@everyone else. Haven’t listened properly yet. Will get back to you (It’s better then Ascension though).

Oh wow. Someone other then my ma’ (and my housemate) reads my blog! Ha!

Thank you for your feedback. I honestly appreciate it because I wasn’t aware of ‘Rise Rebel Resist’. I did listen to it and I actually really enjoyed it. I think this song is 100% on ‘STCM’, and it does hold something of the impact that say ‘Blood Pigs’ or even ‘Warhead’ had back in the day, while sounding like something completely new and something worth being excited about. Otep herself sounds incredible. If they had of released this song first I could have ignored ‘STCM’ and still been excited for this album (which, as I said, I haven’t completely written off yet).

I’m not an old-school die-hard fan who wants to keep the band to myself. Hell, good bands deserve attention. For all my gripes, I can’t honestly say that OTEP doesn’t deserve anything. As a band they’ve come along way (go on, listen to Jihad and then straight afterwards listen to Ascension… it’s so weird!) In terms of the musical content, the progression has been interesting and exciting to listen to. Adding and removing people from a band is always hard for fans but these things happen and you get over it, especially when they add something special to it (but oh boy, oh boy, I was so excited when I heard Rob and Moke were back for this album. Hells yes I was!)

Lyrically speaking… Look I love Otep’s spoken word and her poetry. I always have and I drew a lot of influence from her. But I do hear a lot of the same shit all the time and while repetition is a fantastic poetic tool, when you’ve been hearing the words “Perfectly Flawed” and “Stand Up, Speak Out, Strike Back”–esque war cries for years… I mean… if OTEP was evolving as much as the world and as much as the music industry, we’d find that we weren’t listening to different versions of ‘Menocide’ for 8 years. And you know, in this world there’s always going to be something to bitch about which is why it’s great that politically charged bands such as OTEP exist – they do empower fans: we do speak out, we do strike back, we do stand up for what we believe in. But in my opinion, what we’re hearing is a formula for song writing, something that was keyed onto very early on in their career: “Fierce beat, thick bass line, fast guitars… Battle Cry (hmmm… what was it last time? Oh yes, right)… Fast wit and quick rhymes… Blood curdling scream… effects and layers… yep. Check. Done. Guaranteed smash hit.”

Seven / eight years ago I was probably talking to you all the time on the OTEP forums. I was a Shadow Soldier. I did pay $30 to $40 extra for a CD to import it into Australia. And I did it even though I knew I could download it a hell of a lot cheaper. My mother got me a signed OTEP poster for my 18th birthday and I couldn’t stop squealing for a week, it’s still hanging on my wall. Two of my best friends I met on the OTEP forums (one I still live with -ahoy Metzo) and a lot of other international friends that I really admire. I went to art school, found what I wanted in life, stood up and took control over my life, moved out of a hell-hole town and got on with it. And I did it all because once upon a time I listened to ‘Possession’ on a Rock Sound CD and realized I can do more then what I was doing.

Regardless of how I feel about this band, like you said, it is my opinion and I did fall out of love. I still listen to them and still pay attention to what they’re up to. And I guess the direction of Ascension and then ‘Smash the Control Machine’ was just not my cup of tea. That said, Ascension really only got worse after that horrible cover of ‘Breed’. And, admittedly, ‘Smash the Control Machine’ couldn’t have possibly been worse than ‘Breed’. I still hate the song though.

Thanks [r]evolution!
- Lillizen (aka: Lillith Anonymous)

7yrs and running, have i followed this band, as are you Miss White Tiger. I was the first person to purchase the Sevas Tra album on that 1.31 stint they did years ago, what with me being in Australia and ahead of the rest of the world. so neither of us are new to the lyrical stylings. their first album blew me away, and had a huge impact on my life and perspectives of the world around me.

every band and artist is allowed to evolve, its their right as artists and muses of our time. but the later releases on that Ascension tripe made it feel to me that she’d lost sight of her own vision, and became obsessed with the sound of her own voice. i couldn’t hear the passion that bled from every part of her with some of the original recordings. that was what was missing from STCM. she’s got the ability and the power to rally a lot of people to a cause, like she once did in the days of the Die-hard shadow soldiers.

these days sadly, it seems to be more about rallying people to her own self.

the above commenter is right (it’s been a while, how you doin?), the Rise, Rebel, Resist is a far better song than the one currently reviews. however there is a distinct detachment felt from the song, and i personally found it hard to relate.

with the old lineup getting back together i do expect that they’ll do good things, and i hope that when the album is released it will be something worth paying the $15 for on Itunes.

its like an old flame calling you out of the blue after years of having fleeting thoughts about them. you feel that old spark, that attraction that reminds you of why you fell head over heels for them in the first place. I still listen to blood pigs and get that whirl of excitement, that rage hyper “FUCK YES” that fills your very being, years down track.

THAT is what i want from my music, THAT is what i’d want from OTEP as a unit reformed once more, and thus far they just flatout aint delivering. that’s not to say that i’m going to give up on them, but i will be VERY interested to see the evolution of their music from the last album to the pending release. i hope to christ they see Ascension as a good example of “not what to do” and belt out something that will make my blood boil in a pleasant, roaring way that i crave so much from a band i’ve loved and hated too many times over the years.