Kittie – Fire
Release Date: 21st June 2024
Label: Sumerian Records
Order/Stream
Genre: Groove Metal, Death Metal.
FFO: Dying Wish, Year of the Knife, Lamb of God, Spiritbox.
Review By: Jeff Finch
Coming back from a long hiatus seems to be a theme over the past few years: The Mars Volta, Alexisonfire, Job for a Cowboy, all bands with at least a decade passing between releases, and all bands that feel like they really never went away, what with how stellar their returns were. So, with Kittie returning after 11 years, as with these others, hype has been sky-high, given the quality of the band’s output and the recent string of successes these long hiatuses have led to; and once the fire has been put out, what’s left in the ashes is another winner, as Kittie’s return feels like they’ve never left to begin with.
What makes this release so enjoyable, especially for someone that has only listened to a little bit of Kittie prior to this, is just how organic it sounds, how one could never guess that this group’s last effort was released in 2013. It doesn’t sound like they’re trying to do too much, trying to hit a 600-foot homer with the first swing after coming out of retirement; no, the band sounds as though they are enjoying being back and that shines through the music. Immediately our opener, the title track Fire, hits us with impressive throat shreds contrasting brilliantly with the clean vocals, surrounded by groovy, beefy riffs and a production allowing the instruments to have a little more punch, the bass popping out nicely when the whispered vocals ‘I am a fire’ lull us into a vicious shriek of ‘watch me burn,’ absolutely vitriolic and punishing in nature.
I Still Wear the Crown opens with caustic vocals, intensely punishing riffs, and a drum kit getting mercilessly beaten, all preceding one of the catchiest segments on this entire album, the chorus, which breaks through the acidity with some incredible harmonies before leading us back into the main, headbanging groove, salivating for that next chorus to hit, even as the post-chorus sees the bass and the harsh vocals separated out, the ultimate betrayal after such a sickly sweet (in only the best way) chorus, the contrast an impressive feat of musical variety.
Vultures and We are Shadows sees chainsaw-like riffs and dynamic double bass break through, clean vocals continuing their reign, the re-introduction of harsh vocals hitting with extra gusto after the intense catchiness of I Still Wear the Crown and Falter, especially as they’re layered on top of the shrieks, a double dose of intense vocalization to match the double dose of intense musicality the band has thus far proven to be masters of.
Continuing with the theme, Wound sees the layered vocals within the chorus treating listeners to an angelic / demonic dynamic, clean and harsh vocals hitting simultaneously, cleans a bit higher in the mix, standing out a bit more but also bringing awareness to that roughness just below the surface. The dynamic works wonders in keeping these songs fresh as they’re happening, the band acutely aware of the need for dynamism to maintain listeners’ attention. On top of that, the beats continue to be catchy, the riffs are punchy, the solo, short though it may be, quickly breaking up the consistent melodies for just a brief moment, never overstaying its welcome.
The final four tracks on this release are just intense, in your face cuts that feel written for the sole purpose of Kittie demanding you to remember this album even as it comes to its end; One Foot in the Grave contains some of the most robust and vivacious riffs thus far, the bass breaking through the speakers for those listeners really paying attention, tuned filthily low, as we transition into a mid-paced thrash fest with those consistent layered vocals the perfect way to complement the music. Are You Not Entertained, simply put, is extremely entertaining and catchy, while Grime is one of the heavier, more direct tracks, featuring mostly low, meaty riffs and harsh vocals, the chants of ‘grime’ at the end feeling…well, grimy.
Final track Eyes Wide Open focuses on shrieking, black metal vocals as a burst of melodic guitar-work cuts through the maelstrom around the 1:40 mark, an increase in musical intensity coming to its apex as the song transitions into a brief guitar solo preceding a stop-start beat, as the last thirty seconds of the album are just pummeling riffs, destructive percussion, and nothing but throat shredding, soul piercing cries of ‘eyes wide open,’ as the song fades to black.
After all this, it’s not hard to see why Kittie came back: they clearly had so much left in the tank, and so much left to give, that they came back after 11 years and put up an album containing so much groove, so many riffs, so much angst, and so many enjoyable moments that it’s hard to believe they were able to take such a long hiatus. This album feels so natural, like they’d been working their whole careers towards this one record, absolutely no signs of rust or lack of inspiration; fans of Kittie will positively love this record and those that haven’t listened much may find this to be the perfect starting point, as it shows a band that is older, wiser, but no less kick-ass than they were in their youth.
(4.5 / 5)
