by Stephen Thomas ErlewineRingmaster, the second album from those urban pranksters the Insane Clown Posse, isn't as much a step forward as it is an improvement from their debut, Carnival of Carnage. Not that the group has really gotten any better -- they can barely rap, the beats are clumsy, the hard rock guitars are pandering -- but there is more focus on Ringmaster, which means that the album hits harder and makes a bigger impression. Of course, that means their overt sexism, inadvertent racism, and rampant juvenalia is right out there in the open, but that's really not going to offend anyone who climbed aboard the bandwagon with Carnival of Carnage. It will offend the casual observer, of course, but that's just what they're looking for. Besides, anyone who takes umbrage with the lyrics will miss what's really offensive -- the fact that ICP believes this flatulent rap-metal is remotely dangerous.