OTEP is an anagram for poet and it’s a fitting name for the band led by Otep Shamaya as her songwriting is pure metal poetry. Their sound is an amalgam of genres blending nu-metal with rap metal, death metal and everything in between. OTEP is back with a new album on Napalm records “Generation Doom,” and it is as aggressive and adrenaline fueled as ever.
Vocalist and mastermind behind it all, Shamaya is more than a singer and a poet. She is a musical revolutionary of sorts, letting her opinions be known through her lyrics and achieving activism through music. The new record kicks off in extreme fashion with Otep’s screams of “I Don’t Give a F*ck” on “Zero” and continues with heightened energy and awareness on “Feeding Frenzy.” The riffs of Ari Mihalopoulos are punishing and heavy as the band takes an antiwar stance on “Lords of War.” There is an interesting cover of Lorde’s “Royals” where Shamaya adds her abrasive screams to the chorus yet her softer side is shown on “In Cold Blood” with tender whispering vocals. Otep loves to break the rules and tear down barriers and takes a stand for her own sexuality on “Equal Rights, Equal Lefts” as she raps such lyrical maelstroms as “He called
me a dyke, I called him an ambulance.” After all the pent up energy has been released, the album closes out with “On The Shore,” with sounds of a phone ringing and spoken words.
Agitated and angry, OTEP is a truly unique entity in a world of industry driven cookie cutter bands. “Generation Doom” is dark, intense and explosive and deserves a spot on every metal fan’s playlist. Give it a listen because one thing is for sure, OTEP will not be silenced.
