Otep – Generation Doom

Otep Generation Doom  Otep has always been a thing of wonder to me as I’ve heard bits and pieces of their past work, but to me they’re one of those bands that I have intentions of checking out but never f*cking do for no particular reason whatsoever. I think everyone has one band like that. I never knew where to start though, and after listening to “Generation Doom” as a leap of faith after not knowing a single thing about the record to see if I liked what I heard, and oddly enough I can honestly say this is one of the most interesting albums I’ve had the great pleasure of listening to so far this year. Now let me start off by saying that there is a lot going on within the contents of “Generation Doom”, and by that I mean there a little elements of multiple metal sub-genres ranging from (and not limited to) nu, symphonic, and even a little bit – a little bit – of death metal sprinkled throughout the record so that each and every minute sounds different from the previous and the next so that you always get this fresh sense which prevents the album from becoming stale in nature like a lot of albums sadly succumb to, but Otep flex their musical mastery muscles by not allowing that to happen with this piece. The vocals truly live up to their name as they have a real sense of power in every track of “Generation Doom” whether they have a style that is much like that of nu metal, a smooth melody to really entice your fancies, and then in other times goes all out with a burst of aggression that punches you in the jaw before the rest of the band really chops your into pieces and grinds the rest into a fine red mist. The guitars have a real energy about them whether they be pulling off a sick hook that reels you in even more or a complex bullsh*t maneuver that I’ve no idea about that just adds another layer to the delicious mix of this album, a bass that is the stuff of myth and legend with its thunderous rhythms, and drums the likes of which do not even think to let up for even a moment as they continuously assault your ears in such a way that you cannot help but enjoy them to death. Otep have really shown that they still live up to their name as “Generation Doom” is an explosively dynamic album that grips the bull by the horns and not only never lets go but then proceeds to throw you into fire because sh*t wasn’t intense enough before. As someone who never listened to an Otep piece all the way through, I can easily say that I’m more than impressed with what I heard as “Genereation Doom” more than lives up to their monumental reputation. For fans though, I can just about promise you that you will get more than your fill of enjoyment out of this record because, as I said, this is one of the most interesting albums of 2016 so far and once you listen to this beast you will see exactly what I mean, and agree with me one hundred percent.

“Generation Doom” releases on April 15th! You can pre-purchase the record via iTunes here, and stream the single “In Cold Blood” via YouTube below.

Track Listing (Deluxe Edition):

  1. Zero
  2. Feeding Frenzy
  3. Lords of War
  4. Royals
  5. In Cold Blood
  6. Down
  7. God is a Gun
  8. Equal Rights, Equal Lefts
  9. No Color
  10. Lie
  11. Generation Doom
  12. On the Shore
  13. Lie (Acoustic Version) (Bonus Track)
  14. Breathing In the Fire (Spoken Word Poem) (Bonus Track)
  15. Crawling Up (Spoken Word Poem) (Bonus Track)
  16. More Fire (Bonus Track)
  17. On the Shore (Remix) (Bonus Track)