The sophomore effort from art house nu-metal practitioners Otep only briefly flirts with the genre's anarchic political leanings ("Warhead"), focusing instead on the medium's most revered theme: angst.
The lupine howl of a shattered youth proclaiming that "I hate my life" is nothing new, so when frontwoman -- and namesake -- Otep screams the phrase endlessly throughout "Buried Alive," she's channeling everyone from post-rock mouthpieces Gordon Gano and Exene Cervenka to pop/rock tunesmiths like Roger Waters and Ricky Nelson.
This would be all fine and dandy if the music contained a mere particle of the cathartic spirit of the aforementioned artists.
When House of Secrets isn't pummeling the listener into submission with predictable riffs and distorted vocals, it's leading the listener into a sterile waiting room -- bereft of even the most mundane periodical -- of spoken word poetry wrapped in tedious post-Nine Inch Nails soundscapes.
Otep is at her most genuine on the title cut, an atmospheric dirge that finds the artist assuming a sultry Chrissie Hynde-like croon, but it's merely a deviation from an exercise that in its entirety is mediocre at best.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RequiemOtep Shamaya, Greg Wells | Otep | Play | 02:40 | 6 MB | 13 MB |
| 2 | WarheadOtep Shamaya, eViL j | Otep | Play | 03:29 | 7 MB | 25 MB |
| 3 | Buried AliveRob Patterson, Otep Shamaya, Greg Wells | Otep | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 4 | SepsisOtep Shamaya, eViL j | Otep | Play | 03:29 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 5 | House of SecretsOtep Shamaya, Greg Wells | Otep | Play | 04:02 | 9 MB | 20 MB |
| 6 | Hooks & SplintersOtep Shamaya, Greg Wells, eViL j | Otep | Play | 03:33 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 7 | GutterOtep Shamaya | Otep | Play | 01:02 | 2 MB | 3 MB |
| 8 | Autopsy SongOtep Shamaya, Greg Wells | Otep | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 9 | Suicide TreesOtep Shamaya, Greg Wells | Otep | Play | 06:26 | 14 MB | 26 MB |
| 10 | NeinRob Patterson, Otep Shamaya, Greg Wells | Otep | Play | 04:13 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 11 | Self-MadeOtep Shamaya, Greg Wells | Otep | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 12 | Shattered PiecesOtep Shamaya, Greg Wells | Otep | Play | 04:09 | 9 MB | 14 MB |
| 44 mins | 101 MB | |||||
| 44 mins | 242 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Beeston | Assistant Engineer |
| 2 | P.R. Brown | Art Direction, Design, Photography |
| 3 | eViL j | Composer |
| 4 | Ron Laffitte | A&R |
| 5 | Roger Lian | Mastering |
| 6 | Monique Mizrahi | Assistant Engineer |
| 7 | Otep | Primary Artist |
| 8 | Rob Patterson | Composer |
| 9 | Brian Scheuble | Engineer |
| 10 | Otep Shamaya | Composer, Executive Producer |
| 11 | Howie Weinberg | Mastering |
| 12 | Greg Wells | Composer, Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
![Wurd Becomes Flesh [EP] - Otep](https://photos.eruce.com/thumbs/1cd/295/3ee/ab7/931/d35/e82d1476474e71b77f9445f325f7aeff_250x250.jpg)
![Jihad [EP] - Otep](https://photos.eruce.com/thumbs/1cd/295/3ee/ab7/931/d35/f79acf0499af366d3d4fd8f78d039028_250x250.jpg)
![Sounds Like Armageddon [Live Album] - Otep](https://photos.eruce.com/thumbs/1cd/295/3ee/ab7/931/d35/774189f32c69177143f22f951b989ba7_250x250.jpg)
![The Ascension [Best Buy Bonus Tracks] - Otep](https://photos.eruce.com/thumbs/1cd/295/3ee/ab7/931/d35/3917f38c0345ad3e1fba22ba8cdc02b2_250x250.jpg)
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |