"Tales from the Lotus Pod", Dark Lotus album review

This album is from back in the day. Originally released in 2001, it was re-released in 2002 because of a dispute that Psychopathic Records was having with Marz, who is featured on the album. On the 2002 re-release, they replaced Marz verses with verses from Anybody Killa, who was then new to the label. The re-released version of this album is more recent than the OG print and is probably in better circulation, but they're both OoP (Out-of-print) so finding either one on physical will be a bit of legwork.
     There was a bunch of shit going on during the production of the album, and to sum it up this entire album is a trial-run for the Dark Lotus. The fact of that is pretty clear when you listen to it. Half of the album was produced by Mike E. Clark, and I don't truthfully know what they did to make the rest of the album work. But that bit doesn't stand out as much. It isn't terrible or underproduced, but it exudes a vibe that makes you feel like it was rushed out of production or something like that. It's off-putting...

Graphics:
     The graphics are pretty nice. The CD is just a pyramid design with some words on it - the album title, I think. The front has the cross-design pictured below and the packet that displays the album cover is a fold-out. When fully extended it displays some hieroglyphics and on the other side are some pyramids in different states of condition. There's some instructions for raising the dead written underneath the CD rest, which is nice. The cool thing I want to note is that there's no CD track listing anywhere to be found within the case or on the CD. Just nothing. Juggalos created a tracklist, which seems to differ a bit depending on the print you're looking at. Depending on your disposition, you could say that it adds to the fact that the CD feels like it was rushed out of production. But to me, it adds more of a cryptic nature to the CD and adds a bit of a haze over the CD that makes you entertain existential thoughts on the nature of a CD. I approve. Graphics are great.

Content:
     But let me delve. Tales from the Lotus Pod is mediocre. And while it does have a few gems on it that catch the eye, beyond those few gems there is nothing but uncomfortable and awkward music. You could get a list of the good tracks on this album, you could go find and listen to them, and you wouldn't really need to listen to the rest of the album. That's because the rest of the album is filler, just reiterations of the same messages. "I Hurt Myself", "Gimme Dat Blood", "Swarm". Okay: you don't like other people or yourself, but I'd rather not hear six songs about it. On top of that, the songs themselves aren't especially executed well at all.
     The production is uncomfortably dark, with shuffling beats and lyricism that is very archetypal of the Lotus: Fucking dead bitches, being possessed by demons, wanting to die, etcetera. While some of the music is well-executed, it really brings you down. It doesn't bestow anything positive on you, doesn't make you think about or question your own morals. TftLP is morbid for the sake of being morbid and nothing more. Whether it's Violent J slamming a fragment of skull into his brain or Jamie Madrox vomiting due to excess meds, you can't help but shiver at some of the verses. While it's possible to appreciate the pure shock value of the CD, it mostly just makes you uncomfortable.
     Yes, this is a part of the Dark Lotus's history. It won't be forgotten. I like this album because now I know more about the Lotus's history, and I own a piece of it. I also have access to those few gems that rise above the rest of the funk on this album.
     You don't really need this. Unless you're like me and you want to own that piece of history, this album really isn't amazing and you can find a lot of the good tracks elsewhere. Look into the other works by Lotus, because they have better CDs out there. The whole deal with the two versions of the album - it doesn't even matter. Just get whatever you can get.
     Even Violent J has said that he doesn't like the album, so that right there should make you balk just a bit. If you wanna cop this, look into it, but don't just throw your money at it.

Final Grade: "Tales from the Lotus Pod" by Dark Lotus receives a: 2.5/5
(Awwwww!)

Weak Points:
- TftLP feels like it was rushed out of production; it could have used more time
- The fact that there are two versions of the album. It adds to the feeling of it being rushed out of production, like they released the album without having a definite vision of what they wanted it to be.
- Lots of stuff that feels like filler.

Strong Points:
- There are some gems on this CD
- Bad or not, this album is still a piece of the Lotus's history that should be remembered.
- There is some really good production on some of the tracks. Not all, but some.

Album cover for the re-release. Pretty and simple, huh? I like it. Usually I'd post both the original and re-issue, but in this case the two albums aren't really that different so I'm not even going to bother. You could find it easily if you were interested.