ICP’s trip to the carnival

This April marks the release of “Bang! Pow! Boom! Nuclear Edition,” Insane Clown Posse’s latest effort. This three-disc set contains original tracks from their 2009 album, plus a few hidden songs, never released efforts and, to top it all off, a DVD featuring a handful of music videos.

Typically, the songs on the album tell a story that plays into a larger concept of the mythical dark carnival. ICP has managed to build an impressively huge fan base for these odd concepts. In some ways, they have even managed to rival some fantasy novels in their elaborate labyrinth of songs.

However, the gimmick dries up on some of these newer efforts. Even though carnival magic is something that few groups even touch on, it is certainly growing a little stale.

Their video “Miracles” depicts many worldly places as miracles, including the sky, space and the birth of a new baby. The colors and the scenes were insane, and of course, the face paint didn’t fit in — kind of like everything ICP does.