Otep - Hydra review
| Band: | Otep |
| Album: | Hydra |
| Style: | Alternative metal, Nu metal |
| Release date: | January 22, 2013 |
| A review by: | Dane Train |
01. Rising
02. Blowtorch Nightlight
03. Seduce & Destroy
04. Crush
05. Hematopia
06. Necromantic
07. Quarantine
08. Voyeur
09. Apex Predator
10. Feral Game
11. Livestock
12. Hag
13. Theophagy
"Hey, Dane! Want to review the new Otep alum?"
"Opeth? Hell yeah!"
"No, Otep."
"Ummm...sure. Who are they?"
So apparently this band has been around for a while. From what I can gather, Otep is to Korn what Arch Enemy is to In Flames. Having no clue who they were, I did some quick research. First warning sign is that this band was picked up by Sharon Osbourne and played their 8th show ever at Ozzfest.
This is going to hurt, isn't it?
From the very beginning of this record I was already turned off. The over produce narrative opening has this whole faux macabre feeling that would make H.P. Lovecraft vomit in shame. Sadly, it doesn't get better from there. This entire album drips with the immature angst of a poet wannabe, as lead singer (and I use that term in the most liberal manner I can), Otep Shamaya tries and miserably fails to be artistic. One gets the feeling that Hot Topic kids wearing baggy jeans with way too many zippers on them, all had a circle jerk while they cried about how different they are from their peers, who don't understand them, and were recorded in a studio then compiled onto this CD.
Everything here is as grating as wiping your ass with a cheese shredder. Shamya's vocals are nothing more than a combination of non-flattering whispers and studio-raped screams. These may possibly be the worst vocals I have heard in a long time, and that includes the high school hardcore acts at the talent show last week. Speaking of high school, this music is the same uninspiring dribble I heard 15 years ago in my youth. It wasn't any good then, so what on earth made them think it would be good now? Are these the lost B-sides to Coal Chamber?
Dear miss Shamya, one Mr. Johnathan Davis called, he wants his signature crybaby anger back. Oh crap, she is trying to rap now!? When will it stop? Hydra, being just another dime-a-dozen nu metal act, wouldn't be so bad if it had been made a decade ago. I don't even have an issue with it being nu metal. I have an issue with it being a terrible nu metal album. This is the Tommy Wiseau of metal album; a confused and muddled train-wreck of unoriginal ideas executed by a directionless self-proclaimed hack of an artists. It seems like Otep saw that ICP's "Miracles" music video had 12 million views and said "damn, we need to hop on that bandwagon!"
As a reviewer I have to be fair and point of both the weaknesses and strengths of any given album. Are there any good things about this monotonous record? I am happy to say there is one. This is the last Otep album being made.
 | Written on 17.03.2013 by Dane hails from Asheville, NC which is Beer City, USA. When he is not drinking various craft and micro brews, Dane fronts the Stoner Doom Metal band, The Quick. He also has a massive collection of Hellboy comic books. |
Comments
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Comments: 46
Visited by: 548 users
| Mattybu Posts: 2589  |
Typo in the last sentence lol last "Opet" album. Regardless sounds like utter shite, nice descriptive review lol
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| Unhealer Eclecticist Posts: 2311  |
I have to thank this band for indirectly introducing me to Opeth  But that is the only good thing about this band for me, sadly.
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| chaosscizzors Account deleted |
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| psykometal A staff guy... Elite Posts: 6101  |
Written by Mattybu on 18.03.2013 at 00:12 There are several typos and missing words in this review.  Susan is a bigger grammar nazi than I am so she is probably going to have a mild aneuriysm if/when she reads through this. 
---- ~Zep, Database and Forum Moderation~ 
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| psykometal A staff guy... Elite Posts: 6101 |
Lol! Found this in a news piece on The Gauntlet, might explain why it sounds like pissy teen angst... "Hydra takes listeners on a fantastical, demonic ride through the mind of a girl who has been cast aside, set on vengeance against the world that has forgotten her. " Definitely explains Dane's feeling that "a bunch of HT kids circle jerked their angst into this album", according to the album's concept she's just upset cuz her "style" has been irrelevant for the past decade so this is her last attempt to scream at the world for attention like an angry teenager...
---- ~Zep, Database and Forum Moderation~
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 9157  |
Nothing compares to how shitty this actually is.
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| psykometal A staff guy... Elite Posts: 6101 |
Honestly I haven't even listened to this at all. I checked out Otep like decade ago when nu metal was still "cool" (and when I was still very into nu metal) and I still thought they were garbage way back then. I have tried them out a few times again over the years (typically a song or 2 every time they release an album just to make sure my tastes in my music are still in good shape) and every time it makes me wonder how the hell this band was ever remotely popular (even at the heighth of nu metal popularity).
---- ~Zep, Database and Forum Moderation~
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| UnknownCheese Posts: 205 |
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| Jaeryd Nihil's Maw Posts: 1062  |
The first bit of Seduce and Destroy wasn't quite as terrible as the rest of it, but yeah, that was disgustingly bad.
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| Cynic Metalhead Ambrish Saxena Posts: 7562  |
You will see down in that list of 97 fans of Otep, I am also one of them. My love for this band has always been about the songs not the albums. They sucks in live so do in their studios. I had some collection of "great songs" of Otep and spins them frequently. Those songs ain't that bad seriously. I haven't check it out this shit yet but from this review I think it has a cut a very sorry figure on part of the "justice". I will check this out soon.
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| macscam Posts: 3 |
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
This is the kind of shit I must hear to actually believe how shitty it is. Wish me luck!
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| PocketMetal Posts: 750 |
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| Scuzzy McDouche Posts: 67  |
While I wholeheartedly agree with you that Otep is some of the worst garbage ever conceived, this comment in your review here: "Otep is to Korn what Arch Enemy is to In Flames" is concerning. Arch Enemy takes an epic, massive, steaming mexican shit upon In Flames - and that's putting it lightly...Michael Amott (main founder of Arch Enemy) was playing melodic death before In Flames even released their first album. Ever heard of Carcass?
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
There was rap on this album? Where? Because I heard the whole thing (I'm a fucking trooper) and didn't find any.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Monolithic ♠♠♠ Posts: 669  |
Nothing to relate to, not even "guilty pleasure", a huge disappointment...and I don't even wanna talk about Otep herself.
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| Dane Train Beers & Kilts Elite Posts: 8902  |
Written by Scuzzy McDouche on 18.03.2013 at 15:57 I was referring to the concept of "just add boobs" and you have a hit. Written by X-Ray Rod on 18.03.2013 at 16:35 The song "Apex Predator" was a failed rap.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Quote:Written by Dane Train on 18.03.2013 at 17:40 That song? Huh, Didn't know that count as rap... Awful anyway.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| CyberSymphony Ollie Posts: 673  |
Listened to one of the songs, just for a joke and it was very bad. I won't even bother with this or their other material.
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| marzepka87 Posts: 68 |
Written by psykometal on 18.03.2013 at 02:48 I read the short article and it just made me extremely sad and angry, here's an example; "OTEP has been terrorizing the metal scene for years with a mixture of unforgiving heavy sounds and beautifully haunting spoken words resulting in over 600,000 albums sold to date." - all bullshit. "Utilizing her unrivaled songwriting ability, OTEP has powered through taboo topics such as politics, sex, animal rights, equal rights, bigotry and hatred in previous releases. Playing for fans across the globe, she has been preaching a venomous, metal-infused gospel for well over a decade." - more bullshit, can they stop calling Otep metal "Proving art only gets better with time, Hydra has solidified OTEP's place as one of the most prolific, unique, female-fronted metal groups of our time. Be a part of history and order the final chapter from a poet whose outspoken nature has paved the way for all artists to come." hey look more bullshit, they did not get better with time, their music is as awful as it was with their first release, and think they are confusing the so-called paving of the way with trails of vomit of real metalheads brought on by this awful music. I'm just glad it will be the final release.
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| Gelati Posts: 85 |
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by marzepka87 on 18.03.2013 at 21:39 The music is completely awful, no doubt about it... But it's still metal. 
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| psykometal A staff guy... Elite Posts: 6101 |
Written by marzepka87 on 18.03.2013 at 21:39 Yea, I figure people like this either have really bad hearing or they're just kissing somebodies ass.
---- ~Zep, Database and Forum Moderation~
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| rebel757 Posts: 4  |
I checked a couple songs out, and I'm surprised my headphones are still intact (because I was furiously trying to punch my ears off my head the entire time). All I could imagine was Hot Topic kids with the chain/belt/loop pants and shitty platform boots whipping their Flock of Seagull haircuts out of their mascara covered eyes, then talking about how "true" this album is. The vocals are so pitiful that I think I could have my golden retriever do a better job, and he's nearly 15. The lyrical themes are just as described, the wannabe artistic crap that you find written with red nail polish on the bathroom mirror at those weird Hot Topic kid's houses. Granted it's nu metal, yeah, it's still garbage. There are some good nu metal bands out there, but Otep is certainly not one. The only reason someone could truly pretend to like this is because she has boobs.
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Elite Posts: 3099  |
.... never again. NEVER again. I can only stand in awe of those who made it through the whole thing. Half was too much for me.
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| Jaeryd Nihil's Maw Posts: 1062 |
I listened to every song, but I'm not sure if that counts as "making it through the whole thing" because while I technically heard each song, I had to skip a lot of them halfway through. Sorry Otep, but if your song doesn't have any redeemable quality to be found when it's already half over, I doubt that the other half is going to have anything good about it. And yeah, that was bad. Bad bad bad bad bad. Really bad. But it somehow gave me the weirdest boner...
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by Jaeryd on 19.03.2013 at 11:11 She's not even that good looking imo. Plus, she's lesbian.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Eye-Licker Posts: 17 |
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| Jaeryd Nihil's Maw Posts: 1062 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 19.03.2013 at 14:06 I can't tell what she looks like from the sound. I just have this automatic reflex to be turned on when a woman is harshly whispering dirty shit in my ear. I didn't say it was a good boner, nor was it my proudest. I don't think that was the actual reason for it, though. I think the music was so bad that my brain tried to starve itself of oxygen and die, so it flooded blood to everywhere else in the body. Unfortunately, it didn't save me.
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