On The Ascension, Otep Shamaya and her cohorts experiment a bit with texture, aiming toward a sense of dynamic tension on songs like "Crooked Spoons," "Noose & Nail," and "Perfectly Flawed," ending up with some blend of post-rock and new and industrial metal. There are some other attempts here, too, such as the long balladic reach of "Invisible" and the creepy-crawler metal of "Communion." Ultimately, these tracks revisit the tried-and-true trademark Otep sound.