Otep Lays It All on the Line With ‘Smash the Control Machine’

For 'Smash the Control Machine,' what's old is new again for Otep. Two members from the band's debut album, 'Sevas Tra,' have returned to the fold, with one of them being guitarist Rob Patterson, formerly of Korn and currently engaged to the hottie known as Carmen Elektra, and the other being drummer Mark "Moke" Bistany.

"It's a wonderful process of creative fire that we rekindled and it's been amazing. It has happily digested my world at the moment," Otep told Noisecreep. The singer recently spent 19 hours at the studio in order to meet a deadline and she was totally fine with that. "This grouping is incredible. It's myself and Jay, who has been with me the whole time, so we're best friends, and with Rob and Moke coming back, it feels like family coming home. The creative chemistry between us is the same as with a lover. You may enjoy other people, but there are one, or two, or three, in my case, that you've had a real connection with. We like the same groove, power and riffs."

Reuniting with former members isn't the only thing that's new for Otep on 'Smash the Control Machine.' The album marks her first effort for Victory Records. But one thing that remains a constant with Otep and that is how she lays it all on the line, holding nothing back, bleeding into her lyrics. "I believe in personal art," Otep said. "Whether it's painting, playing music or compositions, I want to know something about the person who wrote it. That's a universal language and I reflect an empathy with my listeners. Art is supposed to invoke an emotion and opinion. The age old question is, 'What is art?' Go to a museum and look at a red canvas with a splotch of white in the center and ask, 'Is that art?' Does it invoke idea? In my opinion, it's art if it does that." Otep and her namesake band will remain in the studio through mid-June.