Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If I'm a danger to myself just think what I could do to you..., November 1, 2007
Otep's (r)evolution continues...
Few times have I seen a CD get pushed back as much as Otep's The Ascension has. But, we can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that it was well worth the wait.
One of the best things about Otep is the fact that they evolve with each new release. Sevas Tra was mainly heavy with a few melodic parts. House of Secrets dealt more with the eery side with some standout heavy parts. And now, with The Ascension, the heaviness rules supreme again but the eeriness is always palpable and seems as if it could show up at any time.
Then there's Otep's lyrics. My God. I've heard some intense lyrics but I really doubt many could hold a flame to Otep. There's not a lot of new ground broken, she deals mainly with the same topics (God, religion, self-abuse, etc.) but she does it with such a flare that it evokes as much emotion in us as the previous CDs have. As for the vocals, they saw a major change from Sevas Tra to House of Secrets, and there's more change introduced to us with The Ascension. Maybe it was because I haven't heard anything new from them in so long but I thought her voice had changed significantly. With further listens though, it really hasn't. Her roars are still insane, her rap-ish moments are still tastefully done, and her singing--yeah I said it--is actually pretty good, resembling Poe a little.
As with every Otep CD, the music is always intense, whether it's heavy or just a piano, there's always that feeling of dread and creepiness. Special mention musically goes to Milk of Regret. The simple guitar melody mixed with the tribal drumming works wonders for the song. It begins slow but just completely erupts towards the end, classic Otep.
Every fan of Otep, whether you were around from Sevas Tra--or the Jihad EP--or just discovered them after House of Secrets was released, everyone will find salvation in this CD. The Blood Pig-esque songs are definitely here. See Eet The Children, Crooked Spoons, Noose & Nail, and March of the Martyrs. The Warhead-esque songs are here. See Confrontation and Home Grown. Then there's the slow-to-fast songs like Milk of Regret, Ghostflowers, and Invisible. Heck, we even get a radio-worthy (if only, God knows Otep would bring some much needed originality to it) track in Perfectly Flawed.
Pay special attention to Otep's version of the Nirvana classic, Breed. It has every oportunity to be corny, unneeded, and flat out stupid, but for some reason they really pull it off and pay a great homage to it.
My favorite songs are Crooked Spoons, Perfectly Flawed, Milk of Regret, Noose & Nail, and March of the Martyrs. Otep is finally back and demanding attention. Few will give The Ascension the due it truly deserves but this ranks right up there with the best CDs of 2007 for sure. Each song begs repeated listens and the CD as a whole is easy to listen to fully. There's a little something for every different brand of metalhead out there. Highly recommended.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"The last time I died, was it really this much fun?", December 7, 2007
Let me just start out by saying that I've never seen such a diminutive person take over a stage like Otep Shamaya does....and I've seen Dio. Nobody can ever question the intensity of a woman who has been known to pull out clumps of her own hair onstage: Otep is the real deal; do not doubt this. The band's members -aside from the awesome Evil J on bass- may change, but the passion and the fury remains a constant. Otep -both the band and the woman- is a true artistic chameleon, able to captivate fans with dark poetry and odd, understated soundscapes that explode into a wall of pure sonic chaos that few bands can equal. "Sevas Tra" utilized Miss Shamaya's considerable rapping prowess to create a focused metal album that retained it's thrashing intensity throughout. "House of Secrets" saw the band ditching the tired rap-metal motif and stretching out artistically; concentrating on unique instrumentation and the build-up and release of energy that contributed wonderfully to the band's impressive stage repertoire. And now, after a long wait, here we are.
"Ascension" is an album that finds Otep using everything they've learned and going for broke. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. The music is as brutal as ever and the lyrics cut, bludgeon, torch, and rampage as they should. The intense and disturbing poetry readings that previously served as the band's calling card have been shortened to brief intros except for the "hidden" track which oddly appears on a track of it's own (not so hidden then is it?). This movement away from their more avant garde elements, while certainly a compromise from a band I've always respected for not compromising, actually helps this album keep it's considerable momentum rolling where previous CD's had me skipping to the next track to hear more music. I do enjoy Otep's poetry but like I always tell people who complain about not being able to understand the lyrics in this style of music: if you want words, read a book; metal is about the music. Otep is one of music's great lyricists and I have to say that she manages to make her words comprehensible even when shrieking and roaring like a death metal pro; that is not an easy line to tread.
Now, the bad. My primary beef is with the two songs that stick out like sore thumbs on this record. The first is the made for popular radio "Perfectly Flawed". It is not that it's a bad song; it just doesn't feel like a true Otep song. It sounds like a song written for popular radio and if there is one thing we metal fans hate it is popular radio. Second, there is the cover of Nirvana classic "Breed" that, while well performed (especially by drummer Brian Wolfe who is unbelievable on this whole album), reeks of pandering to the mainstream in an attempt to get a breakout single. That case is not helped by the frequent use of vocal effects and overdubs that dispel the rawness of Shamaya's incredible voice throughout much of the album. This is not a Britney Spears album, guys, I like my music to sound like a real person is singing (or screaming) it.
All that said, this is another fantastic album by one of the most exciting bands in metal right now. The blatant stabs at commercial success are largely offset by the righteous fury of songs like "Confrontation" ("Defy the lies of the tyrant race with a fist in the air and a finger in their face") and the uncomfortable vulnerability of Otep's anthems of self-mutilation and domestic abuse that have remained a constant since they released "Jihad". "Ascension" is an album born of conflict and nothing could suit this band better. I just hope that when and if mainstream success comes they don't abandon their fans and become the next AFI, Korn, or (heaven forbid) Metallica.
My rating: 4 1/2 stars rounded down for tough love.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brutal, and Intense!!!, April 11, 2009
I had never heard anything by Otep before Ghost Flowers. I was drawn to Oteps intense rage while listening to this cd. If you ever needed something to pump you up this is your music! There are a couple of breaks in the bloodlust, but even these breaks pack their own intense bombshell on the listener. I feel for whatever trauma caused the rage that permeates from Oteps lyrics and is expressed in her awesome vocals. Slayer still reigns tops for me but Otep does a nice job of being near the throne.
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