It's a terrible shame that Sevas Tra came out over a year ago and some of us are only now getting the opportunity to experience its power. It's just as frustrating to find an album this refreshing and inspiring, only to recall the hundreds of hours spent listening to mediocre metal, knowing that Sevas Tra has been languishing in some label clown's promo closet. But when music this dramatic, creative and captivating is made, nothing can stop it from spreading to potential fans' ears. Get ready to experience something truly awesome.

At its core, OTEP is metal band, precariously balancing death metal with precision thrash. But OTEP isn't without a keen sense for extreme metal-tinged melodies and adrenaline-gushing rhythms; with three fiendishly talented males laying down the music, it's hard to believe that the guttural growls and tortuous vocals are coming from a petite, dreadlocked, tattoo-covered blonde woman -- not some husky long-hair. Shamaya's lyrics are deeply personal -- she's evidently hell-bent on purging the demons that haunt her. Listening to Shamaya is like reliving the famous scene in The Exorcist when the possessed Regan launches into a grotesque, unholy verbal tirade before spewing pea-green vomit all over Father Karras.

Think you have issues? I beg to differ. OTEP preaches to the disenchanted, distraught and psychologically detached. The band's enigmatic frontwoman shrieks like a stuck pig on "Filthee", thundering through a convoluted tale of sexual trauma and subsequent reconciliation. A strong feminist vibe (an unusual concept in the male dominated world of metal) streams from the 7 Year Bitch-meets-Slayer-style "Menocide". It's summed up quite terrifyingly with OTEP's proposition: "Time to defy the hive / Kill your Masters / Menocide!"

The band is at its best on "Blood Pigs". Tribal drums, unnerving screams and staccato tempos are all part of the deadly calling card on a tune that doesn't let up until you're brimming with testosterone; just try not to rip anyone's head off, please. "Jonestown Tea" reaches deep into OTEP's troubled past, reenacting a horrifying episode of child molestation and ensuing murderous actions. "Jonestown Tea" is a bizarre twist of the Electra Complex and blood-curdling vengeance; OTEP howls the unforgettable lyrics, "No daddy, don't... no daddy, don't... / Leave me alone! / ...I don't want to be free! / So take your dick out of me! / Please take your dick out of me!" before exacting revenge by cutting out the criminal's tongue. Music doesn't get more intense than this.

Only time will tell if Sevas Tra will be properly recognized as one of metal's more remarkable, genre-redefining moments. Likewise, Shamaya may be one of the most awe-inspiring female vocalists in recent memory. Forget any preconceptions you may have about female-led metal and feast upon the hatred and emotional redemption Sevas Tra delivers.