With the return of original drummer Moke and guitarist Rob Patterson, both of whom last played on 2002's Sevas Tra, for Smash the Control Machine, Otep seem more determined than ever, but with a dated sound rooted in crunchy nu metal and alternative metal from the mid-'90s, and a proclivity for extreme melodrama, it might be hard for listeners to take them seriously.
As far as reference points go, Korn are an obvious touchstone here, especially in vocalist Otep Shamaya's delivery, which directly mirrors Jonathan Davis' myriad voices.
While growing more comfortable with her range, Shamaya bounces from pseudo-raps to squelching metal yelps, and even tries a breathy ballad along the way ("Ur a WMN Now").
Lyrically, she also takes more risks.
Influenced by her time doing poetry readings on HBO's Def Poetry, she confronts society's ailments head-on, addressing the overabundance of pill-popping, media brainwashing, and apathetic behavior in American culture.
Of course, it's not all so provocative.
When she gasps the line, "Take my temperature baby/This is what you taste like," it comes across more creepy than sexy.
Of course, as an album that will probably get heavy rotation in the Hot Topic stockroom, creepy might be exactly what she and the band are going for.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rise, Rebel, ResistMark Bistany, Jason McGuire, Robert Patterson, Otep Shamaya | Otep | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 2 | Sweet ToothMark Bistany, Jason McGuire, Robert Patterson, Otep Shamaya | Otep | Play | 04:21 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 3 | Smash the Control MachineMark Bistany, Jason McGuire, Robert Patterson, Otep Shamaya | Otep | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 4 | Oh, So SurrealMark Bistany, Jason McGuire, Robert Patterson, Otep Shamaya | Otep | Play | 04:21 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 5 | Run for CoverMark Bistany, Jason McGuire, Robert Patterson, Otep Shamaya | Otep | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 6 | Kisses & KeroseneMark Bistany, Jason McGuire, Robert Patterson, Otep Shamaya | Otep | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 7 | UnveiledMark Bistany, Jason McGuire, Robert Patterson, Otep Shamaya | Otep | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 8 | Ur a WMN NowHolly Knight, Otep Shamaya | Otep | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 9 | Serv AsatMark Bistany, Jason McGuire, Robert Patterson, Otep Shamaya | Otep | Play | 02:29 | 5 MB | 19 MB |
| 10 | Where the River EndsMark Bistany, Jason McGuire, Robert Patterson, Otep Shamaya | Otep | Play | 11:57 | 27 MB | 51 MB |
| 11 | I RememberMark Bistany, Jason McGuire, Robert Patterson, Otep Shamaya | Otep | Play | 08:34 | 19 MB | 46 MB |
| 12 | Head | Otep | Play | 05:10 | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| 13 | Numb & Dumb | Otep | Play | 04:26 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 64 mins | 147 MB | |||||
| 64 mins | 396 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aiden | Primary Artist |
| 2 | The Autumn Offering | Primary Artist |
| 3 | Emilie Autumn | Violin |
| 4 | Mark Bistany | Additional Music, Composer |
| 5 | Bury Your Dead | Primary Artist |
| 6 | Tim Butler | Illustrations |
| 7 | Dave Collins | Mastering |
| 8 | Destrophy | Primary Artist |
| 9 | Greg Edgerton | Art Direction, Cover Art |
| 10 | eViL j | Additional Music |
| 11 | Koichi Fukuda | Piano |
| 12 | Jared Hirshland | Assistant |
| 13 | Holly Knight | Composer |
| 14 | Jason McGuire | Composer |
| 15 | Otep | Primary Artist |
| 16 | Rob Patterson | Additional Music |
| 17 | Robert Patterson | Composer |
| 18 | Jack Ponti | Executive Producer |
| 19 | Otep Shamaya | Art Direction, Composer, Executive Producer, Illustrations, Lyricist, Vocals |
| 20 | Sister Sin | Primary Artist |
| 21 | Ulrich Wild | 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). |