My wife never was a real metalhead, but she had a period during the mid to late nineties when she was - I believe out of some sort of feministic principle - very interested in the whole riot grrrrrls thing and other strong rock women.
And a true romantic as I was and still am, I’d as the most natural thing in the world go out and buy her things I thought she'd like. The first Kittie album, ‘Spit’, was one of those things.
Just before the turn of the century, the Canadian all-girl band received an awful lot of attention from e.g. Kerrang! magazine who thought these in my eyes extremely young girls were just fab.
They weren’t, really. Fab, I mean.
When I received this new album from the label, I dug out ‘Spit’ from the basement, happily reminded of yonder years - before I put it in the player, that is.
The CD definitely has its moments, but in the long run it is more than anything a bad clone of something Korn had made everyday long ago, only with a girl’s voice. And it's quite noisy, really.
Anyway, where I left the girls to it, they went on the record another three albums over the years and sold more than a million copies. Good for them.
Now a fifth album is about to hit the shelves and iPods out there. And ‘In the Black’ definitely deserves some space in the collections of you boys and girls. It’s a really good album!
Compared to what I heard in the past, the nu-element is practically gone and replaced by something that digs back deeper into heavy metal history and represents a style that is more Iron Maiden and Metallica, the sound is focused and well-defined, the musicianship is impeccable. (Don’t misunderstand me: I don’t mind nu if it’s done well – Korn have done wonderful things, Coal Chambers and others equally so.)
Morgan Landers manages to growl like Angela Gossow (or does Angela growl like Morgan – who was there first?) and then shift into a completely different, clean and melodic gear. I love this! It’s more or less the same effect Burton C. Bell has when he’s at his best. Contrasts, contrasts, keep them coming!
Her sister Mercedes behind the drums is my bet for one of the best kept metal drummer secrets. That woman is one hell of drummer!
‘In the Black’ is one of those albums that just whizzes by like a great film; it has lots of variation, power and songs that lead their own distinctive lives. A dynamic, groovy album that will give you something to move your booty and bang your head to, whatever your preference.
Try it out!
