A new OTEP album, huh? This is one of the bands that kind of divided metalheads. They are one of those love or hate cases. Basically I was always somewhere in the middle, since they don't annoy me nor do I love them as a band. Smash The Control Machine comes to change things or leave them just the same. Time will tell...

The US Nu Metal (?) band signed with the also American label Victory Records, home for many Metalcore, Hardcore and Nu Metal bands, for the release of its brand new album Smash The Control Machine. Led by the insane frontwoman Otep Shamaya, the band has met success with big tours and successful albums all the way.

Their music is not so familiar to the average metalhead, since there are not killer riffs or relentless leads in here. What you will find in OTEP is the Industrialized Rock sound of Marilyn Manson, the modern brutality of KITTIE and the Nu Metal sound of MUSHROOMHEAD all in one. Their strong weapon is the diversity their sound features, since their new album offers you deranged down tempo songs like Head, groovy (Stoner-like) hits like Smash The Control Machine with its catchy chorus, as well as ballads like Ur A WMN Now, where Shamaya shows her softer side. Yeah, I forgot to tell you that this woman is a real beast behind the microphone, combining brutal vocals with an insane attitude, giving you the creeps!

The album is also armed with an almost perfect sound, something must for such releases. All in all, Smash The Control Machine does not hit my top list, it doesn't even make OTEP seem bigger in my eyes, but it surely makes a worthy companion for my CD player. Fans of the band and the modern sound in general should check it out.