"Walk into the darkness, A place for those who chose to give a f**k less."
Written: Jul 09 '08 (Updated Oct 30 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: Essential element of the story. Some of ICP's best music to date.
Cons: REALLY dark album. Probably one of the darkest albums you'll ever hear.
The Bottom Line: Hell's Pit is one of the darkest albums ever produced in any genre. Essential for fans of the Insane Clown Posse, though it will probably not appeal to anyone else.
thing-fish24's Full Review: Hell's Pit (Live Special Edition) [PA] by Insane C...
With the coming of the final Joker's Card, two stories were told. The Wraith: Shangri-La focuses on the positivity and goodness of humanity, and the enjoyable part of the afterlife. Hell's Pit has an extremely different focus. Listeners are plunged into the pits of hell to witness men who have thrown their lives away and wallowed in evil and hatred. We are shown the most negative aspects of humanity, and how one can be persuaded into evil acts. "Welcome to Hell. Why did you choose this?"
Violent J and Shaggy take up a less maniacal style of rapping for this album. Their performances are quite different than any previous album. This is appropriate, as Mike Puwal and Esham present dark, moody backing tracks that resemble no previous ICP album. Esham A. Smith is an appropriate choice to help out with the production on Hell's Pit, as Esham, nicknamed "The Black Devil," produced a series of albums showcasing his original style of hip hop, which he labeled "acid rap," featuring trippy, rock-based beats and some of the darkest lyrical content ever presented on any hip hop album. Esham influenced ICP's music, and his dark backing tracks match the lyrical tone of the album perfectly.
Also present to help out with the musical tracks for Hell's Pit is Fritz the Cat, the main producer for Psychopathic labelmates Twiztid, who delivers some great backing tracks of his own. Violent J even cowrites three musical tracks, and Shaggy helps out on one track. Each track has its one specific feel keyed in to the subject matter of the lyrics, and thus it is better to have multiple people write the music for any individual track rather than having the same guy write the entire album. Mike Puwal probably would have gone insane if he had to do the entire album. On "Walk into the Darkness," Mike Puwal lays down a slow, moody track that sets the tone for the rest of the album:
"In the name of the Witch I cut the head off a mule / I gutted it out, put it on and then I wore it to school / That ain't the only thing I wore / I wore a clip and some rounds / A fuckin' killa with this / mule head and I'm clippin' em down / Because I'm all outta choices and myh voice is unheard / You and your boys get the worst / I aim your forehead it burst, I'm evil / Fires in my sky, I see no diamonds, it's true / Aim for your guts and blow your breakfast out behind you / I'm one with the darkness."
Fritz lays down the tracks for "Suicide Hotline," in which an operator tries to convince a desperate man whose life is filled with nothing but misery not to commit suicide, "C.P.K.'s," in which J and Shaggy set out to kill a crooked clergy before taking themselves out, and "Truly Alone," a slow, moody track about an outcast who is largely ignored and uncared for by the rest of the world, eventually leading him to go on a killing spree, before being taken out by the police. He declares that his actions were not a mistake, figuring Hell should be easier to endure than his current life.
In "Everyday I Die," J and Shaggy endure the torments of Hell, with J losing his head and Shaggy fighting off demons. "The Night of the .44" picks up where Carnival of Carnage's "Night of the Axe" left off: Violent J sleepwalks into a gas station and shoots the clerk in the face, soon realizing that this is reality and not a dream. Realizing he has nowhere to hide out because no one would understand, he decides to finish what he began, eventually winding up in a shootout with the police at a 7-Eleven. "The Witch" involves the Devil leading ICP to evil, persuading J to kill his girlfriend by telling him that she's a demon and that "it's pain to the angels if I don't deliver."
"Bowling Balls" is a bouncy track involving a person who collects the heads of the people he kills. "If it's got an afro, I use it as a pillow." In "24," ICP spend all day and night stealing, killing and causing mayhem. "Burning Up" focuses on a series of people and the reason why they have gone to Hell - including the greedy and careless, and a businessman with child pornography on his laptop. "Sedatives," focuses on a mental patient who only finds peace when he is drugged up. Mike P. contributes a swimming, moody track with occasional crackles from the shock treatment.
"In My Room" focuses on a kid who falls for a demonic spirit who convinces him to kill his neighbors, claiming that they have seen her floating outside his window. "Basehead Attack" involves J and Shaggy fighting up zombie crack addicts who crawl out of their graves, begging for change. "Angels Falling" focuses on a guy in mourning over the death of his girlfriend. "Manic Depressive" and the instrumental "Real Underground Baby" conclude the album with the listeners being plunged deeper and deeper into Hell. Esham's production compliments these final tracks nicely.
Hell's Pit stands out as one of the darkest albums ever produced, and definitely the darkest album in ICP's catalog. If you weren't already a fan of the group, I doubt that you will enjoy the album. However, as with its counterpart, The Wraith: Shangri-La, it is essential for fans, as are the rest of the six Jokers Cards. Depending on which edition you buy, you'll get a bonus edition containing either a humorous 3-D horror film or a live concert. The Wraith: Shangri-La and Hell's Pit contain some of ICP's best music to date. Personally, it's my favorite Joker's Card, as it summarizes many of the musical and lyrical ideas explored throughout the entire saga.
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