Last month's pick was Coal Chamber- Dark Days (RoadRunner, 2002). To see past picks check out the archive.

What's up dirt heads? How the hell are ya? Summer is almost upon us and you know what that means? Yep, OZZFEST!!!! My next pick of the month made their Ozzfest debut in 2001 and then kinda disappeared. Well, they are back with a few personnel changes and have a better focus and mission statement to back it up. Otep is back and they are about to make their presence known once again to the masses at Ozzfest.

Describing Otep's music can best be put in the ranks of Slipknot with their full assault and unrelentless powerful metal. Describing Otep's front woman, whose emotional unstability is very similiar to Korn's frontman Jonathan Davis, brings back the issues of molestation at an early age. Not only that, but she's a rapper. She has a heavy element of using hip-hop over the heavy music which works wonderfully well when you throw in a few screams. Personally, I'd like to see if she can sing. Throughout the entire disc, there is rapping and screaming but no melody involved. Put it all in a blender and you got yourself Otep!

A very powerful and dark message lingers with each track on the disc. Messages like, "your suffering will free you," "you are not alone," and "death only comes to those who don't want it" fuel the fire. I see an army of pissed-off women and young girls hanging on every word in the lyrics and see it much like a journal entry of their own lives. Otep will very likely tap into the problems of youth today and provide a vision to the answer.

Granted that I'm not to keen on the tracks where she's rambling with no music behind her, I am very impressed with the energy and darkness behind all of it. I will give them props in that department. I like my music heavy and creepy. They do both very well.

Now on with the songs on the disc. The CD starts off almost like a story tale. A dark one at that which mentions being 13, skipping church and having a stranger in the room. If that doesn't tickle your fancy, the next song "Blood Pigs" will. When I think about Otep and people ask me, what is it like and what song sums up Otep, "Blood Pigs" would have to be that song. It's an all out warfare right in your face.

Other favorites on this disc include the powerful lingering message in "My Confession." Once again, it's another dark tale. The chorus of "i need to find my sanctuary..... someplace safe. gotta get this outta me ..... this is my escape" is pretty cool. The dark chants of No way out! build up the drama and the cool part about this song is when she changes the line of No way out to this is your way out and you are not alone. I think this song will connect with tons of kids.

My personal favorite of this disc would have to be "Fillthee." The music is intensifying and the squeal of "she's unclean, unclean, I can't get his scent off of me." Don't ask me what this song is about, but it's pretty cool. Granted, I do think that Otep (singer calls herself Otep) has some major emotional problems that she needs to deal with, but maybe this is her way of doing it.

And last but not least, the song that everyone talks about. "Jonestown Tea." There is one line that I'm sure everyone knows, cause it's the only line I hear when I mention the band. But hey, what are you going to do. This song starts off setting the scene and describing everything down to the last detail. If you thought Korn's "Daddy" was tapping into the vein of child molestation, wait till you hear "Jonestown Tea." A female perspective of that issue.

All in all, I really enjoyed this disc. Otep can scream almost better than some guys but I do think the rapping thing could be minimal and I'd like to hear her use her voice to sing once in awhile. Oh well, maybe on the next disc. Be sure to catch Otep on Ozzfest 2002 and pick up the CD. I'm out!

Until next time, later freaks!

By T-Bone