''Jihad'' (also known as ''Otep'' on European versions) is the debut EP and release by American nu metal band Otep. It was released on June 19, 2001 by Capitol Records. It is the only Otep release to feature guitarists Traver Marsh and Dave "Spooky" Aguilera, who were fired from the band shortly after the EP's release.

Background

Otep was formed in November 2000. After an appearance at the Roxy Theatre (their fourth show) in February 2001, the band was selected by Sharon Osbourne to appear on the bill for

Ozzfest Ozzfest is an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband Ozzy Osbourne, both ...

2001, despite the fact they had no record deal or

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

. This increased the band's attention, and Nik Frost, an A&R representative, signed the band to Capitol Records in March 2001. The band publicly announced and celebrated the label signing with a performance at

The Viper Room The Viper Room is a nightclub and live music venue located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, United States. It was established as The Viper Room in 1993 and was partly owned by actor Johnny Depp. The other part owner was Sal J ...

on April 5, 2001. Capitol signed the band on the belief the band had written eleven songs; in reality, Otep had lied, as they only had five or six playable songs that were around eight months old at the time of ''Jihad'''s recording, but the band was not worried about needing new songs as

Otep Shamaya Otep Shamaya is an American singer and rapper, best known as the lead vocalist and founder of the eponymous metal band Otep. Career Shamaya made her debut in 2000 with her band OTEP, and released the full-length albums '' Sevas Tra'' (June 20 ...

had already written all of the lyrics, and the band was on a creative spree at the time.

Recording and composition

After signing to Capitol, the band headed to Indigo Ranch in Malibu, California to create some demos. Afterwards, they started working on their EP with producer

Rich Costey Rich may refer to: Common uses * Rich, an entity possessing wealth * Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling ** Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting Places United States * Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated comm ...

. Capitol gave the band one week to complete the EP, which meant its production was rushed, and the songs were not as fleshed out or developed as they could have been. Despite these time constraints, Otep was overall satisfied with the quality of the songs.

Composition

''Jihad'' is generally described as nu metal,

rap metal Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock and alternative metal music which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables. History Origins and earl ...

and gothic metal. Otep Shamaya's vocals consist of screaming, growling and rapping, as well as elements of spoken word. The album was written in a

stream of consciousness In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. The term was coined by Daniel Oliver in 1840 in ''First L ...

style, whereby no songs were written prior to being played, but rather played spontaneously; "If we try to write something it’s not going to be as fulfilling or sound as interesting as it would if we do it and it simply comes from someplace that we have no control over." Shamaya described the writing style as "a surrender to the

subconscious In psychology, the subconscious is the part of the mind that is not currently of focal awareness. Scholarly use of the term The word ''subconscious'' represents an anglicized version of the French ''subconscient'' as coined in 1889 by the psycho ...

". This is best shown on the EP's third track, "Germ", an

improvisational Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

song, with drummer Mark Bistany creating percussion with a variety of objects such as a napkin dispenser, an aluminum ladder, a

plastic tree Plastic Tree are a Japanese alternative rock band. Formed in December 1993 in Chiba Prefecture, they released their first mini-album in December 1995, and in 1997, they released their first single on a major label. History Biography Plastic Tr ...

, a sneaker and a

toaster A toaster is a small electric appliance that uses radiant heat to brown sliced bread into toast. Types Pop-up toaster In pop-up or automatic toasters, a single vertical piece of bread is dropped into a slot on the top of the toaste ...

. Otep described

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, funk and

fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...

music, originating from each of the band member's musical backgrounds, as an influence on the sound of the EP. In order to achieve a "lizard queen" vibe, Otep recorded her vocals with a

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publ ...

previously owned by

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredictable and err ...

; Otep has cited The Doors as a musical influence.

Themes

''Jihad'' was aesthetically and lyrically influenced by occultism, ancient cultures and

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

and

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

. The EP's opening track, "Possession", was described by Otep Shamaya as "very

ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized ...

istic. It had to have a ceremonial feel to it so we went in, we tried to push ourselves into this really aggressive trancelike state." The song's ending, which differed greatly from the Indigo Ranch-demoed version of the song, was changed by the band and Rich Costey to give the song more atmosphere. ''Jihad'' also touches on topics such as

organised religion Organized religion, also known as institutional religion, is religion in which belief systems and rituals are systematically arranged and formally established. Organized religion is typically characterized by an official doctrine (or dogma), a ...

("The Lord Is My Weapon"),

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

("Filthee"), politics and

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. Compared to other female acts in the nu metal genre such as Kittie, feminism and

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures ...

was a large influence on the EP's lyrics; "My gender has everything to do with what I do. I think that people get the wrong idea about what feminism is. To me feminism isn’t just trying to be what men are it’s trying to be everything that a woman is, which isn’t weak, small, or thoughtless. It’s something strong and powerful. I think it’s important that people recognize, that I am a woman and that’s great and that doesn’t make me any less powerful than other bands like Slipknot and

Mudvayne Mudvayne is an American heavy metal band formed in Peoria, Illinois in 1996. Known for their sonic experimentation, face and body paint, masks and uniforms, the band has sold over six million records worldwide, including nearly three millio ...

." All of the songs on ''Jihad'', aside from "Germ", were re-recorded for the band's debut album '' Sevas Tra'', with "The Lord is My Weapon" being renamed "Sacrilege".

Release and promotion

''Jihad'' was released in the United States on June 19, 2001 by Capitol Records as a

digipak Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case ...

CD. The EP was planned to be released in Europe in September 2001; following the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, the EP was delayed and released on November 19, 2001 under the re-titled name ''Otep''. To promote the record, Capitol released a promotional cassette with "T.R.I.C." and "The Lord Is My Weapon", with the band recording their first ever music video for "T.R.I.C.". Otep toured in support of the EP from May to September 2001. The band toured the US and appeared at Ozzfest 2001. Their headlining show in Detroit, Illinois, was their eighth show and the band's performance of "Filthee" was recorded and released on the live compilation album '' Ozzfest 2001: The Second Millenium''. Otep were the only female band on the Ozzfest 2001 bill. Following Ozzfest, Marsh and Aguilera were fired from the band, as they were not fitting in with the rest of the band. They were both permanently replaced by

Rob Patterson Rob Patterson (born November 9, 1970) is an American guitarist and composer. Background Patterson was born in Natick, Massachusetts. His first major band was the metal, female-fronted Otep. He wrote and played on the albums, '' Sevas Tra'', '' ...

for the rest of the tours that year. After completing the tours, Otep headed back into the studio to start writing songs for '' Sevas Tra'', which they had previously teased on the EP's liner notes. As of June 2002, ''Jihad'' has sold over 25,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

Track listing

Personnel

Personnel per liner notes. Otep *

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

, art direction * Jason "eViL j" McGuire - bass, backing vocals on "The Lord Is My Weapon" * Mark "Moke" Bistany - drums, assorted

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

on "Germ" * Tarver Marsh -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

s * Dave "Spooky" Aguilera -

s Production *

- producer,

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

, mixer * Eddy Schreyer - mastering * Xen Lang III - executive producer,

management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a Government agency, government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includ ...

Artwork * Wendy Dougan - art direction,

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...

Management * Ron Laffitte and Perry Watts-Russel - A&R * Franklin Management Group: management

Release history

References

{{Otep Otep albums Capitol Records EPs Albums produced by Rich Costey Nu metal EPs 2001 debut EPs