Otep have since released six full-length albums featuring many session musicians including Greg Wells, Joey Jordison of Slipknot, Koichi Fukuda of Static-X, Emilie Autumn, Tony Campos of Soulfly and Asesino (ex-Static-X), and Ulrich Wild. Their first three albums, Sevas Tra, House of Secrets, and The Ascension, were released on Capitol Records. However, after the label's merging with Virgin Records, Otep, along with many other bands, were released from their contracts with Capitol in 2007. Two years later, Otep signed with Victory Records and released their fourth album, Smash the Control Machine, which included a reunion with former members Mark "Moke" Bistany on drums and Rob Patterson on guitar. The album also featured Koichi Fukuda on piano and Emilie Autumn on violin.
Atavist was the first album not to feature longtime bassist Jason "eViL J" McGuire who left the band on September 30, 2010, the personnel consisted of session musicians Rani Sharone, Gil Sharone, Tony Campos, Collyn McCoy, Ulrich Wild, and Markus Estrada. On the tour supporting the album, her band consisted of support musicians courtesy of the supporting band and labelmates on the tour, Destrophy. The band is now mainly Otep Shamaya.
In 2011, Otep toured as a supporting act along with Earth Crisis for Cavalera Conspiracy. She also wrote and released a new book of poems titled "New Word Order" in December 2011.
In 2013, Otep released her sixth studio album titled Hydra on January 22 through Victory Records.
Voyeur
Otep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And he likes to video himself
He has a webcam
And likes to video himself
With animals
The neighbor's cat
Binding them
Torturing them
Murdering them
He has a webcam
So I helped him understand
How
They
Felt
He woke to the sound of distant thunder
The rain had stopped and all was silent
Except for the dripping in the trees
His heavy breath, his heartbeat
His eyes focused and found me
I spoke like a god
Gently I said, "I have a webcam
"And I like to video myself
"Binding
"Torturing
"Murdering"
He began to scream with the stitches held tight
He rattled the cage and pulled at the lock
With all his might
So I electrocuted the bars and
He fell asleep from the charge and
I prepared to make him
A star
He has a webcam
So I helped him understand
When he woke
I asked him to sing me a song
He obliged but was often off key
So I removed his lower jaw
Now his tongue juts out like a slimy slug
But he' so eager to please
Tapping the melody on the bars of this large cage
With un-clipped nails he plays
And once I've had my fun
Bringing dark justice to this
Pathetic goblin
I will
Burn
Probe
Break
And Drain
And he will be scorched in a bath of pain
I will drop him into the misty bayou
Where he will be a feast for
Serpents &
Insects &
Beasts &
All the putrid life of the murky bog
And as he sinks, and as he screams
Into the lens of his webcam
I will play a farewell
An ode to the demons
Waiting for him
In Hell
He has a webcam
So I helped him
Understand
How
They
Felt
The lyrics of the song "Voyeur" by Otep are unsettling and disturbing, depicting an individual who enjoys filming himself torturing and murdering animals, and the singer's attempts to "help him understand how they felt."
The first few lines establish that this person has a webcam and uses it to document his abusive behavior towards animals, including a stray dog and a neighbor's cat. The singer claims to have helped him understand how his victims felt, although it is unclear exactly how she did so.
The second half of the song describes the singer's capture of the abuser, and her own sadistic actions towards him. She electrocutes him, removes his jaw, and keeps him in a cage where he becomes a kind of puppet, tapping out melodies on the bars with his untrimmed nails. The singer declares her intention to ultimately burn, probe, break, and drain him, and to then dump his body in a swamp where he will be eaten by snakes and insects. As he dies, she plans to play an ode to the demons waiting for him in hell.
The lyrics of "Voyeur" are not for the faint of heart; the song explores the darkest corners of human depravity in graphic detail. While the song is clearly intended to shock and disgust its listeners, it also raises questions about the sources of violent behavior in humans, and the responsibility we have to intervene when we witness abuse or cruelty. The singer's own actions towards the abuser are not necessarily presented as righteous or heroic, but rather as a mirror of his own twisted desires.
Line by Line Meaning
He has a webcam
He possesses a device used to broadcast live images of himself
And he likes to video himself
He enjoys recording himself through the webcam
With animals
He captures animals through his webcam
A stray dog
He records himself interacting with homeless pets
The neighbor's cat
He captures the house cat of his neighbor through the webcam
Binding them
He restrains the animals and prevents their escape
Torturing them
He inflicts pain or agony on the helpless creatures
Murdering them
He commits the act of killing the animals
So I helped him understand
I made him realize the pain he inflicts on the animals
How
In what way
They
The tortured animals
Felt
Experienced the agony and suffering inflicted upon them
He woke to the sound of distant thunder
He regains consciousness to a faraway storm
The rain had stopped and all was silent
The storm ended and the setting became tranquil
Except for the dripping in the trees
There was only the sound of water dripping from foliage
His heavy breath, his heartbeat
He hears his own breathing and heart pulsations
His eyes focused and found me
He sees me and direct his attention towards my presence
I spoke like a god
I uttered words with divine authority
Gently I said, "I have a webcam
Softly, I inform him about my possession of a webcam
"And I like to video myself
"I take pleasure in filming myself
"Binding
"Restraining
"Torturing
"Causing pain
"Murdering"
"Killing"
He began to scream with the stitches held tight
He cried out despite being restrained by stitches
He rattled the cage and pulled at the lock
He tried to escape his confinement by shaking the cage and breaking the lock
With all his might
Using all his strength
So I electrocuted the bars and
I shock the metal bars of the cage with electric current
He fell asleep from the charge and
He loses consciousness due to the overwhelming electric shock
I prepared to make him
I readied to transform him
A star
A popular figure for online viewers
When he woke
After he regained consciousness
I asked him to sing me a song
I demand him to perform a musical piece as his role
He obliged but was often off key
He complied but failed in following the melody
So I removed his lower jaw
I extracted a part of his face that hindered his singing ability
Now his tongue juts out like a slimy slug
His tongue protrudes in a wiggling motion
But he' so eager to please
He desires to perform well in his role
Tapping the melody on the bars of this large cage
He rhythmically pounds the walls of his enclosure to match with the song
With un-clipped nails he plays
He uses his fingernails to produce the note for the tune
And once I've had my fun
When I deem that I gained my desired entertainment
Bringing dark justice to this
Inflicting retribution to this
Pathetic goblin
Despicable creature
I will
I intend to
Burn
Set afire
Probe
Investigate with intense scrutiny
Break
Crush or shatter
And Drain
Extract from
And he will be scorched in a bath of pain
He will experience significant suffering as punishment
I will drop him into the misty bayou
I will release him in the foggy swamp
Where he will be a feast for
Where he will serve as meal for
Serpents & Insects & Beasts & All the putrid life of the murky bog
Snakes, bugs, wild animals and other filthy creatures in the wetlands will consume him
And as he sinks, and as he screams
As he submerges and cries out in agony
Into the lens of his webcam
He records his demise and broadcasts it online
I will play a farewell
I will celebrate his end
An ode to the demons
A tribute to the evil spirits
Waiting for him
Expecting him
In Hell
In the underworld of the damned
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Otep Shamaya, Urlich Wil
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind