Kittie "Fire" Review (FEELS LIKE THIS KITTIE'S CLAWS WEREN'T OUT VERY MUCH ON THIS ONE...)
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- čas přidán 21. 06. 2024
- #thrallsofmetal #review #reaction #newalbum #newmusic #newmetal #kittie #sumerianrecords #groovemetal #numetal #metalcore #comeback #anticipatedreleases
Necrotic Nick and Jammin' Jon go over the latest offering (and first in 13 years) from Canadian groove metal act Kittie with their new album "Fire" out now!
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I was legitimately blown away yesterday after listening to it. It’s an excellent blend riffs, hooks and atmosphere. I’m a sucker for that stuff sometimes and they absolutely nailed it with this album.
Necrotic Nick- Yeah, sadly this one didn't do much for me. It just felt very stock for the most part minus a few standouts. They definitely took more musical chances in the past but to each their own.
Good review with many valid points, but this album is far from being their most melodic and accessible. That would be 2007's Funeral for Yesterday. You could make the argument that the song "One Foot in the Grave" is like an homage to that era. I personally enjoy their entire catalog because of how much variety it offers.
This album is pretty much what I expected from them when considering everything they've done and not just Spit/Oracle. I think that it's a solid comeback and in my opinion among their best releases.
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! Honestly, it's been awhile since I listened to that one as it was the last one I got and I thought it was decent. I prefer the first 3 mostly but to their credit they know how to right a hook. For me, this one just felt very safe. It had some standout moments but a lot of this was very predictable and very samey across most of the album. That's just me though. I'm glad there are people out there enjoying this one.
This is one of my favorites so far this year. The melodies, hooks, catchiness, it’s all there, plus those moments of pure aggression. I’d say the music sounds matured and organic, nothing forced
Necrotic Nick- I was hoping for more personally. I feel like it had potential but a lot of this really got stale as they really didn't take many chances here. To each their own though.
Jon accused nice ladies of being a "tease" and now he's arrested.
Necrotic Nick- He's been locked in his kennel since the review. That reminds me: I gotta fill his water bowl later.
Lol! Poor Jon meant well.
@@thrallsofmetal 😆
I listened to Spit a few days ago and then I listened to Fire today and holy hell the improvements are vast! Songs like “Grime”, “Vultures”, and “Wound” were really something unique. Even their song “One Foot in the Grave” that I wrote off at first because of the poppy feel, but then that chorus was addicting as hell because I found myself humming it constantly and ended up going back to watch the video and I ended up really digging it. I personally think it ended up being a solid album! Not life changing or anything but some really good pieces of work!
Another fantastic album by Kittie! 4 of 5! See y'all tomorrow morning!
Necrotic Nick- For me, it was only OK. The songs felt way too safe and feel like they just went for more formulaic songs over all. There's some standout but this really lacked creativity and energy to me.
@@thrallsofmetal I gotta say I feel the opposite. Yeah I understand that people feel they tried to “keep it safe” but there’s not one song on here that is all clean vocals or a melodic song. There’s melodies for sure and they evolved from older material, especially Morgan’s singing voice. Most albums had at least 3 songs that were all singing, and at least one that could be considered ballad-esque. There’s not of that here.
I like this album a lot. It's simple, has nice grooves and headbanging moments. Love the melodies. Sometimes thats all you need.
Necrotic Nick- While that might be all you need I was kinda hoping for me. It's a bit too barebones for me with the songwriting. That's just me though.
I never gave this band a chance being associated with Nu Metal but a full female metal band is always cool so I’ll give it a shot!
Necrotic Nick- It's worth a listen but I prefer their earlier material.
This may not sound very "metal" of me, but I have a 2nd opinion regarding this album. IMO, catchy hooks and choruses are always a good thing and are essential to making a song memorable. This is probably why I enjoy nu-metal so much. Nu-Metal and groove metal done right has catchy hooks but conveys the intended emotion well. This is one of the reasons why I got burnt out of the metal scene back in 2022. I tried getting into a ton of extreme metal for several years but very few albums or songs stood out and are still listened to today. Take Nile for example. Super heavy band with a ton of blast beats yet Lashed to the Slave Stick is the only song that I remember; and that's only because of its distinct bass hooks at the beginning. If I cannot clearly distinguish track 1 from track 10, it just becomes background noise to me. So yeah, I'm personally all for making music of any genre as catchy as possible but I also believe it is the artist's job to make every track on an album sound different from each other. I liked the singles I heard from this album (Eyes Wide Open is killer) but time will tell it becomes one that I keep going back to for years to come. I don't know if this all makes sense; it's just where I am at right now.
Necrotic Nick- Hey, don't go worrying about "metal cred" or anything here. You can love whatever music you want, man. We're not "taste makers" or anything. I'm not opposed to hooks and big choruses but when the music has been more creative before and still included those hooks and choruses then I start feeling like the music may have got too streamlined. I think both Nu Metal and Groove Metal have great stand out albums but I just feel like this is one of them. We all hear music differently though. There's a ton of death metal songs I can pick out well just because I'm super into that style but I also listen to a ton of other subsets of metal and going back and forth between them helps keep them fresh to me. Hell, sometimes I leave the metal reservation entirely for a bit and listen to something completely different. This album had some solid moments but overall it was a lot of the same stuff on repeat. That's just me though.
@@thrallsofmetal Yeah, some albums stick with me and other don't. Even though I do enjoy a lot of nu-metal, I never really got into Korn ironically. I should be getting the new Kittie in tomorrow so I'll find out for myself how well I enjoy it after some listening time.
I fairly enjoy this album. Wasn’t the most perfect thing in the world but as a simple to the point Groove Metal/Alternative Metal album. It’s good for what it was. I will also add that my favorite tracks on it were the ones that they released and did videos for. “Eyes Wide Open” “Vultures” and “We Are Shadows” are my 3 favorites of the singles
Necrotic Nick- I mean, the songs you named are honestly some of my favorite tracks along with Grime but the rest of it just felt kinda flat and generic. While there's some good hooks to the songs generally on the choruses the songs had a bit of a pain by numbers feel to them.
@@thrallsofmetal I would agree with that. Hopefully whenever they’ll another album it’ll be more aggressive and not as accessible as as most of “Fire” was
Fire Reviews:
Louder Metal Hammer review:
“A supremely assured return from a band who are intent on creating something fresh, new and exciting. This Kittie still has claws.” They gave it 4 out of 5.
Kerrang! Review:
“Former nu-metal stars Kittie break a lengthy silence with hard-hitting, volume-set-to-kill seventh album…The core of this album is straight relentless metal, sometimes melodic but mostly powering through with sinew and vim….While its not an album that’s doing anything new or shocking, Fire does put Kittie back on the metal map, and reminds us that there’s more to them than they first got credit for.” They gave it 3 out of 5.
Metal Insider review:
“Fire is a triumphant return for the Lander sisters and longtime guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Ivy Jenkins….This is a band re-ignited, refreshed, and fully resurrected. Fire is a near-perfect record, not only for the old-school fans who’ve waited over a decade for this but for a younger, hungrier generation of metalheads. Despite the state of metal in 2024, Kittie doesn’t buck to any trend- this record is simultaneously heavy, accessible, and uncompromisingly Kittie.”
Cryptic Rock review:
“What you have with Fire is a foundation of interesting guitar riffs, song structures that do not overwhelm you just for the sake of doing so, and a mix of harsh and clean vocals that get the balance right…Dark and alluring, the band recapture the magic of their unique blend of styles that unify Alternative Rock with Thrash, Gothic and Death Metal…Fire reclaims them their rightful crown! That is why Cryptic Rock applaud their efforts, giving this comeback album 4.5 out of 5 stars.”
Necrotic Nick- And those are the opinions of those publications just as we have ours. I have to admit these exerts feel very stock as well. Calling this "something fresh, new and exciting" seems misleading as this style of groove metal has been around since this 90's and it's not as though they're reinventing it here. That isn't to say it's good or bad either it just sounds like a reach by that publication. Kerrang felt more honest on that note.
What does Metal Insider mean by "despite the state of metal in 2024?" If it's implying that it's bucking to trends while praising Kittie who arguably wrote their most commercial material with this one then seems seems really out of touch with reality.
Cryptic Rock's review feels more like a puff piece. I don't think the riffs are bad but I'd be hard pressed to call most of them "interesting" as they're pretty straight forward. Nothing wrong with meat and potatoes riffs but call them what they are. What really seems like it's a puff piece is comparing them to death or thrash metal. While they've sited thrash and death metal bands as influential it doesn't really come out on this album at all.
Again, it's all subjective but I'd rather be honest about how I feel about an album rather than give it a glow up to appease the fans.
Nick mentioned the album Until the End as one of their stronger offerings in terms of groove and metalcore-style songs, and while there's certainly lots of that on that record I consider UTE to be almost a 50/50 blend of heavy and melodic.
You could argue that there's more melodic parts and catchy hooks on it than on Fire, but it's more subtle due to the production and songwriting. Songs like In Dreams, Loveless and the title track don't even have any harsh vocals and play more like depressive rock songs in a way. I think the only single for that album was Into the Darkness, which is far from being a face-melting slab of metal. It honestly doesn't sound that different from something like Wound if you can imagine a 2004 take on it.
My point is that I love Until the End and when I hear Fire I am taken back to that era but also acknowledge and appreciate the fact that these girls aren't 20 anymore and have evolved significantly as musicians and songwriters.
Necrotic Nick- I think it has a lot to do with the songwriting. On Until the End they sounded hungry still and the songs while still have melody were balanced out well with some serious aggression. That contrast made both sides of their sound contrast well and I don't get much of that hear. This is more melody forward and vocally driven I'd say. There's some stand out songs but musically a lot of this blended into the background. It's a very safe album that takes no chances which is fine I guess but I had hoped for something more dynamic than this.
@@thrallsofmetal All fair and valid points. I'm a big fan of them so just hearing new music is exciting to me, but I can be critical of them just the same and honestly can't disagree with many of your observations. That being said I still think the good outweighs the bland for me personally.
I never was crazy with this band. Even in my more nu metal teen phase. But i always love Charlotte. I still feel is a great song. Mercedes Lander has a sludge doom project call The white swan and i feel is something i really enjoyed.
I'm in my 40s and remember them from my teen years but was very "elitist" for my age and basically rejected anything that wasn't the most extreme form of death/black/whatever metal at the time. I really only discovered them relatively recently after watching their official documentary. Something about their attitude and music just spoke to me and I gradually developed an appreciation for them. I saw them live last month for the first time and it was great! I still listen to predominantly extreme music on a daily basis but am not ashamed of being a Kittie fan.🤘
Necrotic Nick- I was a pretty big fan at one point but I kinda stopped following them after Funeral for Yesterday. It wasn't as though I thought they were bad but I had just lost interest. Charlotte is still one of my favorite songs on Spit. I didn't know about Mercedes doom project though so I might have to check that one out.
@@thrallsofmetal She has a lot of cool ideas with The White Swan. It's really heavy stoner shit like Acid King if you're into that kind of stuff. Her vocals are quite good.
2002, Syracuse, NY. Skinlab, Kittie, Flaw, My Ruin did a concert, and it was pretty good. Only have Spit. I don’t listen to it much though.
Skinlab is the best of that group by quite a bit
Necrotic Nick- I saw them at OzzFest 2000 I believe in Columbus, OH.
Well...new Sumac, Alcest and Hyperdontia albums dropped this week.
Last Sumac had amazing drums.
Necrotic Nick- I still may snag the new Sumac and cover it in a collection update in the future.
I really enjoyed this album. It’s heavy melodic groove metal. But I do agree it needed more long solos. I give it 3 stars.
Necrotic Nick- It was OK. I wish there was a bit more variety in the songwriting overall.
I haven’t listened to it yet. I was never into them.
Necrotic Nick- It's worth checking out at least. There's a few bangers on it.
Love Kittie. Definitely buying this one. Just hope they tour.
They're playing a select few headline shows in July and August that I believe are sold out unfortunately. I know they have played festivals recently (just saw them myself at Sonic Temple) and I bet they will continue doing so. I would keep an eye on their socials to see if they play near your city.
@@soulsvortex10 I’m in the uk so I’m not sure if they’ll make it over here. Last time I saw them was in 2011.
@@soulsvortex10 but yeah I’ll keep checking their socials.
@@Davescousemetal She just did a podcast where she mentions touring Europe next year. I can't find the exact part she talks about it but it's worth watching in its entirety honestly: czcams.com/video/H2cQThMKWPQ/video.html
Necrotic Nick- I still like the band I just think this was a bland album. Hopefully they make it to your side of the pond though, man.
I couldn’t even get into Brackish back in the day. I saw an album ranking of theirs that had a few song clips that piqued my interest.
Usually if I want a girl that can really growl over some tasty riffs, I go for Angela era Arch Enemy.
I respect what Kittie bring and their legacy such as it is. I’ll listen to a few songs so they’ll make it into my soundtrack rotation on Prime Music.
Necrotic Nick- I really dug Brackish when it dropped but Charlotte was definitely the big gem on Spit. I thought they were a solid band but my interest in them waned over the years. Still, I wanted to give this one a chance and yeah... it really wasn't my thing.
I love the vocal work on it, and it has some good choruses, but i found a lot of the instrumentals to be pretty repetitive and uninteresting. I'd give it like a 6/10 personally
5/5 for me!!! LOVE this album!!!
Necrotic Nick- Really wasn't for me but I'm glad you dug it.
I liked the first two Kittie albums Spit and Oracle but I haven’t really liked anything since then. This album though is okay, it’s not their best but it’s certainly their best since Oracle.
Oracle will always be my favorite, but their 2009 record In the Black had some killer songs like Cut Throat. The following album from 2011 was solid too. I think there's enough song variety across all their albums to please most listeners, those that lean towards heavier Kittie and those that lean towards the melodic side (to echo what Nick said).
Necrotic Nick- Until the End was a solid one if you haven't check that one out but yeah, this one really doesn't do much for me sadly.
Hopefully we will get some big releases pretty Soon.
We do have many you should check Hyperdontia Alcast Kvaen Portrait and Replacire
Necrotic Nick- There's a bunch coming.
@@thrallsofmetal 👍
I absolutely ADORE Kittie as a band, how they were historically the first all-female metal band to "make it". Their second and third albums are their best in my opinion, but every in their discography album has at least one track that I enjoy.
I was so excited when I heard they had new material, and when they released Eyes Wide Open I was hyped. But I was honestly kinda disappointed that the whole record didn't sound like that. Not a bad record overall though. Certainly worse metal albums have been released this year.
Necrotic Nick- It depends on your definition "make it" because Vixen and Girls School both had success before Kittie as all female metal bands but Kittie definitely made a splash. I feel like they just got so hyped up that it became a black cloud that hung over their career. I to dug the singles for the most part but I'd agree that they didn't reflect the album as a whole. It's not terrible but I feel like it's loaded with a lot of filler.
I give a 3, but I'm (still) a huge Kittie fan 🤘
Necrotic Nick- I still enjoy them too but this one is kind of a miss for me.
Well in order to wash your ear holes of this album, you guys should 100% check out the new album by Horseburner that came out this week if you haven't planned on reviewing it. It's just proggy and sludgey goodness in the vain of Mastodon, Baroness and High On Fire. It's absolutely fantastic.
Necrotic Nick- I actually snagged that one but it'll have to wait for a collection update in the future. I loved their last one and if you haven't checked out my States of Metal for West Virginia I cover that one in that video.
I saw Kittie in dublin in 2000 at ozfest show.were the heaviest band i heard all day. This new album i put it on suprisrd it finished so quick then saw its 35 mins. I need to listen to it again to really judge it . First listen the songs seem to sound the same though i had it on as a backround listen.
Necrotic Nick- Same here. I saw them on the Columbus, OH date and they sounded grate live. This one is kinda lackluster though. There's some solid tracks but there's a lot of filler that just isn't very memorable.
Do the new replacire and hyperdontia albums
Two killer albums
Necrotic Nick- The Hyperdontia review is up if you haven't checked it out yet.
Very happy The Metal Meltdown audience voted NOT to review this lmao
Necrotic Nick- I was admittedly curious about this one but yeah... it was a pretty uneventful listen to say the least.
I thought the album was pretty sweet, although yeah, definitely a bit generic and safe
Necrotic Nick- It had it's moments but I thought most of it was too safe to the point it wasn't very memorable.
Generic. Yes. Nailed it.
So Kittie goes Korporate?
I liked their first album.
But that's it for me.
But I'll give this new one a listen
Thanks ToM!
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! I still dig their first 3 but this really feels safe. Oh well, they can't all be winners.
I loved I Failed You. Im going to suppory Kittie by buying this.
Also gents, have you heard the new NILE single? It's pretty disappointing to me. Thoughts?
Necrotic Nick- I still bought this one but yeah, it's kinda lackluster to me. I've jammed the new Nile song multiple times (the song title is ridiculous) and I think it's decent. It sounds like a Nile song but that's about all I can say on it so far.
So I gotta ask out of mad curiosity, was this a high school band for you guys? I couldn't stand them in 1999 and Im surprised they're even still around, I always figured this band was a semi-industry plant targeted at teens and would fizzle out as such, sadly I'm wrong. L7 > Kittie.
Necrotic Nick- It was actually right after I graduated from High School so you're pretty close lol. I don't think they were an industry plant but I think the industry as well as music publications hyped them up to a point that it hung over their heads like a black cloud. The hype train can be rough and I think once again they got hit by it.
Kittie, more like Shittie amirite? I’m just kidding, I haven’t listened to this album. Never been a Kittie fan, so I’ll probably skip this one.
Give it a try and then decide :)
Start w/ "Eyes Wide Open" the first single, it's in your face!
Necrotic Nick- Hey, I get it. I was a pretty big fan at one point so I was curious about this one.
Man I can't believe you reviewed this band 😂
Necrotic Nick- At one point I was a pretty big fan of them so I was curious to see what they got after all these years... which was pretty disappointing honestly.
Hard Pass for me
Necrotic Nick- Hey, I get it. It didn't do much for me honestly.
It was a mid album 2/5
Necrotic Nick- Yeah, that's pretty much where I'm at with this one.
This new Kittie album...
It's not good!
Necrotic Nick- Where did you hear that?
@@thrallsofmetal You guys gave it a pretty low rating with two stars.
Necrotic Nick- When was that?
@@thrallsofmetal Near the end of the video.
Necrotic Nick- There was a video?
Best thing here... Nicks voivod t shirt. Guess im more a dog guy... kittie...........
This caught me off guard, love your content usualy..... kittie? 😂
I reviewed this as a 2.0/5.0. In summary, I basically said that there was not a whole lot of variety. Every song is basically at the same tempo and, apart from the last two songs, had a very 90s/00s radio rock chorus. I liked Grime, but that was the only song I enjoyed. Everything else was just very bland groove metal.
Its a shame because I love groove metal. Pantera, Machine Head, Exhorder, Fight, Fear Factory, and Sepultura. They helped shape my metal tastes. However, they had a great combination of thrash, groove, doom, and classic metal moments; very dynamic. They are the Heartwork of groove metal while this is the Swansong in my opinion. Sad face. 🤘🏻🫤🤘🏻
Necrotic Nick- Yeah, that was my main issue as well. They kinda rigidly stuck to the same formula on most of the songs and it winded up being a few standouts amongst a bunch of filler for me. I do like the big chorus hook on We are Shadows and Grime, Vultures and Eyes Wide Open where pretty solid but the rest was pretty forgettable sadly. There was potential but I think they just played this safe for the sake of writing a collection of potential singles rather than an album.