Sisters Morgan and Mercedes Landers (vocals and drums, respectively), guitarist Fallon Bowman, and bassist Talena Atfield have infiltrated the masculine domain of "aggro" rock. For lack of a better term, "aggro" is the slash 'n burn style of bands like Static-X, Slipknot, System of A Down, etc., and Kittie have bested some of their male peers at their own game. Looking like a cross between Marilyn Manson and leather-clad metal girls, the Landers sisters and company buck the sappy songstress tradition by commanding as much respect from the hard to please Ozzfest crowds as any other band on the bill.
Kittie have a loyal fanbase, many of them expressing their ardor on one of the hundreds of Kittie fan sites, such as Whore In The Mirror and Spit, proving that a substantial number of teen-age girls identify with Kittie, not Britney or Christina. Original bassist Tanya Candler, who favored a sex kitten persona, was replaced with current bassist Talena in 1999, and the band is now united in its ballsy approach.
Spit is one of the best debuts of the year, with venom filled anthems like Brackish and Suck and the surprisingly reflective Paperdoll. Following a fine rock n' roll tradition, the CD ends with an instrumental, Immorta, that displays a slightly softer, melodic side - hey, I said slightly. The songs aren't about boys or fashion. They're about real, from the guts emotion. Morgan's vocals are so ferocious she makes Jonathan Davis and Fred Durst sound like Barry Manilow. The chaotic riffing and tempo changes are headache fodder for older and wimpier types, but if you've got the energy to make it through the CD, you should have the stamina to run the Boston Marathon in record time. This is music that rattles through the body as well as the brain.
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