Otep — the band led by Otep Shamaya — is one of the most
influential and respected female-fronted metal bands. The Los Angeles
group, which has had rotating members since its formation in 2000, has
released three previous albums highlighting Shamaya’s searing voice as
she veers from moaning whispers to guttural screams. She equals any
male vocalist in her genre. Otep’s fourth album, Smash the Control
Machine, features the return of guitarist Rob Patterson and drummer
Mark Bistany who left the group in 2004. But the band has lost some of
its metal edge. The album opens with smashing double-bass drums and
Shamaya’s signature shriek, but the title track could be a Distillers
b-side, and the unfortunately titled “UR A WMN NOW” is a limp piano
ballad that belongs on the soundtrack to some tween chick flick.
Smash the Control Machine includes a few explosive, lyrically
interesting moments (“Numb and Dumb”), and Shamaya is still a striking
frontwoman and songwriter, but this record is something of a letdown.
— Emily Zemler
This article appears in Aug 19-25, 2009.
