THE GOODiES >> CD REViEWS

ALBUM Sevas Tra ARTIST Otep RELEASED June 18th, 2002 LABEL EMI Music Canada 01. Tortured 02. Blood Pigs 03. T.R.I.C. 04. My Confession 05. Sacrilege 06. Battle Ready 07. Emtee 08. Possession 09. Thots 10. Fillthee 11. Menocide 12. Jonestown Tea

This has got to be one of the best, if not the best, album I've ever purchased. Otep Shamaya has the ability to just rip into your soul, taking you on a macabre journey of abuse, sadness, hate and anger. Her lyrics are eerie and their brutality is unmistakeable. With every syllable, she pounds them into your chest, whether it be by growls, torturous cries or her amazing rap-like flow. She is, I think, the definition of the modern slam poet. She has the uncanny ability to put you in her place and overwhelm the senses. You will feel what she is feeling, and it will reverberate through you, chilling straight to the bone. In several tracks, Otep's growls are so deep and heavy, she could easily be mistaken for a male.

Out of all Otep's releases, I'd have to say that this is their heaviest effort to date. The music compliments the lyrical intensity with sheer instrumental insanity. The music is just a myriad of intense flavours, breathing fresh life into the heavy metal formula. It is intricate, mixed well, and fits to the words. This is the kind of record you want to listen to with the volume all of the way up. :)

Overall, if you would like an album that is hard and brutal, but is also beauiful and intelligent, Sevas Tra is for you. Otep is damn good and what she does.

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