Released June 18, 2002 Artist Otep Producer Terry Date | Recorded 2002 Release date 18 June 2002 Label Capitol Records | |
 | ||
Length 54:05
61:08 (Bonus Track) Sevas Tra
(2002) House of Secrets
(2004) Genres Heavy metal, Nu metal, Alternative metal, Gothic metal Similar Otep albums, Nu metal albums | ||
Sevas Tra is the first album by the heavy metal band Otep, released in 2002. The album name, when read backwards, reads as "art saves". It debuted at number 145 on the Billboard 200.
Contents
Otep tortured
Critical reception
The album received positive reviews. Allmusic gave the album a 4 out of 5 stars rating writing "Sevas Tra is a record that raises the high watermark for goth metal." CMJ gave the album an extremely positive review writing "If you're a guy, do yourself a favor. Don't be a male chauvinistic fuck face that thinks a woman can't tear it up just as good as a man can. Otep (the person) has a voice so deep and foreboding that it would scare a wolf away from her cubs, not to mention that her death metal growl has more balls than 95 percent of the nū metal crybabies wasting air space on commercial rock radio."
Music and lyrics
The album is a nu metal album that features strong elements of death metal. Also, it features elements of groove metal, funk metal, alternative metal, rap metal, grindcore and hip-hop. The album's song "Jonestown Tea" features elements of spoken word. The vocals consist of growling, screaming and rapping. The growling on the album is one example of the album's elements of grindcore and death metal. Also, the album has guitar riffs heard in the death metal genre. The album has been compared to Cannibal Corpse, Metallica, Skinlab and Slipknot. Allmusic described the album as "heavier than Slipknot". The album's lyrical topics include organized religion and abuse. The band's vocalist Otep Shamaya said that the album Sevas Tra "is a story about life's struggles and what you do to overcome them, or what you do to be swallowed by them." The album's song "Jonestown Tea" is about child sexual abuse and is also believed to be about Otep Shamaya being sexually abused by her father. The song was used by a teenager who, along with her sister, was sexually abused by their father, to inform her mother about her father's sexual abuse. Otep Shamaya spoke about the song "Jonestown Tea" saying
Otep Shamaya called organized religion "a lie". Many people have mistaken the song "Menocide" to be against men. Otep Shamaya said that it isn't hateful towards men and that it goes against women abuse, including violence against women.
Track listing
All tracks written by M. Bistany, J. McGuire, R. Patterson and Otep Shamaya, except where noted.
Personnel
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
Songs
1Tortured1:39
2Blood Pigs4:04
3TRIC3:05