My Top 7 Insane Clown Posse Songs

Pure horror fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

That right, the Insane Clown Posse finally graces this little blog of mine! Having been around since 1989, ICP are known for their over the top stage shows, horrorcore themes, and copious amounts of Faygo. For a giant amount of people, they’re the butt of numerous jokes, but for the loyal Juggalos that listen to them, they’re makeup-covered saviors that brought joy to their lives. I fully admit I have NEVER been a fan on account of thinking they have nowhere near as much talent as they say they have, yet even I admit they get something right once in a while. Every once in a while, they’ve made a tune that I actually kinda like, and have no problem listening to a few times. The track I’m about to talk about are the 7 that I like, and are the ONLY ones I’ll ever look up. So, put on your black & white facepaint, grab your giant bottle of Faygo, and take a look at my top 7 Insane Clown Posse songs. Boo!

7) The Mom Song (Song) 
If you were to ask me which of these songs were the goofiest, I would immediately say this one. Having nothing but violence & bloody imagery in just about all of their tunes, hearing one about the love for their Mom is just the dorkiest thing ever.....yet, I genuinely love this one. Sure, hearing Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope pour their souls out will make you do a double take, but it’s incredibly heartfelt & sincere with the emotions it calls up. The rhythms & beats are simple but soothing, and the lyrics really tug at the heartstrings. Again, The Mom Song is absolutely goofy given who’s singing it, but you can’t really hate it either. 

6) Every Halloween (Song)
Similar to The Mom Song, Every Halloween is a goofy song. What separates it from the previously mention track is that it is much more in line with ICP than a tune about a parental figure. Ironically, the ONE thing both tunes have in common is that they’re among the terribly few Insane Clown Posse songs that don’t have people being killed, but I digress. Every Halloween shows of J & Shaggy’s talent of creating songs about strange characters, and this one’s about a weirdo that paints his face everyday, and is called a weirdo all the time except on Halloween, where instead the character is praised. It’s a dumb track that’s kind hard to not laugh at, so be sure to play it for your friends for a good laugh. Speaking of weird characters.....

5) Bowling Balls (Song)
We got this bloody number! From the first few seconds, the sound effects of the bowling lane & all of the bleeps and bloops immediately leave you unnerved. Then the vocal work kicks in, and for a split second you think “Okay, things are weird, but maybe it’s not so bad”.....then you hear this: 

“We take a quick ride, homicide, then I confide in you”

Yeah, the character in this song goes around, decapitates people, and leaves the heads all over his house like a gory version of Futurama. He considers them all his friends, and goes into surprisingly descriptive details about what he does with them, and given the name of this tune, it’s not surprising one of the things he says he does. I admit, the gore does make my stomach churn a little, but there’s something about the description that gets the dark side of me to smile. Speaking of descriptive gore..... 

4) Pumpkin Carver (Song)
I can’t help but laugh at this one!

Sure, the idea of carving up a freshly severed head like a pumpkin is a bit on the disturbing side, but it’s typical for ICP. What makes this song stand out is that despite the carnage, there’s just something darkly funny about the instructions that Violent J lays out for the listener. He’s goes into a shocking amount of detail about the whole process, and there’s just something about it that sinks it’s fangs into you. Maybe it because of the dark humor from J’s lyrics & vocal work, but you can’t help by get a good chuckle out of this one. If you wanted to creeps some friends out, then this will do the trick!

3) Amazing Maze (Song) 
Okay, here’s where I REALLY begin to like Insane Clown Posse.

All of their songs about killing the average joe or describing weird characters seems quaint, but it when they begin to focus their ire towards those that deserve to be destroyed or social issues (More on that point in a minute) that something just unlocks for me. In this case, it’s a wealthy scumbag that tries to navigate the Amazing Maze within a carnival, and it nothing but absolute torture. A million tacks in a spinning room, getting one of his arms cut off by a serial killer, and getting felt up by a muscular hairy dude for disrespecting the opposite sex are just a few of the punishments that are inflicted upon him. Coupled with some great rhythms & beats, along with some surprisingly good vocal work from both Violent J & Shaggy, and you have a song that definitely fills you with Schadenfreude. 

2) The Tower (Song) 
The only reason.....the ONLY reason that this isn’t my no. 1 song, is that it I am not a military veteran that has gone through absolute hell. Despite that, this tune is exceedingly powerful with the message that it’s trying to convey, and is one of the few times that ICP really takes a subject matter seriously. It opens up with a news report about the infamous University of Texas campus shooting, where former marine Charles Whitmore went up into the campus’s tower, and began taking shots at everyone he could spot, & it took the police over a hour to get to him (An hour & a half if I recall correctly). J & Shaggy uses this to tell the story of a war veteran, scarred & losing his mind from being thrown to the side, makes his way to a college’s tallest point. From there, he begins a massacre of anyone he sees from his scope, as in his damaged mind he sees everybody as the enemy he fought oversees, only for said massacre to be stopped by a police officer/SWAT officer getting to him & shooting him.
        
None of the patented crude shock humor is in this track at all. Instead, Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope show us what so many veterans could be going through in this country: discarded by the same government that constantly praises them on TV, not being taken care of with all of their mental & physical conditions they got from war, and is a potential timebomb of chaos. Again, if I was a veteran, I would have placed The Tower at my number 1 spot, but even though I didn’t.....I consider this to be the most haunting of all of the songs on this list. 

1) Halls Of Illusions (Song) 
This song.....this tune.....this is what the Insane Clown Posse COULD have been.

2 psychotic clowns. Minions of some otherworldly entity, dispensing justice to those that need it. In this case, Hall Of Illusions has a couple of abusive fathers enter the ethereal Halls Of Illusions, and shows them what could have been theirs if they had just been decent people. After that, the veil is pulled back, and puts them right back into the real world, showing them all the damage they caused, and the titular Milenko finishing them off. Kinda like Amazing Maze, this track is directed right at those that deserve it, but I’d say that Halls Of Illusions is exceptionally more potent, especially since there are a lot of people in society that can relate to this. If there was one Insane Clown Posse song that you absolutely have to listen, make sure it’s this one. 

And these were my top 7 Insane Clown Posse songs. Again, it surprises me that they’ve made a couple songs I actually don’t mind, but these tunes are those exceedingly few you’ll see me look for on Youtube. If you were never a fan but want to find a tune of their’s that is actually kinda nice to listen to, any of this will work beautifully. So, see you all on Halloween day, when I’ll be reviewing a Goth album that you’ve never heard of. See you then!



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This is where I got the inspiration for this list: 

Rap Critic: Top 6 Best Insane Clown Posse Songs 

Album Review: King Diamond's The Graveyard

Sometimes horror comes from the real world fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

As our decreasingly little blue rock of a planet called Earth gets worse & worse, we’re shown terror from reality that dwarfs anything you can find in a novel or a movie. Happens in anime & manga, and even the world of Heavy Metal is no stranger to this (Just listen to 90% of Thrash Metal). In fact, the famous King Diamond at least once decided to throw more real world issues into his supernatural tales of the macabre, and this resulted in perhaps one of his most genuinely terrifying tales he’s ever done. A tale that just over 30 years later still gets under your skin.....and manages to churn your stomach. So, make sure you haven’t eaten anything in a bit, have a stuffed animal near you, and get ready for my look at King’s 1996 release, The Graveyard. Let’s begin.

Background
After the release of The Spider’s Lullaby in 1995, King Diamond & the rest of the band were at a crossroads. Heavy Metal, while still a well known sub-genre, wasn’t in the spotlight as much as it was in the 80s. Bands by this point were doing one of two things: either adjusting their musical style to match with the times for the right or wrong reasons, or completely see out & lose their soul. King Diamond hadn’t gone far down that route, but he most definitely was dipping his toes in the water if you know what I mean. A year prior to his next release, he found out that him & band would be the opening act for Metallica.....no, I am not joking. Metallica weren’t all the way in sellout land yet, but they were most definitely moving in that direction. Whether it was because of that experience or because of other factors in the mid 90s, it would be a more approachable album that everyone would create, and on the 30th of September in 1996, The Graveyard was released.

Ironically, this approach would make The Graveyard the most successful King Diamond album to date at the time. It would peak at #23 in the Finnish Charts and remain for two weeks in the Top 40 chart. However, it would sadly be the last time that Darrin Anthony would be on the drums, as after the album’s release he would leave the band due to a car accident. His replacement would come in the form of former Chastain drummer John Luke Hebert, and without saying anything else.....he was a good replacement.

As for the album’s story, we find that King Diamond is playing a new character. A mayoral aide to the morally inept Mayor McKenzie, to be specific. Working late one night, he stumbles onto the mayor’s office, where he sees the horrific sight of the political figure fondling his own daughter! A child by the name of Lucy no less, and while it’s never said HOW old she was, it is implied that she is most definitely young. Not staying quiet about the scandal, McKenzie sends King to Black Hill Sanitarium in an effort to shut him up. Some time has passed, and King has become maddened by the experience, desiring nothing but revenge against the pedophilic mayor, and decides to strange his nurse & escape the sanitarium. Running from the cops, he happens to stumble upon an old graveyard as shelter, and it’s during him hiding that he learns of a myth about the place. Apparently, if someone dies within this graveyard & loses their head, their souls is trapped within it forever. After slaying a few victims to see if there’s truth to the story, King finds out that it’s most definitely real, and that gets the wheels turning in his head for vengeance against the mayor. After kidnapping Lucy, King calls the mayor to the graveyard, and the perfect sees a disturbing sight: 7 graves, each with an identical headstone that says “Lucy Forever”. King puts a blindfold on McKenzie, and says that the mayor has 3 guesses as to which grave holds his daughter. If he guesses right, him & his daughter go free, but if he gets all 3 wrong King will kill him. Can the mayor find his daughter before his former aid rightfully slaughters him.....what do you think?

Basic Description
When the Supernatural meets the Real World.

Let’s get this straight: The Graveyard at no point doesn’t let up on the supernatural horror that King Diamond made a career on. Whenever it appears, it is incredibly obvious & enjoyable, and maybe even some of the best he’s ever done. It’s only when the real world subject matter of child molestation kicks in that it takes on a far more sinister vibe, and makes the whole record feel more realistic than anything that King & the band has ever done. It’s done perhaps a little too realistically (More on that a little later), but maybe it’s done by design. Even so, this record marks the first & only time that King Diamond ever went into the real world when it comes to his music, and that’s what makes it unique.

Best Track
Like I said in part 2 of my overview from 2019, Digging Graves was my favorite track off of The Graveyard, and still remains so to this day. While there is a sliver of hokiness here & there, the story of the album picks up quite a bit here. At this point, King’s character has successfully kidnaped the mayor’s daughter, and is already setting up his plan to get revenge against the one that wronged him. This is reflective in the creepy & doom-like instrumentation, which almost borders on being a Black Sabbath song with the atmosphere it’s producing. Again, there’s a sliver of goofiness at certain points when a cello kicks in, but even then it still manages to create a creepy atmosphere that’s just right, and I can’t take that away from the song.

Digging Graves

Worst Track
While there are no bad songs on this album, I’d be lying if I said that it actually left me rather uncomfortable when it ended. Hell, if anything it was uncomfortable WHILE I was listening to the Graveyard. Child molestation is a subject matter that’s exceptionally stomach churning, and King Diamond really leans into that a lot of the time. That’s not to say he doesn’t discard his patented supernatural horror he’s famous for, because that also kicks in pretty hard as well. It just that due to the more realistic nature of the subject matter King drills into the music & the listener, you’ll have a somewhat nasty feeling linger about for a little bit.

Apart from the thematic elements, The Graveyard’s only fault lies with the blatant attempt to conform to musical norms of the times. Thankfully King Diamond never well all the way in that regard, but he & the rest of the band went far enough that you can tell where it comes up. More modern styles of playing, trying to match up to what other bands were doing at the time, chasing trends, etc. Again, it’s never done at 100%, but it’s very obvious if you know what to listen for.

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, click on the link below:

The Graveyard

Overall Impression & Rating
The Graveyard is definitely not for the faint hearted. If the supernatural aspects weren’t around, I would avoid this record like the plague. Thankfully, that aspect is still very much accounted for, and oddly makes the experience of this album a little easier to go through. As for King’s attempt to stay connected with the times, they’re not done so much as to ruin the album, but like I said a little earlier it is most definitely noticeable if you know what to listen for. This release is not for everyone on account of it’s subject matter, and I get that. However, if you’re able to stomach some of the imagery on here, then you’ll find The Graveyard to be surprisingly fun. Maybe not one of his most essential album’s, but more certainly one to listen to if you’re curious!

The Graveyard gets an 8 out of 10.

And that was my review of The Graveyard. Definitely an album that’s leave you feeling a little sick when you’re done, but the musical craftsmanship is still great despite some shifting in style.  Again, because of what King decided to cover in this release it is not for everyone, but for anyone that can stomach the subject matter they’ll find a hidden gem for sure. So, I do have one last album review for this month on Halloween Day, but before that I have that treat I promised you all at the beginning of the month. See you all next week!


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My opinions on this album have definitely change since I first looked at this album almost 6 years ago. Click on the link below to see what I originally thought about it:

Metal Overview: King Diamond (Part 2)

5 Greatest Chests (For Breast Cancer Awareness) No. 10 (Special Edition)

Time to look at some of the greatest chests fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

As you all know, the month of October is dedicated not just to sweets & spooks, but it is also the time of Breast Cancer Awareness. A disease that has scarred numerous women (& some men) at best, or at worst...well, you know. This year though, I’m doing something different. In 2027, it will be a solid decade since I started doing this annual series, but before that I want to show off all of the number 1's from every prior year, and add in a little treat at the end. I won’t spoil anymore, so here’s a special edition of the top 5 greatest anime chests for Breast Cancer Awareness. Let’s begin!

1) Tio - Monster Musume (Video)

One of the most iconic monster girl manga has one of the most iconic casts of girls ever been put to paper. There’s practically just about any kind of girl, both mentally & species. Case in point: the ogre girl Tio. Originally, I selected her as the no. 1 on my very first list of this series because I wanted to throw a curveball & not have one of the more recognizable girls (Ironic, considering who’s coming later), and I still stand by that decision. That being said, Tio is a bit stereotypical: blonde, buxom, curvy, and not the sharpest tool in the shed. She makes up for this by having the strength of a tank, and is a genuine sweetheart that wouldn’t hurt a fly. Sounds good to me! 

And speaking of Monster Musume.....

2) Cathyl - Monster Musume

Perhaps the biggest irony of this character, is that she doesn’t really bring attention to herself. Rather, she doesn’t bring attention to her chest (Despite the overalls & bikini-top she wears). This lovely minotaur is one of the hardest working girls on the farm she, her host, and the other farm girls calls home. She looks gorgeous, yet she never uses her looks. For Cathyl, working hard is the right way to go, and I can always respect that.

3) Miharu Sena Kanaka - Girls Bravo (Video)

Looking at it in hindsight, picking the main girl from a rather guilty pleasure anime was a bit too easy. While I absolutely find Girls Bravo to be a guilty please like I said a second ago, even I can’t deny that the fan service most of the time is a bit overwhelming & excessive. Hell, when we first meet Miharu we see her in the tub, and while I’m an absolute sucker for fan-service, something about see a girl like that right away oddly spoils it for me. As for the main girl herself, she’s a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, she’s not the brightest bulb. She’s not an idiot by any means, but she’s definitely not familiar with how Earth works. On the other hand, she is incredibly sweet & caring, and is a genuinely nice piece of eye candy. Girls Bravo is definitely not for everyone, and Miharu CERTAINLY isn’t for everybody.

4) Miia - Monster Musume (Video)

At this point, any of you should know that this top snek is my number one waifu. Yes, she’s possessive. Yes, she gets jealous, and yes she’s rather short-sighted at times. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that in other times, she’s genuinely caring & really does appreciate the other girls of Kimihito’s monster family, even stepping up to the plate on a couple of occasions to risk her own life to make sure someone else is okay. The first girl to enter her host’s life, Miia has become the poster child for one of the most influential monster girl manga to have been release, and while you could argue it’s time in the spotlight was a while ago, you can’t argue why it never deserved it. 

5) Silvervale (Video)

2026 marked something of an incredibly personal tragedy for our beloved sakura wolf girl. In May, her irl & vtuber brother tragically took his own life. The experience shook her pretty hard, and since earlier this year has taken a giant break from vtubing, with only a few views talking about the various conventions she’s gone to both here & abroad. Thankfully in just a few short days, she is returning with a memorial stream for her brother, and a 24-hour birthday stream celebration to mark her return. All I can say.....welcome back.

6) Miilkywayz (Video)

This might sound surprising to a lot of you who know me personally, but I’ve actually dropped off from watching our beloved space cow. Now because she’s awful, because she’s not! Much like Silvervale above & a treat at the end, Miilky is one of the sweetest vtubers I’ve seen. Every stream she does is designed to make you feel warm & fuzzy, and her personality matches it. She’s got a wonderful laugh and an addicting smile, but the only reason I stopped watching her is because I’ve come across so many vtubers that I had to cut one out of the loop, and sadly she was that cut. Even so, I still look up clips of her from time to time to see what Miilky is up to, and it still gets me to smile.

7 & 8 & 9) Vexoria (Video)

3 years. 3 years I devoted the no. 1 spot to the great grape snake mommy. 3 years I devoted to one of the most badass survivors of Breast Cancer, and is an amazing woman in her own right. A mother to 2 wonderful children, a wife to an incredibly loving husband, one of the biggest vtubers in the community that has done some incredible work, and is also one of the best adult entertainers on Onlyfans with her IRL, ASMR, and vtuber material. In recent memory she has gone through absolute hell, and it’s pretty painful to see her suffer as badly as she has. So, shout out to you Vexoria the Sun Eater! You deserve all the love you get!

Honorable Mention) Chonkylotus (Video)

I obviously didn’t have one of my normal lists this year, and thus I didn’t have a proper number one for 2026. Yet, I didn’t want to leave you all hanging, and I wanted to do something different this year.....so I’ll be honoring the Trans community this year.

A couple years ago, I had this cute dragon cat on one of my lists. For a few years now, I’ve been watching Chonkylotus be an absolute beacon of comfiness, coziness, and warmth not just among her Cis fans, but her Trans fans that see her as something to inspire to. Last month marked 6 months since she began her estrogen, and they have been blossoming into the woman that they always were. I haven’t really been political this year on account of fixing up my posts, but with the Trans community being underfire from nimrods & fake religious people, it seemed right to show where I stand on this. 

And that was the special edition of my 5 greatest anime chests for Breast Cancer Awareness. As I’ve stated in prior lists in this series I don’t expect grand things to happen, but if it nudges someone in the right direction & see if they or a friend are having issues, I can say that I did something right. Breast Cancer is no laughing matter, and we should do all that we can to make sure people don’t suffer because of it. So see you all next week, when we’ll be celebrating the 3 decade anniversary of the darkest album in King Diamond’s library. Until then, be sure to check yourself!

Album Review: Type-O Negative's October Rust (30 Years Later)

Happy 30th anniversary October Rust!

That’s right fellow Otaku & Metalheads, as of this past August on the 19th one of THE most essential albums of the month of spooks turns 3 decades old. It’s no secrets that I’ve shown nothing but love to the Drab Four from Brooklyn for a long time here. Even with the one long bad record to their name (That wasn’t their fault), Pete Steele & the gang gained a fanbase that still loves them long after the Green Man passed away, and it’s due to releases like October Rust that keeps them in his gothic aura. I reviewed this album all the way back in October of 2014, but for more of you this might be the first time you’ve seen me cover this album. So, to welcome in the spookiest time of the year, here’s my review & birthday celebration for Type-O Negative’s seminal classic, October Rust. Let’s begin! 

Background
Taken from my original review: 

“Coming off of their success of Bloody Kisses, the band toured Europe & the United States to promote their (At the time) new album. During the touring, the band started work on what would later become October Rust, and in doing so introduced some radical changes in the process. First, the album took a departure from the punk vibes that previous album had within them, and decided to go in a more ballad direction. Secondly, the band decided to add a little bit of humor to the album: The opening track Bad Ground is just 38 seconds of low-level buzzing (Which was made to trick the listener into thinking that the speakers weren’t plugged in properly), and the 2nd & 15th tracks were that of the band members themselves.

On the more technical side of October Rust, Type-O Negative employed two interesting techniques. For some of the songs on the album, the band implement very abrupt endings and segues, which created a kind of whiplash for the listener. Perhaps more curious was the drumming on this album: this marked the first time that drummer John Kelly was credited with his role. However, the actual drumming used on this album was done with a drum machine. Listeners didn’t know about this for a long time, until an interview in 2007 with dreadcentral.com, where he stated that the drumming wasn’t necessarily his. Ironically, it would be their final album, Dead Again, where he would be actually playing the drums (The last he did was with Bloody Kisses, and that was back in 1993).”

Basic Description
The embodiment of October.

October Rust truly fits this month perfectly. Despite being released around the end of the summer, every single song (With one notable exception) encapsulates this time of year. The leaves falling, the sensuality, the cool breeze, pumpkins with glowing faces, mulled cider, etc. Pete Steele & the rest of the Drab Four by 1996 had solidified their sonic identity & theme, and it shows: solid instrumentation, crisp & deep vocals, recording and production that’s perfect, and thematic elements that would identify the band until the Green Man took his final bow. Bloody Kiss from 3 years prior was impressive no questions asked, but it’s October Rust that really shook things up.

Best Track
My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend is not only the best song off of October Rust, but it was the song that hooked me to the band PERIOD. It was sometime between the late summer of 2006 to some point in the fall of that year, when I was randomly flipping through channels, and I happened to land on MTV of all things. Seemingly as I stopped on the channel in question, the music video for this song just so happened to start playing, and my eyes stayed glued to the TV screen. Even if I didn’t see the music video, the 60s sound coupled with the band’s patented gothic sensuality seems odd at first, until you realize it’s actually quite clever. Pete Steele had always stated that the Beatles were one of Type-O Negative’s biggest influences, and the song itself comes across like a lost song of the band in question.....just a little more spicy.

My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend

Worst Track
Like I stated in my original review, Red Water (Christmas Mourning) is the lone bad track. It’s not because of the instrumental or vocal work, because it’s top notch across this entire release. It is more to do with the atmosphere. A year prior to October Rust releasing, Pete’s father had passed away, and a few people in his family would do so as well overtime. To play Devil’s Advocate, Red Water’s creation & placement on this album is understandable given how the Green Man was feeling, yet it doesn’t match up with the vibe that the rest of the music was going for. If anything, it almost feels like a lost track from the release after.....but that’ll be a story in 2029 I’ll cover.....if I’m still doing this blog by then.

Red Water (Christmas Mourning)

Other ***
If you’re curious about listening to this album, click on the link below:

October Rust

Overall Impression & Rating
October Rust just brings a smile to my face whenever I listen to it. Every October, I make sure I listen through the whole album at least once or twice because it’s just perfect to hear when the leaves are falling off the tree. It’s a testament to it’s legacy that a little over 30 years since it was first release that it still has legions of fans, and they’ve all been loyal ever since. If you are looking for a soundtrack that encapsulates this ENTIRE month, there is nothing else finer than this. 

October Rust gets a 10 out of 10. Even with my own biases aside, the band produced gothic gold with this release.

And that was my 2nd review of October Rust. Being the first album of there’s I ever listened to, it’s a testament to it’s legacy that I still have it in my musical rotation. Especially during this month, it’s a reminder that over a decade & a half since his passing, that Pete Steele still looks at us from beyond the falling leaves. So with the first review for Halloween out of the way, it’s time for an annual tradition of mine, and this year it’ll be special. See you all next week!

 

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Note: the version of Love You To Death is the video edited edition.