Otep

Otep emerged from Los Angeles as a ferocious, outspoken metal unit fronted by a woman, fusing gothic, extreme, rap, alternative, and nu-metal elements drawn from sources such as the Doors, Metallica, Slipknot, and Deftones. Capitol Records offered a contract after Sharon Osbourne caught only their fourth gig during an Ozzfest appearance. The Jihad EP arrived in 2001, with the charting full-length Sevas Tra following in October. House of Secrets surfaced in July 2004 and registered on both European and American charts. The Ascension closed out their Capitol period in 2007. Victory Records issued Smash the Control Machine in 2009. Atavist reached their peak chart position in 2011. Although Hydra was announced in 2013 as the final release, the group kept touring and delivered Generation Doom on Napalm Records in 2016. Kult 45 returned to unvarnished origins in 2018. Following a break, The God Slayer appeared on Cleopatra in 2023, its songs split evenly between new material and covers.

Otep Shamaya, the band’s incendiary vocalist, songwriter, poet, author, performance artist, and advocate for LGBT rights and animal welfare, formed the project in 2000 and quickly drew Sharon Osbourne’s notice, resulting in an invitation to that year’s Ozzfest. Over the next decade the group carved a path of sonic intensity through releases such as Smash the Control Machine (2009) and Atavist (2011), consistently merging high volume with pointed cultural and political commentary.

The name Otep, an anagram of “poet,” originated in late 2000 when singer Otep Shamaya applied her Marilyn Manson-meets-Kim Gordon vocal approach to a lineup then known only as Rob, Moke, and eViL j. The quartet began performing across Los Angeles and secured a Capitol deal on the strength of its live performances alone, never having recorded a demo, before releasing the Jihad EP the next year. Tales of cannibalism and mystical practices enhanced their enigmatic aura, earning favorable mentions from Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson. Their eighth concert took place on the 2001 Ozzfest bill; at year’s end the band entered the studio with Terry Date to cut Sevas Tra, which surfaced in mid-2002. They rejoined Ozzfest that summer on the second stage. House of Secrets followed in 2004, incorporating funk, hip-hop, and ambient textures into the metal framework. Producer Dave Fortman guided Ascension in 2007, which the band supported on spring dates with Static-X.

Victory Records became home in 2009 for Smash the Control Machine, which entered the Billboard 200 at number 47. Atavist, the fifth album, arrived two years later without longtime bassist eViL j, who departed after Smash the Control Machine. The conceptual Hydra in 2013 marked the first Otep record to rely exclusively on drum programming. Howard Benson produced Generation Doom, the seventh studio album, which appeared on Napalm Records in 2016. Kult 45, the politically charged eighth album, followed in 2018. Self-produced and recorded with the same gear used for Sevas Tra, including Shamaya’s Shure Beta 58a microphone, it earned strong reviews yet failed to chart in North America.

After a world tour the COVID-19 pandemic enforced a hiatus. Cleopatra signed the band in late 2022, leading to the self-produced The God Slayer in September 2023. Its opening single, a cover of Billie Eilish’s “You Should See Me in a Crown,” performed well on streaming charts. Additional covers 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.”