Album Review: Kittie – Fire (Sumerian Records)

It has been thirteen years since Kittie last released an album (2011’s I’ve Failed You), and now, the legendary metal band make their return with the much-anticipated new album, ‘Fire’. Out on June 21st, 2024, via Sumerian Records.

I was 16-years-old when I first heard Kittie’s debut album, ‘Spit’, specifically the track ‘Brackish’. Still finding my feet in the world of metal, I could not quite believe what I was hearing. I remember not being sure if I liked them or not, especially after hearing the track, ‘Get Off (You Can Eat a Dick)’, but once I heard their mega-hit, ‘Charlotte’, I was sold. Over the next decade and a bit, I developed a bit of a love/hate relationship with Kittie and their releases. Putting it bluntly, for every release I liked, there was another I didn’t. So, when they stopped releasing music, I didn’t care too much.

We’re all that bit older now, and these days I look upon the band with a fondness, but I would be lying if I said I was excited to hear this album. I can’t help but wonder where Kittie sits in the modern metal landscape and if they could re-capture the fire that made them such a hot prospect back in 1999.

The answer arrives very quickly, and it’s an obvious one. Kittie aren’t trying to re-capture the fire of old, rather, they’re starting a brand-new one, and thanks to some really killer tracks, it promises to be one hell of an inferno.

It’s an album of form, namely the form Kittie are on. The four-piece; vocalist and guitarist, Morgan Lander, drummer Mercedes Lander, guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Ivy Vujic, are delivering career best efforts here. From the nu-tinged opener that is the title track, to the heaviness of Vultures, the anthemic hard rockiness of One Foot in the Grave, and the ferocious finale of Eyes Wide Open, Kittie delivers on the promise of embracing their past, while also looking forward.

Across the entirety of the record, there’s nostalgic heaviness tinged with a freshness that makes this one of the more consistent Kittie records ever. It’s invigorating to hear them dig into a death-infused side of themselves with I Still Wear the Crown, even though this is still as groovy as it comes. Or setting new bars for themselves with the pacey riffing and gunshot drumbeats of We Are Shadows. A track with some of the best vocals, both clean and harsh.

How about Wound though? A track that lives up to the album title in the verses, but delivers a heartfelt chorus, and has the two vocal styles trading off in style. Then there is Grime, with its heavy head-banging rhythm and its guttural vocals that are sounding downright demonic. Both these tracks are up there as some of the best stuff Kittie have ever produced.

The whole album is a very confident statement from Kittie, a mature statement, and it’s abundantly clear that they have found their place in modern metal. They belong, and we should all be very happy to have them back.

Kittie – Fire Track Listing:

1. Fire
2. I Still Wear This Crown
3. Falter
4. Vultures
5. We Are Shadows
6. Wound
7. One Foot in the Grave
8. Are You Entertained?
9. Grime
10. Eyes Wide Open

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