Album Review: OTEP - Kult 45

01. Hail To the Thief

02. Halt Right

03. Molotov

04. Said the Snake

05. Undefeated

06. Trigger Warning

07. Cross Contamination

08. Shelter In Place

09. Boss

10. To the Gallows

11. Sirens Calling

12. Invisible People

13. Be Brave

14. Wake Up (Rage Against The Machine cover)

15. Feral Oracle (Bonus Track)

16. The Tribe Speaks (Bonus Track)

Otep Shamaya clearly fucking hates Donald Trump, so much so that she's written an entire album about him and his presidency. The title 'Kult 45' comes from Donald being the 45th president, and cult is spelt with a 'K' due to his links with white supremacists. Fortunately, I fucking loathe Donald Trump too, so let's get stuck in!

After the intro Hail To The Thief, Halt Right kicks things off to an incendiary start, with savage riffing matched by Otep's lyrics. The pace continues throughout Kult 45, with killer track after killer track. Personal favourites are the awesome Undefeated ("Always punch a Nazi"-YES!), Molotov, Cross Contamination, and the energy soaked Invisible People.

Kult 45 has Otep raging about the Alt-Right, the KKK, Nazi sympathisers, rape culture, corruption, war, and the marginalization of minorities. I remember a time when it was 'a given' that the aforementioned were 'bad', but partly thanks to Donald Trump, anyone who challenges injustice is branded a 'libtard' or a 'Social Justice Warrior'. The internet is full of scum who feel that it's perfectly acceptable to spread ignorance and hatred, and to challenge them is in some way an attack on freedom of speech. Fuck those idiots, I'm with Otep on this! These are important issues and political bands shouldn't be shying away from them. Fortunately, 'shy' isn't a word I associate with Otep. I'm also sick about reading about how some people aren't into this music because they don't like politics. What they mean is they don't like their fucked-up views being challenged. Fuck them too!

I'll be honest, I haven't listened to an Otep record in some time. I remember the music being heavier and less melodic, but I prefer what I'm hearing now. It's very Nu Metal with a good mix of Rap Metal and Hardcore, giving the record lots of bounce as well as heaviness. 

Due to the political climate out there, I'm sure these will be challenging times for Otep. Make no mistake though, Kult 45 is an awesome record. It's full of anger and defiance, as well as being packed full of catchy, slamming Metal songs. It's easily one of the best records to come out this year.