Outspoken (thankfully so) political activist, writer, and musician Otep Shamaya is back, and after my passionate response to her 2016 release titled Generation Doom (which I reviewed here), I couldn't be happier. "To the Gallows" is the first song to be released from her upcoming album KULT 45, set to be released on July 27, 2018. (In case anyone is confused about the number in the title, Donald Trump is, regrettably, the forty-fifth president of the United States.) The song and its lyrics serve as a big middle finger to our current commander in chief, with lyrics such as "while you're checking your timelines, I'm on the front lines..." (which is a reference to Trump's hyperactivity on Twitter) and "he's a morally corrupt demagogue who's in lust with his daughter so he pays porn stars to dress like her..." (referring to Trump's disgusting comment about how his daughter Ivanka has an amazing figure and how he would be dating her if she weren't his daughter and also to his sex scandals with porn stars). The song begins with a low and eerie chanting underneath Shamaya growling, but it quickly breaks out into her typically heavy mix of rap and metal with a catchy and anthemic chorus, reminding me a bit of songs like "Rise, Rebel, Resist" and "Confrontation" (both songs that are also heavily influenced by political unrest, although Otep has never made it as personal or as direct as she has here). Otep has a long history of releasing music inspired by politics, and seeing as how she is fiercely liberal and vehemently opposed to the likes of racism, homophobia, sexism, and fascism, it should not come as any surprise to anyone that new music from her following the disastrous results of the 2016 presidential election would take on Trump. Even though Trump's America is dark, it is certainly far from hopeless, as we have seen people stand up, speak out, and strike back, possibly more so than we have seen in decades, and I cannot wait to hear what the rest of KULT 45 has in store for us.
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