Review Summary: Possibly ICP's most uneven album, there is still enough strong material to make this album worthy for juggalos.
Here is an album that has always divided listeners, much like the group performing it. I'm going to be honest and say that if you hate Insane Clown Posse, it's probably a bad idea to divulge any further into this review than you already have. Besides, how pointless does your life have to be to spend all of your time bashing bands that you don't like? I'm going to tell you straight up -- unless you already liked the group before, you will not like this album.
But even within ICP's following,
The Wraith: Shangri-La has always been a controversial release. By breaking away from longtime producer Mike E. Clark, many fans, including myself, felt that something was lost. Mike Puwal, who produces both halves of the "Wraith" Joker's Card (the final of six in the series), does show off some serious musical chops here, but the real problem with
Shangri-La is that it's a mixed bag in regards to the rest of the group's discography, but ultimately my main feeling on the album is that it doesn't hold up too well.
"Thy Intro" is overblown -- perhaps too overblown. Being over-the-top has always been a thing for the group, but the group could have done without it, as "Walk Into Thy Light", on its own, does a better job of easing listeners into the album. "Welcome to Thy Show" is fun, but retreads on ideas that ICP had done better on other albums. Listening back to it now, my favorite line is when Violent J tells us that if we want to see the dark side of the afterlife, we should go and buy
Hell's Pit, because it reminds me of a better album than this (in actuality, the album did not come out until two years later). "Get Ya Wicked On", likewise doesn't add anything new ideas to ICP's oeuvre, and "Murder Rap" is just plain out of place.
However, the album soon begins to get better. "Birthday Bitches" is extremely funny, in which the wicked duo is hired as entertainers at a children's birthday party. "Blaaam!!!" recounts some of the more fun aspects of life when Violent J inherits a magic lamp and is granted everything he dreams of by a genie. Still, both of these tracks are mediocre by musical standards. "Thy Staleness" is one of the better tracks, elaborated in the liner notes by describing how the duo, who were largely disliked and viewed as "stale" when they were younger, were able to turn their "staleness" into something they could be proud of. Basically, they are saying "we are who we are, and we don't care if you don't like us".
Perhaps the best song on the album is "Juggalo Homies", a good laid-back rock tune dedicated to the spirit of friendship. It fits the theme of the album perfectly, and even non-fans will like it. "Hell's Forecast" and "Thy Raven's Mirror" are chilling horror tales, too.
Meanwhile, there are a couple of hidden tracks along the way. "Bitch Slappaz" is a fun gangsta rap with a good verse by Blaze Ya Dead Homie, while "Soopa Villains" is a preview of the worst project ICP were ever involved with. The real reason to ever listen to this album is in tracks like "It Rains Diamonds", "Crossing Thy Bridge", "Thy Wraith" and "Thy Unveiling", reflecting the album's theme of making it through the afterlife to get into the gates of heaven. These tracks are truly heartfelt and beautiful, and make this album something special.
This is possibly the most uneven release in ICP's catalog. While it is not the masterpiece that many juggalos attest it to be, it is not the worst album they've ever made as many others claim. Still, as the first half of the last album in their widely-hyped "Joker's Cards" series, it should have been much better than it ended up. While it's not quite what I wanted it to be, there is still enough strong material to make the album worthwhile.
