Editing Sevas Tra

{{Infobox album
| name         = Sevas Tra
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[Otep]]
| cover        = Otep-SevasTra.jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = June 18, 2002
| recorded     = October 2001<ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-08-03 |title=OTEP |url=http://www.otepsaves.com/alt-index.htm |access-date=2022-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030803115206/http://www.otepsaves.com/alt-index.htm |archive-date=2003-08-03 }}</ref>
| venue        = 
| studio       = {{flatlist|*[[Record Plant]], [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] CA
*[[Studio Litho]], [[Seattle]], WA
}}
| genre        = *[[Nu metal]]
*[[gothic metal]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000217493|title=Sevas Tra by Otep|publisher=AllMusic}}</ref>
| length       = 61:06
| label        = [[Capitol Records|Capitol]]
| producer     = [[Terry Date]]
| prev_title   = [[Jihad (EP)|Jihad]]
| prev_year    = 2001
| next_title   = [[House of Secrets (album)|House of Secrets]]
| next_year    = 2004
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = Sevas Tra
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = Blood Pigs
 | single1date = 2002
 | single2     = Possession
 | single2date = 2002
}}
}}
'''''Sevas Tra''''' is the debut studio album by the [[nu metal]] band [[Otep]], released in 2002. The album name, when read backwards, reads as "art saves".<ref name=AM/> It debuted at number 145 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref name="US-albums">{{cite magazine | url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=otep|chart=Billboard 200}} | title=Otep – Chart History: Billboard 200 | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | publisher=[[Prometheus Global Media]] | accessdate=February 7, 2013}}</ref>

==Music and lyrics==
The album is a [[nu metal]]<ref name="CMJTwo" /> album that features strong elements of [[death metal]],<ref name="CMJ">{{cite journal |title=LOUD ROCK |journal=[[CMJ New Music Report]] |volume=71 |number=766 |issn=0890-0795 |date=June 10, 2002 |page=19}}</ref><ref name="MTV">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1457071/otep-challenges-corey-taylor-jonathan-davis-to-poetry-slam/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326175418/http://www.mtv.com/news/1457071/otep-challenges-corey-taylor-jonathan-davis-to-poetry-slam/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 26, 2015 |title=Otep Challenges Corey Taylor, Jonathan Davis To Poetry Slam |publisher=[[MTV]] |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |date=August 16, 2002}}</ref> as well as elements of {{nowrap|[[groove metal]]}}, [[funk metal]], [[alternative metal]], [[rap metal]], [[grindcore]] and [[hip hop music|hip-hop]].<ref name="AM" /><ref name="MTV" /> The album's song "Jonestown Tea" features elements of [[spoken word]].<ref name="MTV" /> The vocals consist of growling,<ref name="AM" /><ref name="CMJ" /> screaming<ref name="AM" /><ref name="CMJ" /> and rapping.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lawrence.com/news/2002/aug/16/otep_adjusts/ |title=Otep adjusts to being sole female artist on Ozzfest |last=Niccum |first=Jon |date=August 16, 2002 |publisher=Lawrence.com}}</ref> The growling on the album is one example of the album's elements of grindcore and death metal.<ref name="CMJ" /><ref name="MTV" /> Also, the album has guitar [[riff]]s heard in the death metal genre. The album has been compared to [[Cannibal Corpse]], [[Metallica]], [[Skinlab]] and [[Slipknot (band)|Slipknot]].<ref name="CMJ" /><ref name="CMJTwo">{{cite magazine |title=OTEP |magazine=[[CMJ New Music Monthly]] |issn=1074-6978 |number=102 |page=19 |year=2002}}</ref> Allmusic described the album as "heavier than Slipknot".<ref name="AM" /> The album's lyrical topics include [[organized religion]] and abuse.<ref name="MTV" /> The band's vocalist [[Otep Shamaya]] said that the album ''Sevas Tra'' "is a story about life's struggles and what you do to overcome them, or what you do to be swallowed by them."<ref name="Songfacts">{{cite web |url=http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=13307 |title=Jonestown Tea by Otep |publisher=Songfacts}}</ref> The album's song "Jonestown Tea" is about [[child sexual abuse]] and is also believed to be about Otep Shamaya being sexually abused by her father.<ref name="Songfacts" /><ref name="Blabbermouth">{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/florida-teenager-uses-otep-song-to-inform-mother-of-sexual-abuse-at-hands-of-father/ |title=Florida Teenager Uses OTEP Song To Inform Mother Of Sexual Abuse At Hands Of Father |work=[[Blabbermouth]] |date=January 15, 2006}}</ref> The song was used by a teenager who, along with her sister, was sexually abused by their father, to inform her mother about her father's sexual abuse.<ref name="Blabbermouth" /> Otep Shamaya spoke about the song "Jonestown Tea" saying {{cquote|I wanted to do something dramatic for the record. At one of our rehearsals, management was there and some people from a label scouting us, and we just started (to improvise) ... By the end of the song, which was about 13 or 14 minutes later, people's jaws were on the floor. I'd kind of gone off into this other place and didn't really realize what had occurred. Something remarkable had taken place. Once we'd gone through that and everyone was like, 'Where did that come from? I decided that this was something important that I wanted to express and communicate on the record.<ref name=Blabbermouth />
}} Otep Shamaya called organized religion "a lie".<ref name="MTV" /> Many people have mistaken the song "Menocide" to be [[misandry|against men]]. Otep Shamaya said that it isn't hateful towards men and that it goes against women abuse, including [[violence against women]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://articles.southbendtribune.com/2013-04-04/entertainment/38287380_1_otep-shamaya-metal-band-band-members/2 |title=From Otep, with rage |last=Harrell |first=Jeff |publisher=Southern Bend Tribune |date=April 4, 2013}}</ref>

== Release ==
''Sevas Tra'' was released on June 18, 2002 by Capitol Records. the first 75,000 copies of the album were available as a limited edition tri-fold digipak.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_mqDCcg7jpwC&dq=otep+jihad+ep&pg=PA38 |title=CMJ New Music Report |date=2002-06-03 |publisher=CMJ Network, Inc. |language=en}}</ref> A month after its release, the album had sold 15,000 copies in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sludge |first=Metal |title=Sludge Scans For June & July 2002 {{!}} Metal Sludge |url=http://metalsludge.tv/classic/?p=30358 |access-date=2022-02-07 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name=AM>{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r593302/review|pure_url=yes}}|title=Sevas Tra - Otep|website=[[Allmusic]]}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kemp |first=Rob |date=August 2002 |title=The Guide: New Releases |url=https://archive.org/details/blender-2002-08-eminem-08/page/120 |magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]] |volume=1 |issue=8 |page=120 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Martin Popoff|Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal]]''
| rev3score = 5/10<ref>{{cite book |last1=Popoff |first1=Martin |last2=Perri|first2=David|author-link1=Martin Popoff |title=The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 4: The '00s |publisher=[[Collector's Guide Publishing]] |year=2011 |location=[[Burlington, Ontario]], Canada |isbn=9781-926592-20-6 |page=373}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="EOPM">{{cite book|editor-last=Larkin|editor-first=Colin|editor-link=Colin Larkin|title=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2006|publisher=[[MUZE]] |volume=6 |edition=4th|isbn=978-0-19-531373-4|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofpo0006unse/page/350 351] |chapter=Otep}}</ref>
}}
The album received mixed reviews. [[Allmusic]] gave the album a 4 out of 5 stars rating writing "Sevas Tra is a record that raises the high watermark for [[Gothic metal|goth metal]]."<ref name="AM" /> [[CMJ]] gave the album an extremely positive review.<ref name="CMJ" />

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| all_writing = M. Bistany, J. McGuire, R. Patterson and Otep Shamaya, except where noted
| title1 = Tortured
| length1 = 1:39
| title2 = Blood Pigs
| length2 = 4:03
| title3 = T.R.I.C.
| note3 = <small>reworked from the ''[[Jihad (EP)|Jihad]]'' version of "T.R.I.C."</small>
| writer3 = <small>Bistany, W. Marsh, McGuire, Patterson, Shamaya</small>
| length3 = 3:05
| title4 = My Confession
| length4 = 5:31
| title5 = Sacrilege
| note5 = <small>reworked from the ''[[Jihad (EP)|Jihad]]'' version of "The Lord Is My Weapon"</small>
| length5 = 4:09
| title6 = Battle Ready
| note6 = 
| length6 = 4:21
| title7 = Emtee
| length7 = 3:58
| title8 = Possession
| note8 = <small>reworked from the ''[[Jihad (EP)|Jihad]]'' version of "Possession"</small>
| writer8 = <small>Bistany, Marsh, McGuire, Patterson, Shamaya</small>
| length8 = 4:54
| title9 = Thots
| note9 = <small>pronounced "Thoughts"</small>
| length9 = 4:09
| title10 = Fillthee
| note10 = <small>reworked from the ''[[Jihad (EP)|Jihad]]'' version of "Fillthee"</small>
| writer10 = <small>D. Aguilera, Bistany, Marsh, McGuire, Patterson, Shamaya</small>
| length10 = 3:36
| title11 = Menocide
| length11 = 4:51
| title12 = Jonestown Tea
| length12 = 9:47
| title13 = Brother
| note13 = <small>Hidden Track</small>
| length13 = 7:03
}}

{{Track listing
| headline        = Japan Bonus Track<ref name="Discogs">{{cite web|title=Otep – Sevas Tra |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/7063267-Otep-Sevas-Tra |publisher=Discogs |access-date=April 12, 2022}}</ref>
| title13 = Battle Ready
| note13 = <small>DJ Higher Mix</small>
| length13 = 4:20
| title14 = Brother
| length14 = 7:03
}}

==Personnel==
;Main personnel
* [[Otep Shamaya]] - [[Singing|vocals]]
* [[Rob Patterson]] - [[guitar]]
* [[Jason McGuire|Jason "eViL j" McGuire]] - [[bass guitar|bass]], backing vocals
* [[Mark "Moke" Bistany]] - [[Drum kit|drums]]

;Additional personnel
* Producer: [[Terry Date]]
* Engineers: Terry Date, [[Martin Feveyear]]
* Assistant engineers: Dave Fisher, Anthony Kilhoffer, Floyd Reitsman
* Mixing: Terry Date
* Mastering: [[Ted Jensen]]
* Digital editing: Martin Feveyear
* A&R: Ron Laffitte
* Art direction: P.R. Brown, Wendy Dougan
* Jacket design: P.R. Brown
* Booklet design: Wendy Dougan
* Photography: P.R. Brown

==Charts==
'''Album''' - [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]] (North America)
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Chart
!Position
|-
|rowspan="2"|2002
|UK
|align="center"|86<ref name="UK">{{cite web | url=http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_O.HTM | title=Chart Log UK: The O - Ozric Tentacles | work=zobbel.de | publisher=Tobias Zywietz | accessdate=July 7, 2009 | author=Zywietz, Tobias}}</ref>
|-
|The Billboard 200
|align="center"|145
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Otep}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Otep albums]]
[[Category:2002 debut albums]]
[[Category:Capitol Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Terry Date]]