song, with drummer Mark Bistany creating percussion with a variety of objects such as a napkin dispenser, an aluminum ladder, a plastic tree, a sneaker and a toaster. Otep described jazz, funk and fusion music, originating from each of the band member's musical backgrounds, as an influence on the sound of the EP. In order to achieve a "lizard queen" vibe, Otep recorded her vocals with a microphone previously owned by The Doors' Jim Morrison; Otep has cited The Doors as a musical influence. Themes Jihad was aesthetically and lyrically influenced by occultism, ancient cultures and Egyptian and Greek mythology. The EP's opening track, "Possession", was described by Otep Shamaya as "very ritualistic. It had to have a ceremonial feel to it so we went in, we tried to push ourselves into this really aggressive trancelike state." The song's ending, which differed greatly from the Indigo Ranch-demoed version of the song, was changed by the band and Rich Costey to give the song more atmosphere. Jihad also touches on topics such as organised religion ("The Lord Is My Weapon"), rape ("Filthee"), politics and feminism. Compared to other female acts in the nu metal genre such as Kittie, feminism and gender was a large influence on the EP's lyrics; "My gender has everything to do with what I do. I think that people get the wrong idea about what feminism is. To me feminism isn’t just trying to be what men are it’s trying to be everything that a woman is, which isn’t weak, small, or thoughtless. It’s something strong and powerful. I think it’s important that people recognize, that I am a woman and that’s great and that doesn’t make me any less powerful than other bands like Slipknot and Mudvayne." All of the songs on Jihad, aside from "Germ", were re-recorded for the band's debut album Sevas Tra, with "The Lord is My Weapon" being renamed "Sacrilege". Release and promotion Jihad was released in the United States on June 19, 2001 by Capitol Records as a digipak CD. The EP was planned to be released in Europe in September 2001; following the September 11 attacks, the EP was delayed and released on November 19, 2001 under the re-titled name Otep. To promote the record, Capitol released a promotional cassette with "T.R.I.C." and "The Lord Is My Weapon", with the band recording their first ever music video for "T.R.I.C.". Otep