A Pleasant Paroxysm of Rage

You read that right: Today, listeners get the pleasure of a new Otep album. “But wait, didn’t the band release their very last ever album in 2013?” says some semi-well-informed reader. Well, yes, there was commentary from Otep Shamaya that the last album ever would be the 2013 release, Hydra. However, within a year, the band was signed again to Napalm Records and creating a new album, quicker than you can say, “Need a new mosh pit.” Admittedly, if Hydra was the last album the listening audience was given by Otep, it would have been an extremely disappointing goodbye. The album was completely subpar. Now, all that’s in the past as we take a look at Generation Doom, the newest Otep album.

First of all, a metal album with 12 tracks is always exciting. From the first notes and heavy breaths of “Zero” to the very last second of “On the Shore,” Generation Doom is every bit of the excellent music we have come to expect, deserve, and exalt on an Otep album. It starts with all Otep’s compact, high octane rage and continues its heavy assault until its final track, ending with a semi-sweet lullaby of a song. It is clear Shamaya has used every incriment of a plethora of material to write her hard spat lyrics on, from religious issues and its effects on America (“God Is A Gun”) to the best, most aggressive LGBT anthem this listener has heard in the history of ever (“Equal Rights, Equal Lefts”). Composition on the album is perfect.  Now, the album itself has one failing and that is Shamaya’s cover of “Royals” by Lorde. The sad, sort of hilarious thing of it is that Shamaya’s cover is infinitesimally better than the original, but the song itself is ridiculously weak compared to the adrenaline packed, non-stop train the listeners have been on the rest of the album.

Heavily reminiscent of old Otep, Generation Doom is socially relevant, angry, and just awesome. It is fantastic to hear the band provide such great material and does an Otep fan good in their little black heart to know they are still producing. We can only hope the relationship between the band and Napalm records continues to remain prosperous, if not for their sake, for ours. It is way too hard to find new metal and mosh pits.