Currently on the road with some great up and coming bands like Stolen Babies and New Year’s Day is one of the most popular and most influential metal artists in of the last decade: Otep Shamaya. Otep is a band that has broken down many barriers over their last twelve years of existence; not just musically but socially due to Otep Shamaya’s involvement in the fight for equality and her strong political views. Having a front-woman with such strong beliefs in those areas made their “claim to fame” a little easier than most bands that came into the scene around the same time. Not taking anything away from them musically though; given the fact that the band has undergone some member changes (like nearly every other band) they’ve been able to maintain the same standards musically that they started with, while still evolving and separating themselves from all other metal artists.
Getting back to the current tour, the Inner-Galactic/With a Vengeance Tour, which is certainly a must see; regardless if it’s your first or tenth time seeing Otep, the opening acts on tour with them are amazing. Stolen Babies and New Year’s Day are both bands that blend so well with the style brought to the table by Otep, it doesn’t matter if you’ve heard of them or no…if you’re an Otep fan these opening acts will certainly keep you entertained. It’s after their sets are all done and over when the energy hits you square in the face. Once Otep steps onto the stage, get ready for hell to be unleashed because she pours every ounce of her being and demands the same from the crowd. The better the participation, the better her set is because she feeds off of her fans and gives in return what she receives from the audience. Long story short, if this tour is still coming to a city near you, take the few dollars it costs to see this show and spoil yourself with four hours of fun. Don’t forget to stick around after the show to meet Otep at the merch table and buy an autographed CD. Even if you can’t afford to buy something, she is humble and loves her fans all the same and will be more than happy to have a picture taken with you… free of charge, unlike some performers now a days that request money for a measly cell phone photo.
-Logan Rendulic, ©The Rock Tribune (Pittsburgh)
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