I was scared. I was nervous. It’s not everyday you get to sit down and have a one on one with the person who has effected your life the most in the past few years. I arrived early, just in case I got lost, or had any problems getting into the venue. It all went so smooth; I can’t believe I had any doubts. It was 10 minutes to 1pm and I was sitting on Otep’s tour bus, waiting for her to come out from the back. She strolled out and greeted me like an old friend. I guess I kind of am. We’d exchanged emails and I’d met her a few times, but I didn’t really think she’d remember me. I was wrong. The initial pleasantries lasted a few moments. She showed me her new tattoos and I thanked her for the chance to speak with her. If you’ve ever met Otep in person, she’s nothing like what you’d expect the growls and screams to come from. She is by far one of the nicest musicians I’ve ever met. I didn’t know how much time I’d have and I wasn’t expecting very much time, so I jumped right in and never looked back. I ended up taking about nine pages of notes. She talks pretty quick. Hopefully I won't misquote her too bad. I took a deep breath and fired off question number one.

Part the first:
BURN AND DESTROY. WE ARE HERE FOR ONE REASON. KILL.

What’s the oldest track on House Of Secrets? That single question received a perplexed look.
“What do you mean?”
I mean, were any of the tracks written before Sevas Tra?
“No. None of them were. All of the tracks were written after Sevas Tra. Why do you ask? Did you think some of the could have been?”
Well, there are a few lines in Requiem that I had heard in Germ.
“I wanted Requiem to be very reminiscent to Germ. Wanted to reenact those events from Germ. I wanted to be cold … isolated. Completely isolated. Mentally. Physically. Complete blackness. Most of it was recorded in a dilapidated cedar closet in my house. It was conceived during an eruptive and emotional time. I needed that isolation. I needed to be faced with survive or surrender. It’s there … it happened and I choose to survive. One of my friends told me that listening to Requiem … they felt as though they were walking through a painting of Heironymous Bosch’s.”
I was a little worried in the beginning that I was going to get very short and to the point answers. After that explanation, I knew this would be more like a conversation then an interview. Almost like two old friends who haven’t spoken in years, catching up on lost times.

Part the second:
I AM MY OWN CREATION. I AM SELF-MADE!

Where would you be without music? I was hoping this one question would be the one to obtain the most intellectual response, and I was not disappointed in the least.
“Without music? I don’t know. That’s a very polarized answer. That’s like asking; where would you be if you had been born black? Where would you be if you had been born white? Where would you be if you had been born a girl or a boy? Where would you be if you hadn’t been born into poverty? I don’t know where I’d be. Maybe the Marines or the Peace Corps. Maybe a serial killer, hunting pedophiles and rapists. Who knows?”
Did you ever have any doubts that there would be a second album?
“Once we started making it, no. None at all. I never thought I’d have the opportunity to make it. I am completely surprised at how receptive people are to it. It’s really, really nice to be able to create something that people can relate to. House of Secrets is pretty experimental to us. It makes us want to work even harder on the next album. Taking the human hating spectrum of Hooks and Splinters … the desolation of Shattered Pieces to the next level.”
How’s it feel to have become that voice in the darkness for so many of us?
“We have a section on our website called You Are Not Alone. It’s more of a resource guide. It’s very important to me, and was something I fought for to be put on the site. I’m not afraid of shit. I will fight anything … even if it means being isolated from every living thing on this planet. Some people find it easier to be anonymous … find a community of friends online. Maybe you just had a really difficult breakup and just need someone to say ‘Hey, I’ve been there too.’ Our fans have been very responsive … very appreciative. What an amazing world this will be if the world can be healed. A world full of soldiers for art … smarter, more compassionate … a world of poet warriors.”

Part the third:
I wasn’t there … I’m not involved … I’m innocent … It’s not my fault …

Looking back, ten years ago, did you think you’d be here … at all?
“No, I didn’t think I would be here.”
Is it easy eviscerating yourself in your music and day after day in your shows?
“It is, but it’s all I’ve ever known. Once is really hard, 45 times is even harder.” She points at the tour schedule hanging on the wall of her bus. “45 plus shows, and each is as difficult as the previous … I’m hoping people realize I want us to over come and survive. Violence on all levels occurs. It’s important to find your way out. I think … aggressive music has a negative stigma attached to it. After meeting these bands, most are not as they appear on their CDs … and that disappointed me. They don’t believe in the message they’re preaching. It’s all about a paycheck. We can do what ever we want to … this isn’t party time. I feel like I’m selling my soul every day.”
How are the past OZZfest’s different for you compared to this one? Does it still feel like a struggle to be known as an artist?
“This year makes me feel more connected to the crowd. Almost like the Roman legions marching through my head. As soon as I come on stage and say ‘We’re building an army,’ hands go up. They chant our name from the time the first bands takes the stage, through out the day, between sets, and after we play. We take it all seriously.”
And what if you ever stopped taking it seriously?
“We’d recall the fires. I’m enjoying it so much right now I can’t see that ever happening. Jay and I will always be. Unless his body is taken over by some kind of alien life.” That comment made me giggle. It’s great to know Otep’s got a humorous side too.
Why metal? Why not another genre?
”Other’s have been a direct contradiction to what we wanted and they had to go. We’re a metal band. We don’t play hip-hop or pop music. I want a sonic landscape as violent and creative as my words … it’s an aggressive genre. A sacred fire in the black abyss. Jay has a degree is music. He can play in any band he wants to and this is the genre he choose. There has been a steady evolution in the genre … there’s so much more depth then there was, and we’ve only just scratched the surface.”
Have you heard Slipknot’s new CD?
“I have not. I haven’t had time to go out and buy it. I do get to see them play a lot of the new songs live though. Have you heard it? Do you like it?”
It’s amazing. A complete evolution from Iowa and the self-titled release. What took Slipknot 3 albums to evolve into, it only took Otep two.
“It’s funny. The Slipknot tribe and the Otep tribe we hanging out after a show and Joey asked if I’d heard their new album and I’m like “no, I haven’t” and I asked if he had heard House (of Secrets) and he’s like “nope, when do I have time to go out and buy CDs? I don’t have much time to listen to music. I find most of my comfort in reading. I pick up a book instead of listening to music.”
What are you listening to now? What the last CD you bought?
“The last CD I bought? The Doors: Absolute and Live ... this tour is also the first time I heard Slayer, and I became an instant fan.”
Have you had time to catch any movies lately?
“Anchorman. Jay and I went and saw ‘Anchorman’. And “The Bourne Supremacy’. Very good movie. The Exorcist prequel looks good.”
I asked, finally, when her birthday was, and she was very reluctant to answer this question.
“I’ll tell you, but I really don’t want it getting out ... someone sent me a placenta for my last birthday. There’s an old Pagan ritual that requires a placenta, but it has to be fresh from the womb.”
She did, however, admit an avid fan read her star charts and found out she was a triple Scorpio.