Kittie
Formed: 1996
Location: London, Ontario, Canada
Genre: Metal, Nu-Metal
Years Active: 1996 - 2017; 2022 -
Meaning of the Name: Brings to mind a cute kitten, as expected from teenage girls.
Core Members: Morgan Lander, Mercedes Lander
Way of Working: Led by the Lander sisters
Essential Releases
Spit (2000)
Raw, passionate debut.
Oracle (2001)
Aggressive sophomore effort with a more pronounced sense of groove
The name Kittie brings to mind cute kittens, which is what people expect from teenage girls, but these ones in particular proved to be the exception. Shattering traditional gender roles from the outset with a furious sound that shocked the pearl-clutchers, Kittie made an impact on metal that's still felt today.
When Spit was released in 2000, the members of the all-female group were between 15 and 18 years of age. By the end of the nineties, society had grown accustomed to women in rock, but metal was another thing entirely. The genre, via its link with Satanism, was thought to be for the unwashed misfits who linger on the fringes of society, instead of something for young ladies.
"What has become of our daughters?" was a refrain often heard, I don't know, bellowing from the windows of fine dining establishments when Kittie first appeared on television and in magazines during 1999.
While some tracks on Spit cover darker topics, 'Brackish' is a normal teenage song about a boy mistreating a girl, but it was metal, and the press didn't know what to make of it. People thought there was something wrong with Kittie to make the music they did, but the truth is they were normal, polite Canadians who enjoyed headbanging and making good tunes outside the traditional studio system.
It's perfectly normal for teenagers to use fashion to scandalise their parents, or to worry about their friends and have insecurities. The truth is, people who like metal are just like everyone else, though they might be a tad more aggressive. Most grow out of angsty rebellion in time. Kittie themselves moved away from nu-metal and started making the more adult-oriented gothic variety as early as 2005.
The scandal around Kittie, however, stemmed from deeply rooted concerns about the negative impact of heavy metal in general. It's hard not to see the reaction as a continuation of the furore surrounding Ray Belknap, the teenager who killed himself after listening to Judas Priest in 1985. The hearings in the US Senate, championed by the PMRC, may never have been convened about Kittie, but echoes from the period could still be heard.
Ultimately, however, the band should be measured by the strength of their music alone, and in that department, they proved themselves as an act that outlived the nu-metal boom to flourish in an independent musical landscape for decades to come.
Skills
*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.Emotional Impact
60
Mental Impact
40
Originality
65
Artistry
65
Authenticity
90
Live
85
Production
70
Musicianship
80
Shouting
85
Songwriting
85
Danceability
70
Fun
65
Consistency
45
Range
55
Cool
40
Charisma
45
Commercial & Critical Success
Awards
Certifications >>>
- Spit: Gold in USA
Charts
Critics >>>
- Hit Parader: Oracle - The Top 100 CDs of the 21st Century: #82
