Детали релиза : Kittie - Fire (2024) [FLAC (tracks)]

ALBUM REVIEW

After a 13-year gap between studio albums and no sure promise that they'd ever be back, pioneering Canadian metal outfit Kittie made a glorious and hard-won return with their seventh studio album, Fire. Exploding out of the gate with heaven-shaking growls of “I am fire!” and “I still wear this crown," the Morgan Lander-fronted quartet sounds ravenously hungry and ferocious after so much time away from the scene. Along with Morgan's sister and founding drummer Mercedes Lander, Kittie 2024's lineup is rounded out by guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Ivana "Ivy" Jenkins. Together on this triumphant comeback, they sound like they still have something to prove, reminding the general public that they’re trailblazers and have been an underrated force in metal since their rabid 1999 debut Spit. With the sharp production prowess of Nick Raskulinecz (Korn, Evanescence), their punishing brand of metal has been polished and elevated into something more effective than ever on tracks like "Vultures" and "Eyes Wide Open," adopting a cinematic scope with haunting atmospherics and a deft blend of melody and brutality. Everything hits harder, from the catchy hooks and dirty grooves to the band's focused attack and Morgan’s vocals, which have only improved over the years as they switch between powerful clean singing and demonic gutturals. Of the standouts, “We Are Shadows” is a towering highlight with its rousing singalong chorus and intense machine-gun percussion, while the ferocious “Wound” sounds like old-school Kittie, punctuated with a stadium-sized guitar solo. Meanwhile, the stomping "One Foot in the Grave” is tailor-made for crowd participation. Simply put, Fire shows a stunning maturation and evolution for Kittie, one that makes this big return justified and offers hope for a new era in the band's long and winding history.

© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo