Dorkgasm Gonzo Is God

Return of the Clowns
By
Trevor Curtis
Staff Writer

There’s a lot of hype concerning the new ICP disc. Notably that longtime producer Mike E. Clark, the studio wizard behind the first five Joker’s Cards, is back to do the entire disc. The Clowns themselves have also said that this is the return of the Dark Carnival, the force that drove ICP’s best discs, such as Riddle Box and Great Milenko. So how good does the new disc sound?

In three words, it’s very good. The ICP of old is back, and it’s about time. After years of ok (DJ Clay) to terrible (Violent J) production, Mike E. Clark, the best beat master ever to come out of Detroit, is in full effect. From the haunting “I Found A Body”, to the Batman theme song riffs on “The Bone”, Mike E’s production doesn’t miss it’s target ever. I wish sometimes that a mainstream artist would give Mike E. a call, but I don’t think that will happen anytime soon. Mike is interested in good, not in what radio wants.

Also improved this time around is the rapping. Shaggy and J sound better than they have in years, and there’s very little guest starring, a major problem in most rap CDS the last ten years. J’s flow on “Miracles” (my new favorite ICP track) is the best it has ever been. All around, this is a solid release, the best since The Amazing Jeckel Brothers .

Click image to buy the album

So, what’s not to like? Well there are a couple of clunkers here. “Zombie Slide” is a silly attempt at a dance song for their fans, and it really does fall flat. Putting the hidden “Chop Chop Slide” in it’s place would have been a much better move. In addition, I’m hesitant to discuss “Juggalo Island”, another one of Psychopathic’s umpteenth attempts at claiming all Juggalos are “family”. It also bothers me that the skits aren’t on separate tracks. I’d like to put one of them as my ringtone, but I don’t want to edit an entire song just to get it.

Which brings me to the final problem with Bang! Pow! Boom!. Yes, it does come with a nice booklet. However, this release comes in three separate versions, each with a different intro, track 2 and bonus hidden track. So, you have to purchase three editions to get four extra songs. That’s not a nice thing to do to your fans in a tough economy. I really also wish they’d stop spouting the crap about family. I’ve been going to clown shows since 1995, and I didn’t start out calling every ICP fan a friend, and I’m not about to start. In the end, this really is a great CD, a real return to form. It’s been ten years since Jeckel Brothers, and this is the only ICP disc to measure up since then. This is the real sixth Joker’s Card.

Final Verdict (out of 5):

A note from the writer: If you don’t like ICP, don’t write comments just to say so. I’m a fan of a lot of their music. I’m aware they’re homophobic at times, misogynistic at others. I’ve been a fan for 14 years now, off and on. Like a lot of musicians I enjoy, (Tech N9ne, Gwar, and KMFDM) ICP aren’t mainstream because you either get it or you don’t.