House of Secrets (album)

House of Secrets is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Otep, released on July 27, 2004, through Capitol Records. Recorded in late 2003 with producer Greg Wells at Rocket Carousel Studios in Los Angeles, it is a death metal, nu metal and heavy metal album whose songs alternate between aggressive metal segments and atmospheric passages. In an effort to raise the band's technical level, vocalist Otep Shamaya enlisted Joey Jordison of Slipknot to play drums on six of its tracks. Its lyrics explore themes of abuse, angst, self-loathing, paranoia, healing, self-determination, and breaking out of victimhood.

House of Secrets received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics, who praised its songwriting and Shamaya and Jordison's performances, though some criticized its lyrics as overwrought and overly self-loathing. The album debuted at number 93 on the US Billboard 200 chart and number 102 on the French Albums chart. "Warhead" and "Buried Alive" were released as singles with music videos. Otep performed on the second stage of Ozzfest and toured with Kittie and Crisis in 2004, before embarking on the headlining Alliance of Defiance and Mouthful of Madness tours in 2005.