| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Fire I Still Wear This Crown Falter Vultures We Are Shadows Wound One Foot In The Grave Are You Entertained Grime Eyes Wide Open Release Date: June 21, 2024 Label: Sumerian Records Website: kittie.net facebook.com/kittiepage |  |
KITTIE IS:
Morgan Lander - Vocals & rhythm guitars / Mercedes Lander - Drums / Tara McLeod - Guitars / Ivy Jenkins - Bass
Morgan Lander - Vocals & rhythm guitars / Mercedes Lander - Drums / Tara McLeod - Guitars / Ivy Jenkins - Bass
Wanna feel old? 1999 was 25 years ago this year! I was in 1st grade at the time, going into the 2nd. Looking back on the 2000s during my childhood and teenage years, it was full of great times and music that is now considered classic (feeling old again). Speaking of music, the cycle of arrive-disappear-return continues. We've seen that happen with tons of metal subgenres and musical styles where there comes along a new band or new metal style that becomes the trend for a while, then it eventually fizzles out after so much of it is force fed to the masses, only for it to have a resurgence years later. In the late 90s and early 2000s, nu metal was the new dominant force at the time with the rise of bands such as Slipknot, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, System Of A Down, Mudvayne, and the focus of this review: Kittie.
As I just mentioned, the ladies of Kittie first came on the scene in the late 90s with their debut album Spit, along with all the aforementioned bands. At the time, all-female metal bands were still kind of uncommon, although there were all-female bands present for many years prior, although it's much more common nowadays. They were one of the more underground nu-metal bands that had a strong decade in the 2000s with a consistent string of releases: Oracle, Until The End, Funeral For Yesterday and In The Black. With the release of their most recent album I've Failed You in 2011, the band entered a difficult time due to rising costs of touring and recording music, and declining turnouts at shows, and it caused the band to enter an indefinite hiatus, with a couple of sporadic one-off shows between 2013 and 2017.
They also experienced tragedy with the passing of bassist Trish Doan, who played on Funeral For Yesterday. Both Lander sisters: Morgan and Mercedes, expressed uncertainty and discomfort about the idea of moving the band forward without Trish. Eventually, after Covid and nu metal's resurgence in the early 2020s, the time was right for Kittie to come back, and they got offers to play several shows, including slots at some festivals in the U.S. The renewed interest in Kittie has led to a reunion with bassist Ivy Jenkins, more shows, a brand new record deal with Sumerian Records, and a brand new album titled Fire.
Shifting our focus to the present moment with Fire, the first thing that's noticeable about this album is the production. I would have to say that this is probably the best produced Kittie album because it sounds punishing and modern, and Morgan hasn't lost one bit off her signature growl. I also would say that this is her best vocal performance with both the growls and the cleans. The cleans however seemed to have taken a big leap from the last album, and it's proven on songs like "One Foot In The Grave", "We Are Shadows", "Vultures" and "Falter". To sum it up, while the album doesn't break any new ground, it's sure to satisfy the fans that have stuck with the band since the beginning. The production and the vocals have definitely taken the biggest leap compared to the previous albums, but as a whole, it's very much what you would expect from Kittie. This is a band that clearly knows its strengths and they execute them very well.
Moving forward, it looks like Kittie will be taking the approach that many bands who experienced declines when their respective subgenres went into decline, and reformed years later and experienced resurgences in interest are doing, which is the weekend-warrior routine, and that means playing sporadic one-off festivals on weekends and small select tours. Most of the ladies; if not all of them, are now married with families and day jobs which takes priority in their lives. However, the renewed interest has seen them now headlining bigger venues and getting higher festival slots, so it looks like Kittie is officially back to stay, and will be doing some more going forward, and that's really exciting.
As I just mentioned, the ladies of Kittie first came on the scene in the late 90s with their debut album Spit, along with all the aforementioned bands. At the time, all-female metal bands were still kind of uncommon, although there were all-female bands present for many years prior, although it's much more common nowadays. They were one of the more underground nu-metal bands that had a strong decade in the 2000s with a consistent string of releases: Oracle, Until The End, Funeral For Yesterday and In The Black. With the release of their most recent album I've Failed You in 2011, the band entered a difficult time due to rising costs of touring and recording music, and declining turnouts at shows, and it caused the band to enter an indefinite hiatus, with a couple of sporadic one-off shows between 2013 and 2017.
They also experienced tragedy with the passing of bassist Trish Doan, who played on Funeral For Yesterday. Both Lander sisters: Morgan and Mercedes, expressed uncertainty and discomfort about the idea of moving the band forward without Trish. Eventually, after Covid and nu metal's resurgence in the early 2020s, the time was right for Kittie to come back, and they got offers to play several shows, including slots at some festivals in the U.S. The renewed interest in Kittie has led to a reunion with bassist Ivy Jenkins, more shows, a brand new record deal with Sumerian Records, and a brand new album titled Fire.
Shifting our focus to the present moment with Fire, the first thing that's noticeable about this album is the production. I would have to say that this is probably the best produced Kittie album because it sounds punishing and modern, and Morgan hasn't lost one bit off her signature growl. I also would say that this is her best vocal performance with both the growls and the cleans. The cleans however seemed to have taken a big leap from the last album, and it's proven on songs like "One Foot In The Grave", "We Are Shadows", "Vultures" and "Falter". To sum it up, while the album doesn't break any new ground, it's sure to satisfy the fans that have stuck with the band since the beginning. The production and the vocals have definitely taken the biggest leap compared to the previous albums, but as a whole, it's very much what you would expect from Kittie. This is a band that clearly knows its strengths and they execute them very well.
Moving forward, it looks like Kittie will be taking the approach that many bands who experienced declines when their respective subgenres went into decline, and reformed years later and experienced resurgences in interest are doing, which is the weekend-warrior routine, and that means playing sporadic one-off festivals on weekends and small select tours. Most of the ladies; if not all of them, are now married with families and day jobs which takes priority in their lives. However, the renewed interest has seen them now headlining bigger venues and getting higher festival slots, so it looks like Kittie is officially back to stay, and will be doing some more going forward, and that's really exciting.
FINAL RATING
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