Otep

A hard-hitting and outspoken female-fronted metal outfit from Los Angeles, Otep’s lethal blend of gothic, extreme, rap, alternative, and nu-metal draws from a wide array of influences, including the Doors, Metallica, Slipknot, and Deftones. After Sharon Osbourne witnessed their fourth-ever performance at Ozzfest, they were signed to Capitol. Jihad, their debut EP, appeared in 2001, followed by the charting full-length Sevas Tra in October. In July 2004, House of Secrets appeared and charted in Europe as well as America. 2007′s The Ascension marked the band’s final Capitol effort. They signed with Victory for 2009′s Smash the Control Machine. 2011′s Atavist became their highest-charting album to date. The band proclaimed 2013′s Hydra their final album, but they continued to tour, and in 2016 they issued Generation Doom on Napalm Records. Kult 45 appeared in 2018 as a return to raw roots. After a hiatus, Otep returned with The God Slayer for Cleopatra in 2023. Its tracklist was equally divided between originals and covers. Led by fiery singer/songwriter, poet, author, performance artist, and activist for LGBT rights and animal welfare Otep Shamaya, the band emerged in 2000 and quickly caught the attention of Sharon Osbourne, who invited Otep to join that year’s Ozzfest. The band spent the ensuing years blazing a trail of sonic destruction with career-best outings like Smash the Control Machine (2009) and Atavist (2011), while maintaining their penchant for pairing sheer volume with cultural and political provocation. Otep (an anagram for “poet”) got their start in late 2000, when singer/band namesake Otep Shamaya brought her Marilyn Manson-meets-Kim Gordon style of singing to a crew of musicians known only as Rob, Moke, and eViL j. The foursome began gigging around Los Angeles and scored a deal with Capitol solely on the strength of their live show (they’d not yet recorded a demo), releasing the Jihad EP the following year. Rumors of cannibalism and dabbling in the mystical arts helped add to their mysterious image, and they found themselves receiving nods of approval from the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson for their antics. Their eighth live show was at 2001′s Ozzfest, and Otep stepped into the studio with Terry Date at the tail-end of the year to record their full-length debut, Sevas Tra, which saw the light of day in mid-2002. That summer they again joined the Ozzfest tour, gaining a prime spot on the second stage. In 2004 the group released its sophomore effort, House of Secrets, which introduced elements of funk, hip-hop, and ambient into the group’s melting pot of metal. Working with producer Dave Fortman (Evanescence, Mudvayne), Otep followed up three years later with Ascension and supported it on spring 2007 dates with Static-X. In 2009 the band signed to Victory Records and released Smash the Control Machine, which debuted at number 47 on the Billboard 200. Two years later the band released its fifth full-length album, Atavist, the first Otep outing that did not feature longtime bassist eViL j, who left the group shortly after the release of Smash the Control Machine. Arriving in 2013, the conceptual Hydra would be the band’s first album to rely solely on drum programming, while 2016′s Howard Benson-produced Generation Doom, their seventh studio long-player, saw Otep make the move to Napalm Records. In 2018 the band issued their eighth studio long-player, the politically charged Kult 45. Self-produced, the band, seeking a return to their Sevas Tra sound, re-used the same equipment to record it, down to the Shure - Beta 58a microphone Shamaya used. Despite extremely positive critical notice, the album failed to chart in North America. Following a world tour, the band was hamstrung — like everyone else — by the COVID-19 pandemic. After signing to Cleopatra in late 2022, Otep re-emerged with The God Slayer in September 2023. The set, equally divided between originals and covers, was also self-produced. Its first single, a cover of Billie Eilish’s “You Should See Me in a Crown,” scored on streaming charts. Other covers on the date included Nirvana’s “Territorial Pissings,” Slipknot’s “Purity,” Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U,” Eminem’s “The Way I Am,” and Lil' Peep’s “Star Shopping.” ~ Bradley Torreano