KITTIE on CAPITAL CHAOS 2006
KITTIE IS:
Morgan Lander - Vocals & Guitar
Mercedes Lander - Drums
Tara McLeod - Lead Guitar
Ivy Vujic - Bass
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Press Contact:
Bill Meis
BMeis@e1ent.com
Booking Contact:
Dan DeVita
dandevita@tkoco.com
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
KITTIEROCKS.COM
Follow KITTIE on Twitter:
OFFICIAL KITTIE TWITTER
KITTIE on Youtube:
KITTIECHANNEL
KITTIE on Facebook:
KITTIE PAGE
IN THE BLACK on ITUNES:
KITTIE'S BIO:
MORGAN LANDER (guitar, vocals) MERCEDES LANDER (drums) TARA McLEOD (guitar) IVY VUJIC (bass)
"We wanted this to be a behemoth of an album, a real beast," says Kittie front woman Morgan Lander of In The Black, the fifth studio album of her band's decade-long career as metal's reigning femme fatales. The band delivered true on their promise, creating a 12-track behemoth of unapologetic metal splendor, forging bone-crushing music and penetrating vocals into a snarling beast of blunt force trauma. And better yet, they did it without any drama.
Tara McLeod, Kittie's acclaimed guitarist returns with a prodigious second studio effort. "Tara comes from a different school of music, she's more influenced by blues and jazz, and as we evolve as a band we definitely play off of each other," Morgan says of her fellow guitarist. "They complement each other really well," adds Mercedes, the band's drummer, "and it was really nice to have someone be able to come to practice with a solo for a song or a cool riff. It was nice to have a third party offering suggestions." Also familiar to fans is bassist Ivy Vujic, who has been in the band for two years, making this the most dynamic and engaging lineup in Kittie's history. And their chemistry shows!
With total domestic sales in excess of 1.25 million, Kittie also approached the recording of In the Black as complete free agents, for their first time ever, writing and recording a record with absolutely no outside influences breathing down their necks. The results will make your skin crawl and the hair on the back of your neck stand at attention.
"It's the most focused piece of music we've ever put out, and it was the most focused process," says Mercedes of the new release. "We just did whatever we wanted to do and wrote whatever we wanted to write." Adds Morgan, "We set out to make this album the complete antithesis of what our last album was, and to do things as differently as possible in terms of writing, recording and song structure. We felt very boxed-in production-wise on the last album, and we were determined to make an album where we could feel free, liberated, and left to our own devices."
In other words, the album is Kittie in all their unadulterated splendor, a colossal effort that combines everything fans have come to expect from the fearsome foursome, along with a few surprises. "My Plague" is the album's primal mating call, a sinister brood of Morgan's sadistic vocal dirges and growls, a swirling grind of guitars and an artillery spray of drum cover. "Forgive And Forget" is just as brutal, but laced by a melodic underbelly as soft as the song's guitar solos are scorching, and "Die My Darling" trades the death mask vocals for a melodic pitch and resonating gang vocal on the chorus. It's as filthy as anything Kittie have ever recorded before, but twice as inviting.
"I wanted to try and do something different vocally, not the same screaming and singing," says Morgan. "I challenged myself to find a new voice for this album, and there are a couple of songs where I really think I have it. I wanted to dig deeper to make the sound more raw and real, more in your face. In the case of 'Die My Darling,' it was sassy and it needed that nasty spin on things." Mission accomplished.
And if you think you hear a lick or two that reminds you of some of metal's classic forces? You're probably not far from the mark - As long as you know your history, that is.
"I feel like a lot of bands don't take the cues from their elders, and they're just ripping each other off," says Mercedes of today's metal scene. "We grew up in a house with late-'70s classic rock and early metal, and as we get older our influences are starting to come into our songwriting more. We just don't want to sound like anybody else that's out right now." "The classic metal feel is something that we've grown into," continues Morgan. "As we get older and become better musicians, it's necessary to go back in time and appreciate an older style and the fledgling form of the music you're playing. The '70s and '80s were a magical time in metal and those guys were amazing players. We totally respect it, so why not pay homage if you can pull it off?"
Pull it off they do, "Kingdom Come" kicking the album off in an instrumental fashion that would do Metallica proud and "My Plague" following in true "For Whom The Bell Tolls" fashion, "Ready Aim Riot" packing a guitar swoon similar in style to seminal to the thrash of early Anthrax, and classic rock even getting a nod on "Whisky Love Song," which might emblaze an educated listeners with a vision of Thin Lizzy on speed and steroids. The album is equal parts Kittie's past and equal parts Kittie's future. "For us to move forward," explains Morgan, "we've done a lot of looking back with music, and we wear our influences on our sleeves - Metallica, Death, Carcass, and even classic bands like Thin Lizzy, who Mercedes listens to a lot.
"This album speaks for itself - our musicianship is better, we're more self-assured and comfortable, and we just did what we do with no boundaries and no limitations. We appreciate that people know us from our first album and we respect our history, but we want people to respect and understand what we're doing now and appreciate Kittie for the evolutionary step that we've taken. What we do is both intriguing and frightening at the same time - I think that's why we've been able to keep at it for as long as we have, and why we'll continue to do it for a very long time."
| Kittie | |
|---|---|
| Informação geral | |
| Origem | London, Ontário |
| País |  Canadá |
| Gêneros | Nu metal Death metal |
| Período em atividade | 1996 - atualmente |
| Gravadoras | E1 Music |
| Afiliações | Amphibious Assault The Dear & Departed Scars of Tomorrow Spine Suicide City Thine Eyes Bleed |
| Página oficial | www.kittierocks.com |
| Integrantes | |
| Morgan Lander Mercedes Lander Tara Mcleod Ivy Vujic | |
| Ex-integrantes | |
| Fallon Bowman Tanya Candler Talena Atfield Jeff Phillips Jennifer Arroyo Lisa Marx Trish Doan | |
News: What The Fear
Kittie’s Mercedes Reveals 'Horror Geek' Cred
This week marks the arrival of the new CD In the Black from Kittie, the all-female quartet who first clawed their way onto the metal scene back in 1999 with their acclaimed debut album Spit. The band’s undergone a few lineup changes over the years, but the new stuff proves they’re leaner and meaner than ever.
But metal mayhem isn’t all these lethal ladies are about... I was also excited to learn that drummer Mercedes Lander is a self-proclaimed horror geek, and is more than happy to talk about her genre obsessions. We discussed her growing horror movie library, her favorite fear flicks and a few prize horror toys in her collection… and you can read all about that and a review of the new album below!
What was the last movie lineup you watched with them?
I love all my Evil Dead toys to death, and I also have this really awesome 'Good Guy' doll (alias Chucky) that my mom got for me when she went to California a few years ago. I live by the Zombie Survival Guide, just in case the dead start to walk the earth and try to eat me!
If Mercedes never gets that break into movies, it would be a loss for cinema... but then again we wouldn’t want to jeopardize the band’s future, because Kittie have serious skills, and the proof's right here In the Black. Her sister Morgan, the band's lead vocalist and co-founder, isn't kidding when she describes it as "a behemoth of an album."
The band took full creative control this time out, writing and recording all songs with no outside influence, and wisely chose to delve into the roots of old-school metal – including bands like Thin Lizzy, whom Mercedes cites as a big influence – plainly evident in cuts like "Whisky Love Song," for example (great vocals on that one too). But there's also plenty of wicked thrash and death in the mix as well: the low-key but effective opening instrumental "Kingdom Come" is epic in the mold of classic-period Metallica, and leads into the brutal "My Plague," a straight searing blast of simple vintage thrash.
"Forgive and Forget" swings wildly between manic death metal (including a shockingly deep, gravelly voice layered beneath the main vocal), '80s-style riffage and melodic flourishes; "Sorrow I Know" is a pensive, mid-tempo cut that reminds you how good this band is at creating a dark, haunting mood, as exemplified in earlier classics like "Safe" (my personal fave). Equally compelling is "Falling Down," this time grinding more slowly with a lurching 3/4-time beat. The church-organ strains that begin the massive final track "The Truth" give it even more epic weight.
Throughout these twelve cuts, Morgan's vocals flit easily between pristine pop croons and brain-searing demon growls, creating a feeling of tense uncertainty in tracks like "Forgive and Forget," and even meet in the middle for a lascivious twist in the passionate "Die My Darling." Instrumentally, they adhere to a fairly straight, uncomplicated style, with the occasional look-at-me guitar solo (probably another nod to their '80s guitar heroes). I think their guitars feel most robust with a touch of old-school detuned layers ("Ready Aim Riot" is a great example), although the mega-fat sound can sometimes make Morgan's clean vocals sound a bit tiny.
Free from external pressures, the band is at their most expressive and intense, and you can also tell they're having fun with it, as if they were their sole audience. Although it might lack some of the caustic angst of some of their early work, it's just as primal and even more energetic... and that personal touch really comes through. Check ‘em out now!
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