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13 of 15 found the following review helpful:
 For now, you still have time to change the outcome of... the mighty Riddle Box. Jul 14, 2005
By John
"Ira"
Time flows like a dark horde, consuming all in its path. Man lives his life in the blink of an eye. Just as day becomes night, all life fades into death. In death each person will be judged for his deeds performed while alive. There are the few who walk a life of purpose, and there are those who trod the path of greed, their souls host to demons. Time slows near each person's end. Those whose deeds were evil grasp onto life as long as they can because, though they don't know what awaits them in the afterlife, they feel for them it is a horror beyond words. Time stops in this world, as the heart becomes still and the soul leaves the body. In the afterlife time is eternal, and even death is but a new beginning. For you see, when you step into death your soul steps upon the floor of a dark chamber and you look to see it empty, except for a strange looking box on an old wooden table. On the front of the box, you will see a painted question mark faded with time and a twisted crank handle on its side. Turning the handle, a sharp melodic tune will fill the air. For the evil ones this sound will be a deafening noise reverberating off the walls and building into a climatic terror. But the surprise is when the music stops as you slowly turn the handle... and then the top of the box pops. For the few, they will see a vision of God with a golden light warming their souls as they step forth into eternal peace. For most they will see a fog seeping from the box, stripping their sanity, as they witness an image of hell, spawned and formed fromtheir own evil; a hideous reflection of their demented souls. The floor of the room begins falling away as they plummet into a bottomless pit full of shadowy creatures, forever to be lost in a sinister void. What will be in store for you is the mystery, but if you take a look within yourself you will find the answer. For now, you still have time to change the outcome of... the mighty Riddle Box.
With the 3rd Joker's card Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope master the art of humour, horror, story telling and a thought out story based on "The Riddle Box" this is easily one of their best. Definetly in the top two, only behind The Ringmaster.As we all know, this was the first icp album released on a major label, Jive. Who ended up screwing them over by only releasing this in Detroit and so on. Every Joker's Card is different and special in their own way, with their own story. This is no different.
Intro - 4/5 A short minute and a half intro about a man who dies in a car accident and faces The Riddle Box.
Riddle Box - 4/5 A pretty short song at only 2:53, this seems like a way to just give you a preview of things to come.
The Show Must go on - 4.5/5 I see this song as the murder-go-round(found on The Ringmaster) of The Riddle Box, story of a man who's town is visited by an evil carnival. Has a great chant at the end.
Chicken Huntin' (Slaughter House Mix) - 5/5 When icp signed to jive, they asked icp to do a remix of Chicken Huntin' Jive brought in a team to remix it but icp hated it, so they just did it themselves. Just as good as the first version maybe even better.
Interview - ?/? An odd interlude, funny the first time and worth a few listens.
Toy Box - 4.5/5 Story of a 6 year old violent J whom has been outcasted by his peers and seeks revenge.
Cemetary Girl - 5/5 GREAT song. A love soung between J and his dead girlfriend. Has a great chorus.
3 Rings - 4.5/5 This was also on the Shaggy 2 Dope ep "f*ck off" the squeaky voice at the start of this song is really just J with his voice sped up.
Headless Boogie - 5/5 icp makes a joke song about a new dance craze with the dead.
The Joker's Wild - 5/5 a song about a game show. Violent J plays the host and Shaggy 2 Dope has the part of the announcer.
Dead Body Man - 4.5/5 Classic horrorcore rap song. Also found on the Terror Wheel ep. Was a local hit in Detroit hit prior to their signing to Jive.
Lil' Somethin' Somethin' - 2.5/5 Just a dumb song, doesn't sound much like icp and just can't get into it.
Ol' Evil Eye - 5/5 After one bad song, the best part of the album starts, the final four songs) incredible story telling by J and Shaggs. Great horror rap.
12 - 6/5 J plays the part of a man who was sentenced to death but comes back from the dead to kill the jury that put him to death. Easily one of the best here.
The Killing Fields - 5/5 pretty much seems like a song about purgatory, The beat is chilling and so is the preacher's voice that comes in near the end.
I'm Coming Home - 5/5 a pretty emotional song. J and Shaggs really put everything into this song. Perfect way to end this album.
So, should you buy this album? If you like icp of course but if you hate them, this won't change your mind. I recommend this to anybody with an open mind. Enjoy.
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
I'm going to Hell for loving this CD... May 27, 2000
By Zagnorch
I've heard most of ICP's works, and out of all of them, I believe `Riddle Box' tops them all. It's one of the most perverted, subversive, sickening albums out there... so needless to say, it's one of my all-time favorites. Violent 'J' and Shaggy 2 Dope definitely earn the adjective `Insane' in this collection. Where else can you find raps about relationships with corpses (`Cemetery Girl')? Or a game show where not getting hacked to death is the grand prize (`The Joker's Wild')? Howzabout a boy's deadly revenge against his overbearing classmates at show-and-tell (`Toy Box')? And let's not forget the `Tell-Tale Heart'- style story of a kid's plot to murder the neighborhood freak (`Evil Eye'). You're definitely heeding the beckoning call of Lucifer when you're blasting these works of depravity at high volume. So crank it UP!The only thing that would make `Riddle Box' less appealing to me would be if Pat Boone ever decided to sing covers of any of the tunes. Scary thought. I'd probably listen to it anyway, just for a goof. Then again, I probably shouldn't give him any encouragement... `Late
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Three more cards, and the skies will be falling. Feb 26, 2004
By Pamela Scarangello
Immediately after death, the spirit will enter a dark chamber and turn the twisted handle of a bizarre box. As a sharp melody echos off the walls, building into a climactic terror, the box's lid suddenly pops open. What lies inside it depends on the deeds performed in one's life. If the soul becomes awash in God's golden light, he/she will be awarded a ticket to Shangri-La. However, if that same spirit gave in to the temptations of greed and vanity, then a venomous fog will leak from the box. From there, the evil perpetrator plummets into the pit of Hell, forever lost among its shadowy creatures. What will be in store for you is a mystery, as every day passes in the blink of an eye. But for now, you still have time to change the fate that awaits inside the Riddle Box.
Released in 1995, "The Riddle Box" is juvenile in nature. While diving into the childhood chest of toys and games, the tracks' lyrics mix prank calls and carnival rides with psychotic killers and bodily dismemberment. In addition, the sound of ICP has expanded from that of the last two Joker Cards, incorporating hardcore rap with a xylophone, faint violin strings, and piano keys. Finally, after 1994's "The Ringmaster" instilled a gripping terror in the minds of Juggalos, this next album was intended to provide comic relief through the duo's clever narratives.
This CD has a deliciously deadly slew of highlights. In "Toy Box," a bullied 6-year-old boy turns wind-up soldiers and dolls into weapons of mass destruction (only to be chopped apart by his own creations). "Cemetary Girl" concerns an morbidly obsessed Juggalo who unearths the rotting, blue corpse of his girlfriend. "3 Rings" is the ultimate freakshow attraction. Deformed and demented, Violent J and Shaggy proudly declare themselves as social outcasts. In "Headless Boogie," J is chased through a graveyard, falls six feet under, and enters an exclusive rave party packed with dancing zombies. "The Joker's Wild" is a gory game show that addresses America's obsession with televised violence. In this song, three unwanted contestants (a cop, a judge, and a hillbilly) are maimed and butchered in front of a live audience. "Dead Body Man" is another Dark Carnival attraction. He's a neighborhood corpse collector who lets the sickening odor of flesh permeate his van. The raunchy "Lil Somthin' Somthin'" can best be described as a sequel to "Love Song." "Ol' Evil Eye," which borrows several quotes from Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," is a spine-tingling film projected in a theater. The suspense of this track is provided by crashing thunder and the introduction of the gaunt Old Man Willy. "12" is a grisly revenge story about a convict who, after being sent to the electric chair by the justice system, rises from his tomb to tear apart the jury members who condemned him. Finally, "The Killing Fields" is a grusome and surreal description of Hell itself. As the bell tolls, J and Shaggy unveil an unholy world where wild pigs feed off the undead, storms rain rivers of blood and kidneys, and the sun's heat will scorch and overcook the brain.
If you are ready to hear these tales of terror, then buy "The Riddle Box" when you can. Not only does it continue the Dark Carnival's lurid legend, but it also sets the stage for the coming of "The Great Milenko," the master of Necromancy. Turn the crank and see where your soul is headed!
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
The best ICP album ever! Oct 29, 1999
I feel that out of all of there Cd's, The riddle box is the best! My favorite songs are 'Lil Somthing Somthing and Toy box.
8 of 10 found the following review helpful:
It looks like the joke's on you! Apr 19, 2000
By DEAN VASQUEZ
After putting together two entertaining and intriguing albums ("Carnival of Carnage" & "Ringmaster"), ICP found their formula and hit their creative peak with this masterpiece. "Riddlebox" is the ultimate ICP album. On the 3rd Joker's Card J and Shaggy deliver a hip hop album with so much punch it could crack somebody's ribs if they were turned sideways while this CD was playing. Outrageously funny at times, and psychotic all the way through, the album hits hardest after the track 'Lil' Sumpin' Sumpin'' ends. The final four songs (especially the haunting song "12", which is arguably ICP's best song ever) create the dark mood that best describes the world of the Juggalos and the Dark Carnival, and sets the stage for the 4th Joker's Card, "The Great Milenko". And as for some people saying ICP can't put out good music like Korn or Limp Bizkit? Just check out the remix of "Chicken Huntin'" which came out the same time Korn's first album did, and WAY before L.B. Finally, I will say that if you don't own "Riddlebox", or have never heard it, you will never truly understand yourself.
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