Otep - Kult 45 (2018)

Otep Shamaya is one angry woman. A woman who will not be silenced, make her voice and opinion heard through her aggressive attitude, and now that 'murica has a ultra controversial business man in the White House, Otep has a ton of ammo at her disposal, ready to unleash unto the world. So let us see if Otep and her crew's 8th offering contains a bunch of sharp shooting missiles, or if it is just filled with a lot of blanks.

Sure enough, Otep comes out guns blazing in several songs on "Kult 45", blasting everyone who stands in her way. To no one's surprise, President Donald Trump and the rest of the United States government is in the line of fire most of the time, although Otep states that the raw and dirty lyrics are meant to empower the listener, to make themselves heard in the political climate. Well, it certainly work to some degree, but I bet you all that there are a ton of people that are gonna interpret these lyrics in a different way. Take "Shelter In Place" for example, where Otep is complaining about all these school shootings, asking the NRA how many kids they have killed today. The message is in theory good, but could have possibly delivered a little better (and it does not help that in the video she called the NRA a terrorist group, yikes).

Anyway, most of Otep's music is all about attitude, and we certainly got buckets full of those. Songs like "Molotov", "Undefeated", and "Cross Contamination" has Otep going at full force, rapping her way through the haters like a warm knife through butter. You can say what you want about her style of nu/alternative metal, but you have to admit that her confidence levels are high enough to carry even the more questionable parts of the record, like this one line in "Invisible People" that just makes me laugh every time (sorry, not sorry).

"I've got something to say, and it's gonna be savage/Fuck you in English, fuck you in Spanish" (followed by a bunch of fuck you's)

As always when it comes to Otep records, "Kult 45" is at its best when the messages are accompanied with a meaty and groovy riff. Guitarist Ari Mihapoulos can certainly deliver some great memorable riffs when he wants to, with some of the better ones are in the heavy and scary "Said The Snake", and also "To The Gallows". The instrumentation is otherwise an after thought in "Kult 45", which honestly does not surprise me, but I wished for some more meat to this bone. I do not care that they try to mimic Rage Against The Machine in "Wake Up", give me some inspiration. Well, maybe they do not get enough screen time, with half of the songs being under 3 minutes.

Amidst all this aggression we have some more laid back moments, with both "Undefeated" and "Boss" being more of a spoken word effort, with very little music and a lot of Otep rapping. Then at the end of the record we have a ballad. Yep, Otep made a ballad that is called "Be Brave", which feels so strange for several reasons. It does not really fit into the album, and to be quite frank, it does not match with Otep's personality as well. Then we have the fact that "Be Brave" sounds like something Evanescence would conceive during their hey days, so that is... certainly something. As said, it is strange to say the least.

One last thing I want to mention before I sum things up, a bonus track that certainly caught my attention. It is called "The Tribe Speaks", and it is not a song, it is a half an hour track with several of Otep's fans calling in, telling how much her music has meant to them and how much they love her. I am not sure why this track exist, probably to show how big Otep's "tribe" is and that it can be a force to be reckoned with, but it could also be seen as a ego boost for Otep, a reminder of what she has accomplished. One thing is for certain, Trump is not popular in the "Tribe", with most of these callers just saying "fuck Trump". My favourite has to be a guy who described Trump's administration with a flushing toilet, he got a chuckle out of me.

"Kult 45" is ultimately a very, VERY uneven record. It is like that one South Park episode when Cartman used a machine gun to hold off the Chinese mafia. Sure, he is dangerous as hell, but the bullets are flying everywhere, barely hitting anything. Otep has a ton of firepower at her disposal, but I do not feel like she had the means this time around to focus it all for it to be lethal, leading to an album that lacks a musical direction and some sure fire knock out punches. Her tribe will surely still stand by her since she is still speaking her mind and doing what she want to do, but for a more neutral listener, "Kult 45" is a more hard pill to swallow than some other album she has made.

Songs worthy of recognition: Said The Snake, Molotov, To The Gallows

Rating: 5/10 Shelters In Place

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More reviews of Otep
Generation Doom

Otep - Generation Doom (2016)

A minute into "Generation Doom", and Otep Shamaya is already screaming "I don't give a fuck" straight into my ears, which frankly does not surprise me one bit. You see, her self named band Otep is all about anarchy, anger, and a "don't give a fuck" attitude, and it is a style that is highly debated in the metal community, is she the voice of the revolution or just some crazy bitch screaming her lungs out? Personally, I think Otep is a interesting, and rather unique band that, when they hit the right notes, can make some great aggressive metal, just a shame it rarely lasts throughout an album.

The only thing that surprises me with this record is that it exists at all, because Otep straight up retired after the release of "Hydra" in 2013, claiming that she was frustrated and no longer felt inspired to make anymore music (mostly thanks to labels trying to interfere too much). Now she has made a Rolling Stones, and returned with a huge knuckle sandwich in "Generation Doom".

Usually, Otep albums are extremely uneven, containing several different songs and styles (including dark whispers that barely classifies as music), but "Generation Doom" is a lot more cohesive than what I expected it to be. The album holds well together with its aggressive half industrial, half nu-metal sound, and Otep delivers a passionate performance. You can really feel that her blood is on the boiling point. And the music is not too shabby either, being either heavy, groovy, or just madness personified, it often works out really well.

My personal favourite is probably "No Color", a mystical song with a really cool chorus that sticks to your mind and is easy to enjoy. It might have a worthless ending (like several other songs in this album), but I am impressed that the band could create a great song without screaming. Even "In Cold Blood" is a slower song that shows Otep's versatility, a soft song that feels just right for the band. Otherwise it is the faster and heavier songs that steals the show, like the cybernetic "Feeding Frenzy", the well armored "Lords of War", and the Lacuna Coil sounding "Down".

And in the middle of all this aggression and anger we have a song called "Royals", and you guessed it, it is a cover of the song with the same name by Randy Marsh Lorde. The screaming in the chorus might be a little forced, but the band really succeeded in making this song their own, and it sounds really good, making this luxurious song into a anarchistic rally.

Unfortunately, there are a couple songs that drags the album down a notch. "Lie" is boring as hell, "God Is A Gun" has a really weird flow to it, and then we have "Equal Rights, Equal Lefts", a more hip hop spoken word song that may be a big part of Otep's personality, but this song just breaks down the flow of the album in the wrong way. Also, there is a line in this song I cannot comprehend. "He called me a dyke/I called him an ambulance". What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are those really insults? "Oh, so I am a vehicle that helps sick people getting to the hospital? That's... something?". She can write some great lyrics from time to time, but this is just dumb.

I think the hate for Otep will still be there, but it is a hate that I think fuels Otep to come back with twice the strength, at least that is what she has done with "Generation Doom". This album is the most even one, and it might also be the strongest album she has presented us with. She is still far from perfect, and the music will continue to be controversial, but this is a strong comeback, and an even stronger statement that they are here to stay, and continue to be pissed off.

Songs worthy of recognition: No Color, Feeding Frenzy, Lords of War

Rating: 7,5/10 Lies