Funny you should mention OTEP

I have in my trembling hands an advance copy of "The_Acension." It's OTEP's scary new album, where she sings in a scary voice about scary stuff. Child abuse! Domestic violence ("Home Grown")! Some other stuff I don't understand! Scary, cookie monster voice though! Scary! OTEP might be the devil!

So, quick review: if you've heard one OTEP track, you've actually heard them all. Songs start quietly, possibly with some incoherent muttering about something TRULY TERRIBLE, then ANGER! Screaming! Dude in the background harmonizing! Lyrics about awfulness! Then, intense buildup. More screaming. Mosh pit! Broken noses! Something akin to rap rock ("Confrontation"). Political lyrics? I don't know!

She covers Nirvana's "Breed", which: what? I'm not even sure she can do that justice. It's not half as angry as it should be, and it's just kinda Nirvana cover band-y. Make me wanna punch someone, girl!

For the rest of the disc: all I know is that I get angry as fuck after I listen. "Ghostflowers" ("Vengeanceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-rawwwwwwwwwwwwrrrrrrrrr") came on while my neighbor was mowing his lawn, and I wanted to go downstairs and wrestle him for his woman.

I'm just saying: OTEP does strange things to you.

Still, new disc does not equal OTEP at her scary best. This is like OTEP on a nice dose of Effexor, where she's all mellow and agreeable and PLEH. There's no "Blood Pigs" here where I can get all rage-y and punch a fucking hole in the wall.

What'd I say about rage? Yeah ...