Riddle Box)



Basehead Attack - 4/5 Shaggy 2 Dope really shines on this one. Great old school beat.



Angel's Falling - 3.5/5 J's girlfriend dies here but he really isn't having it.



Manic Depressive - 4/5 Really good slow type rapping here.



Real Underground Baby - 5/5 What a way to close it, has clips from every Joker's Card. Almost cried when I first heard this because at this point it really hit me that all the Card's had arrived.



From the first second of the intro on The Carnival of Carnage to the final second of Real Underground Baby and everything inbetween the tale of the Joker's Card's has been an incredible one. Thank you for the memories.MMFCL. Enjoy."

Depends how you look at it...

Mr. Diamond | Kentucky | 08/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This'll probably be a long-*ss review, so if you don't like it, skip it.



The way I see it, there's three kinds of Juggalos:



1. Those who've been down since God knows when, but they fell in love with ICP's old beats...but they bailed when they heard something they didn't agree with (I.E. "Thy Unveiling").



2. Those who've been down forever and give ICP a chance with every new CD, whether they like it or not.



3. Those who fell in love with their new beats first.



I'm the third. I wasn't down until AFTER the release of Shangri-La, but the first one I got ahold of was Great Milenko, and I was hooked instantly. (I had a thing for clowns...sue me). Since then, I hunted up their new stuff first and fell in love with it. I loved their newer sound -- in fact, I like their newer sound better than their older stuff (though I'm iffy on "The Calm").



But, you know, in this world, you get sh*t for being a Juggalo, but isn't that what it's all about? So many people call ICP gimmicky or "talentless", but you cannot DENY the fact that they're succesfull. If it's not your taste, get out -- no one cares. We are who we are. There's two levels to their music and most people are turned off by the first horror-core, wicked, deep, heartless beats they hear. They NEVER listen to both sides.



Someone wrote a couple of reviews down that THIS is the reason that rap music is doing so horribly and why it's sunken to the levels it has. I blame two reasons for horrible rap music: Lack of perspective and mainstream crap. ICP breaks BOTH of those constraints. Turn on your radio and all you will hear when it comes to rap is partying, "freaken it", "gettin' down at the Holiday Inn" and POINTLESS rap that goes NO WHERE and discusses like THREE topics: Sex, drugs, and how f*ckin' RICH the rappers themselves are. Not ALL rap is like this, but most of it is now. I'm down with old school rap, though. That's when the topics were fresh.



I'll take wicked rap music about Hell, murdering, painted faces, and clown love over that crap any day.



So many people have bashed this album because it's doesn't sound a certain way or it doesn't have the wicked beats that maybe Riddlebox had, but this album does convey the message: it describes Hell and the acts that more than likely send you there.



They did their job -- they explored physical Hell and our own personal Hell's we create. I'm gonna do one of those song-by-song reviews like many others have done, but I won't ramble too much:



1. Intro -- This drew me in. This was wicked. I admit, I go to church, and to HEAR the preacher's words twisted around backwards and garbled (maybe to put across the point that no one listens anymore), and Hell's Bells ringing was wicked. The intro is...disturbing. 10/10



2. Walk into the Darkness -- The beat is great -- so very morbid. This exemplifies the sound of Hell to me. Kind of feels like your spiralling down, with the characters portrayed in the song. It tells the blunt facts of Hell, simple as that. This is basically where, you know, you toss away all preconceptions and restraints and simple...enter Hell. 10/10



3. Suicide Hotline -- Everyone else that was down with this song besides me. The beat was a switch from the previous two and I was like, eh. It grew on me and this track IS one of the best on here. I mean, the lyrics themselves provide a bit of insight into the mind of one who has given up. 8/10



4. C.P.K's -- Hah! The beat didn't annoy me, and I didn't think it was wrong at all. Was I offended? You bet, but like someone else said, it's justified with the acts of the hypocritical. There's actually a hidden message in here, and it's for the Priests to leave the kids alone. Simple as that. Works for me. 7/10



5. Truly Alone -- Love it. Felt this way before at times. So depressing. In Hell, you are alone. Sad facts of life sometimes. The third verse is great! Just finally snapping because you want to get out of this life of loneliness when tragically, all you're doing is slipping into the loneliness that's awaiting you next. 8/10



6. Every Day I Die -- I liked the beat, but the lyrics I think are too bland. Good guitar usage. Best rock you'll be getting in here. Hell is repitition and that's the message it conveys. 7/10



7. Night of the .44 -- I was anxious for this one, but it's TOO D*MN SHORT! Should've made it like 5:00 minutes like "Night of the Axe". These songs are like siblings for God's sake. Good song, though -- tragic ending (which keeps with the tone) 7/10



8. The Witch -- This is one of the few I have a problem with. The lyrics are too random. I mean, you catch the message, but it could've been written A LOT better. Plus, the chorus was good, but the "WAKE THE DEAD!" was ANNOYING and didn't fit ANYTHING the song stated, but I know it alluded to an old Esham song, so it's understandeable. 6/10



9. Bowling Balls -- I don't think this song really belongs on this CD. It would've worked better on an older Joker's Card. It just breaks the pacing of the CD, I think. I think it was an attempt to cash in on making a mini-movie and such. If they wanted to make it truly wicked, they would've done a mini-movie of "Truly Alone", "In My Room", or "Burning Up". Some of the more darkers songs would've really helped the overall reaction to this album. 4/10



10. 24 -- This one REALLY had to grow on you, but I think the big turn off is the beat. Probably the least favorite of mine. All they're doing is restating that ICP is wicked and they kill people (lyrically, of course) ::shrugs:: Sucky topic. 2/10



11. Burning Up -- I've had Christian influences all of my life, so you get a vague idea that Hell isn't a pretty place. If only EVERY song had been like "Burning Up". THIS SONG IS THE HIGHLITE OF THE ENTIRE CD. THIS is what the CD is about. It's about every biggot on earth getting their punishment in a dark and lonely place. This one doesn't hold back. J's rap is THE SH*T. Where does he take a breath? 10/10



12. Sedatives -- I'm not really feeling this song, either, but that's just my personal taste. The song idea itself is good -- the only thing that can control our subject is a sedative and that's the only place he finds happiness. 6/10



13. In My Room -- One of the best on this album. Very depressing, very dark. Listen to it. The third verse is by far VERY wicked. A tragedy at its best. 9/10



14. Basehead Attack -- Good story, good beat and everything, but it loses interest fast. Maybe with a different beat, it would be better. The idea is original, though. 6/10



15. Angels Falling -- This is one of the better tracks on the album. This one deals with heartbreak and a young death. J's frusteration towards (dare I say?) God and a higher power is evident as he tries every way he knows to shoot down his baby to have her back. Very morbid... 8/10



16. Manic Deppresive -- The lyrics aren't bad, but the beat is dull. 5/10



17. Real Underground Baby -- This song isn't necessary. Yeah, it was a good effort to put in all of the sound clips, but some of the pointless rhymes in here just left the experience in Hell to be...bland. The title says the whole thing: they're always gonna be underground, but this seems to be done at the last minute with very little effort. The beat is okay, but it`s a downer ending. 4/10



All in all, the CD itself is something different. Never heard a CD put together like this one, which makes it a gem in my collection. It could've been much more wicked in lyrical content and sound, but they pulled it off and gave us a decent vision of Hell, plus it's MUCH DIFFERENT (though morally "bad" different) than the crap they put on the radio. If you're looking for something to listen to when you need to blow of some steam or have a life comparison check, listen to this. Very little trash here. Two thumbs up.

"

Why Did U Choose This?

F. Dean | UK | 03/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As i said in my Ringmaster review, this is not ICP's darkest album, both Ringmaster and Terror Wheel are darker. My 1st review was Hells Pit v2, but i didn't really review the album, i was destroying an Feminem fan who was taking the p*ss.



Intro: This song contains reversed messages and many other different sounds, but is still a good opener. 4/5



Walk Into The Darkness: Completely different from Walk Into The Light from the Wraith album, nasty evil lyrics, beat is ok, but the chorus is great. 5/5



Suicide Hotline: Great Song with J being great as usual telling all his depressing problems to the much nicer Shaggy over the phone, lyrics and beat are both good, and the skit at the end is funny. 5/5



CPK'S: That is short for Crooked Preacher Killers, the lyrics are good and controversal, short track, could have been wicked if it wasnt for the annoying kid like chorus. 3/5



Truly Alone: Great track with J singing, and he sounds great, its about what can happen to a person when they have been alone for to long. 5/5



Everyday I Die: Shaggy and J both get killed by something when they try to meet each other. 2/5



The Night Of The 44: Awesome beat by Esham here, lyrics are good. 5/5



The Witch: The Witch is a word used on the album to hide using the word devil, but i dont like the song. 2/5



Bowling Balls: Beat is from the Madonna song 'Justify My Love' and the lyrics are funny, its about a guy who likes to keep human heads. Not to be taken seriously. 5/5



24: Song is alright, funny in places, but is not a sequel to the song 12 on the Riddlebox album as some people thought. 3/5



Burning Up: Best track on album for me, J goes crazy here rapping, evil lyrics and the beat is nothing like ICP have done. 5/5



Sedatives: Dark track with J and Shaggy in a psycho ward, good track. 4/5



In My Room: Storytime, J has a girlfriend which is a ghost, but the ghost is seen by the next door neighbour, so J has to kill them. May sound stupid, but the song is great. 5/5



Basehead Attack: The only track on the album Shaggy has more lines than J, the song is good with Shaggy being on form. 4/5



Angels's Falling: Good track here about J shooting anything he can into the air to bring his wife who died and now is an angel. 5/5



Manic Depressive: Boring track, nothing too great. 2/5



Real Underground Baby: A song that lasts over 10 mins, the beat cheesy and repetitive, but the lyrics and tunes from the past make it up. 4/5



Overall: ICP could have done better, but i cant complain, it does some have some great songs and Burning Up is one of my favourite songs by ICP eva, get it now."