''Sevas Tra'' is the debut studio album by the

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

band

Otep Otep is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2000. They have released two EPs, eight studio albums, and one live album. They are currently signed with Napalm Records. The band has sold over 500,000 albums world ...

, released in 2002. The album name, when read backwards, reads as "art saves". It debuted at number 145 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Music and lyrics

The album is a

album that features strong elements of

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

, as well as elements of , funk metal, alternative metal, rap metal,

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. G ...

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 Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida. The band has released fifteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radi ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

, Skinlab and Slipknot. Allmusic described the album as "heavier than Slipknot". The album's lyrical topics include

organized 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 ...

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.

Release

''Sevas Tra'' was released on June 18, 2002 by Capitol Records. the first 75,000 copies of the album were available as a limited edition tri-fold digipak. A month after its release, the album had sold 15,000 copies in the United States.

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 Gothic metal (or goth metal) is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy meta ...

." CMJ gave the album an extremely positive review."

Track listing

Personnel

;Main personnel * Otep Shamaya - vocals * Rob Patterson - guitar * Jason "eViL j" McGuire -

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, backing vocals * Mark "Moke" Bistany -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

;Additional personnel * Producer: Terry Date * Engineers: Terry Date, Martin Feveyear * Assistant engineers: Dave Fisher, Anthony Kilhoffer, Floyd Reitsman * Mixing: Terry Date * Mastering: Ted Jensen * Digital editing: Martin Feveyear * A&R: Ron Laffitte * Art direction: P.R. Brown, Wendy Dougan * Jacket design: P.R. Brown * Booklet design: Wendy Dougan * Photography: P.R. Brown

Charts

Album -

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

(North America)

References

{{Authority control Otep albums 2002 debut albums Capitol Records albums Albums produced by Terry Date