The Ascension (stylized as the_Ascension) is the third studio album by Otep. The original release date was set for March 20, 2007 through Capitol Records, however, the album was delayed indefinitely due to the merger with Virgin Records.[1][2][3]
| The Ascension | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 30, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2006 | |||
| Studio | Piety Street Studios, New Orleans, and Balance Studios, Mandeville, Louisiana | |||
| Genre | Nu metal, alternative metal | |||
| Length | 60:25 70:44 (Bonus Tracks) | |||
| Label | Koch | |||
| Producer | Dave Fortman | |||
| Otep chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Ascension | ||||
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The album debuted at number 81 on the Billboard 200 with 10,200 copies sold.[4]
Recording edit
The album was partly recorded in New Orleans, Louisiana, where producer Dave Fortman was living. New Orleans, especially the 9th Ward was still affected by the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Otep said that while the songs were not influenced by the area, the mood of the album was.[5] The band began recording the album in late July 2006, and it was completed by the end of the year.[6]
Several songs were written with Mudvayne guitarist Greg Tribbett, who Fortman had worked with in the past.[7]
Songs edit
Confrontation edit
Otep explained the song to KNAC.com:
"It was about writing a protest anthem to stand up, speak out and strike back. To celebrate the unique opportunity that we have here in America. You can do anything to have your voice be heard in this country, that’s the beauty of this country. There’s no one stopping anyone in America from getting out on the street and saying something or writing a letter or e-mailing and text messaging now that everything is now, now, now."
Otep compared the song to "Warhead" from House Of Secrets.[8]
Breed edit
"Breed" is a cover of Nirvana, from their album Nevermind. It is Otep's first cover song. "We'd never done a cover song before but I just love the song. I listen to music before we play on tour and that song just kind of grabbed me. I couldn't get enough of it. I'd listen to it 60, 70 times, just over and over in the back of the bus before the show,” she explained to Campus Circle. “For me, it's just this amazing song that touched me in a certain way that made me miss Nirvana a lot and Kurt Cobain's touch on musical culture and his philosophy on music and art. I just wanted to do something to inspire and to, in a way, connect our energies.”[9]
Reception edit
The Ascension received mixed reviews from critics.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [10] |
| Alternative Press | [11] |
| Blabbermouth.net | 5/10[12] |
| Blender | [13] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 5/10[14] |
| Grand Island Independent | [15] |
| Los Angeles Times | [16] |
Track listing edit
All lyrics are written by Otep Shamaya; all music is composed by Shamaya, Karma Singh Cheema, "Evil" J. McGuire, and Brian Wolf, except where noted
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Eet the Children" | 3:47 | |
| 2. | "Crooked Spoons" | Shamaya, G. Tribbett | 4:19 |
| 3. | "Perfectly Flawed" | Shamaya, Holly Knight | 3:48 |
| 4. | "Confrontation" | Shamaya, G. Tribbett | 3:13 |
| 5. | "Milk of Regret" | 6:00 | |
| 6. | "Noose & Nail" | 3:40 | |
| 7. | "Ghostflowers" | 4:23 | |
| 8. | "Breed" (Nirvana Cover) | Kurt Cobain | 3:27 |
| 9. | "March of the Martyrs" | 4:16 | |
| 10. | "Invisible" | Shamaya, G. Tribbett | 5:24 |
| 11. | "Home Grown" | 4:20 | |
| 12. | "Communion" | 4:26 | |
| 13. | "Adrenochrome Dreams" (Hidden track, music starts at 3:33) | Shamaya | 9:55 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Special Pets" | 3:56 |
| 15. | "Necessary Accessories" | 4:16 |
| 16. | "Breed (radio edit)" | 3:00 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Special Pets" | 3:56 |
| 15. | "Necessary Accessories" | 4:11 |
Personnel edit
- Otep Shamaya – vocals
- Karma Singh Cheema – guitars
- Holly Knight – mellotron, piano, programming on "Perfectly Flawed"
- Jason "eViL J" McGuire – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Brian Wolff – drums
Production edit
- Art direction, design – Otep Shamaya, P.R. Brown
- Photography – P.R. Brown, Sam Throne
- Engineer – Jeremy Parker
- Assistant engineers – David Troia, Drew Vonderhaar, Wesley Fontenot
- Executive producer – Jonathan Cohen, Otep Shamaya
- Mastering – Ted Jensen
- Recording, producer, mixing – Dave Fortman
- Drum technician – Rory Facianne
- Co-producer – Holly Knight
References edit
- ^ Blabbermouth, "Blabbermouth.net article" Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine, Posted March 3, 2007.
- ^ CD Universe, "CD Universe album listing" Archived March 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved March 19, 2007.
- ^ Digital Media Wire, "Capitol/Virgin Records merger" Archived 2013-06-27 at the Wayback Machine, Posted January 25, 2007.
- ^ "AVENGED SEVENFOLD, PUSCIFER, OTEP, BLOODSIMPLE First-Week Sales Revealed". blabbermouth.net. November 7, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
- ^ Harris, Chris (February 15, 2007). "Metal File: Otep, Dimmu Borgir, Unearth & More News That Rules". MTV News. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ Blabbermouth (July 20, 2006). "OTEP Frontwoman On New CD: 'Recording This Album Has Felt Like Being Reborn'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ "Otep". www.maximumink.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ "KNAC.COM - Features - Otep Feature". www.knac.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ "Campus Circle - OTEP". Campus Circle. Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ "The Ascension - Otep | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ^ O’Neill, Brian (June 22, 2007). "Otep". Alternative Press. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ Bergman, Keith (December 22, 2007). "The_Ascension". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ Dolan, Jon (April 2007). "The Guide: New Releases". Blender. Vol. 6, no. 3. p. 118 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Popoff, Martin; Perri, David (2011). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 4: The '00s. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 373. ISBN 9781-926592-20-6.
- ^ Campbell, Chuck (November 27, 2007). "Seal makes noble effort to rebound with 'System'". The Grand Island Independent. p. 3B – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Burk, Greg; Wood, Mikael (October 19, 2007). "A welcome return to that down-home sound". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ The Ascension (Japanese release) Archived March 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine on Victor Entertainment's website (in Japanese)
- ^ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-ascension/id266414342 Archived June 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine via iTunes