Otep strives to remain authentic

Otep Shamaya has made a career of her catharsis, using the often heavy, sometimes abrasive and always challenging music of her band Otep as a vehicle to talk about art, politics and definitions of beauty.

The band, which performs Friday at Jessye Norman Amphitheater, is often categorized as metal but is perhaps more appropriately described as aggressive art rock. It began as a way for Shamaya to combine her passions for poetry, literature and music.

"The purpose for creating the band was to create music and to satisfy my own selfish need for self-expression," she said. "And it seems to me that remaining authentic means staying focused on those original goals."

Otep is known for its raucous shows. Shamaya said that Otep has never been about chasing the buck and that she's uninterested in reaching a wider audience with what she believes would be a diluted sound.

"We just aren't interested in the latest trend or fad sweeping through the mainstream," she said. "We are very fortunate to be reaching those people who respond to what we're doing without compromise."

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Although much of Otep's music is marked by the muscular riffs and pounding percussion of metal, Shamaya said she's uninterested in writing albums that bludgeon the listener with track after track of hard and heavy.

She said an Otep record is always about dynamics, about blending style and tempo and texture.

"It's always about the emotional journey," she said. "Yes, I enjoy aggressive music. Yes, I enjoy emotional music. But I also enjoy it making sense. The emotional architecture of a song must always make sense."

Unlike many rock acts, Otep rarely writes songs about love or loss. Shamaya said her songs and poetry are inspired by things important to her, and so have touched on politics, body-image and war.

"It has always been important to remain true to those things that inspire me," she said. "And the bands that inspire me have always stood for something. My concern is to motivate, inspire and move people to think. I want people to have a reaction."

Shamaya said because she comes from a literary background, she had assumed that everyone approached music the same all-encompassing way she did. She said starting the band taught her differently but did not cause her to alter her often aggressive approach.

"It's really an alchemy of sound," she said. "I don't want to terrify people, but I do want to wake them up."