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Tracklist
Requiem
Warhead
Buried Alive
Sepsis
House of Secrets
Hooks & Splinters
Gutter
Autopsy Song
Suicide Trees
Nein
Self-Made
Shattered Pieces
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Otep is scary. 'House Of Secrets' is a strange, dark trip into the most frightening corners of the human psyche. As 'Requiem' initiates the listener's fears with ringing bells and cryptic whispers and cries, you get the impression that you're in for something that is aurally different. As an introduction, it builds a lot of dramatic attention to the brute force of 'Warhead'. Otep Shamaya's utilizes some unorthodox phrasings as a vocalist and has command of a diverse set of voices that make this record dynamic and urgent. Sounding completely miserable on 'Buried Alive' seems to come naturally, forming an overpowering wall of emotion that blows you to pieces.
Instrumentally, the music is widely varied but most of the time it is purely bludgeoning in fashion, as on 'Sepsis'. Most of the songs contain seriously aggressive song parts, as Otep burn with an intensity coupled with a notion of impending doom that is wildly out of control. With 'Sespis', listeners will find the highlight of the record, a shocking jolt of insanity with extremely memorable vocals and mosh pit beats. On the title track, Shamaya gives a tip of the hat to the eerie side of Jim Morrison's work. When this song finally kicks in it crushes.
Much of Otep's work is so far out there in terms of dynamics, it does not mirror the standard radio fare, and the topical matter is more often than not to graphically intense. It is unfortunate that this type of 'Natural Born Killers' mixed with ultra death riffing, haunting whispers, savage screams and sometimes, purely mechanized chaos in essence won't receive more attention in the mainstream commercial media, because it is of the artistic quality that is more than deserving of a wide audience. But this music is doubtlessly killer throughout the record, without exception. One can imagine that these songs would have a tremendous presence in concert. Otep is without question, one of the most relevant artists creating music and this record is will no doubt maintain its relevance for a good many years to come. For those enjoy delving into the darker side of things, this is a must.
Review by: EF
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