Remember when Kittie was a gimmicky collection of Canadian gothy-looking metal teenaged girls? They were so novel, playing their own instruments and featuring the contrast of pretty-girl vocals and growls? “Brackish” took MTV by storm and they gained a bit of an audience before falling off of the mainstream radar. Since then, it’s only the die-hards that have kept track of Kittie while members came and went and albums became increasingly disjointed.
For 2007, Kittie is unleashing their fourth full-length album, Funeral For Yesterday. And quite obviously, the lineup changes and lack of direction have taken their toll. Growls are still present occasionally, but Kittie seems much more feminine than years past. Unfortunately, with so much exposure to Morgan Lander’s clean voice, its nasal quality becomes unbearably grating. Add to this that Kittie seems to want to be the female My Chemical Romance, Avenged Sevenfold, or HIM, Funeral For Yesterday lacks any sort of uniqueness or identity. It’s impossible to label songs as good or bad, as there is little to no variation in song structure, tempo, or melody. Without a doubt, this is the blandest, most repetitive, and most predictable Kittie release to date.
The band was green when they got their big break. Oracle showed considerable growth, but with with so many lineup changes, Kittie has done little other than flounder since then. Female fans want to be inspired by a fantastic and innovative all-girl metal band; male fans want to look at hot chicks, but won’t put down money to sit through crappy music for the privilege. Funeral For Yesterday hurts them as artists, never mind their standing image as a gimmick. For their sake, let’s hope Kittie doesn’t put out any new music until they get their act together.
Website: Kittie
