Oracle

Kittie

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 13, 2001)
• Original Release Date: October 30, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Artemis Records
• ASIN: B00005QEYH
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (126 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,112 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
On Spit, Kittie's 1999 debut, the just-out-of-high-school all-female quartet were an anomaly, giving the male-dominated metal scene a run for its money thanks to the Canadian lineup's near death-metal heaviness. On sophomore outing Oracle, minus original guitarist Fallon Bowman, Kittie rock harder than ever, yet lack the memorable songs required from a band of any gender or genre. In songs like "Mouthful of Poison," Morgan Lander's often ethereal, decidedly feminine vocals contrast with bassist Talena Atfield's death-metal growls. That, along with ferocious double-bass drums and extreme aggression, are the band's hallmarks, broken up by a Kittie-ized cover of Pink Floyd's "Run Like Hell" and "Safe," a spare, spooky and excellent departure in a sea of heavy sameness. Ultimately, Oracle's most redeeming quality is that of a role model for frustrated teenage girls, proving that, indeed, women are allowed to vent their rage and compete with men on the same playing field. --Katherine Turman

Product Description
Kittie's 2001 album on Artemis Records was produced by GGGarth (R.A.T.M, Red Hot Chili Peppers & Testament).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent. A strong second album., November 16, 2001

By	Killrig "-- Killrig" (Kirkland, WA) - See all my reviews

I just had the pleasure of seeing Kittie play half of this album along with most off of "Spit" a week before I picked it up. And I must say that it is better than I thought it would be. They call them a "Metal" band for a reason and this album is proof positive why. It's got angst, anger, gutteral growls, and prime metal melodic tension dripping on all sides. For a good portion of "Oracle" has a raw metal about the same skill level of Soulfly and Ill Nino. I must admit, despite the focus on Morgan's screams on "Oracle"; my favorite tracks are "In Winter", "Run Like Hell", "Pain", & the albums first single: "What I always Wanted". On these tracks the sounds have more variety to them that break up the throat aching screams that make up most of the album (don't get me wrong I love these too), "Wolves", "No Name" & the albums title track "Oracle". I even love the final track to the disc which is called "Pink Lemonade" which takes on a slow, beautiful yet LOUD Melvins-like ambiance -- which I think more bands need to do -- an excellent way to close off a collage of words & sounds from Kittie. In conslusion, if you have the taste for something Metal with a bit of melody, pick up 'Oracle'... You won't be disapointed.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Metal Release, August 20, 2003

By	Twitch (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

As a fan of pure black and death metal I can tell you one thing, Kittie has gone far beyond the reaches of that all girl hardcore nu-metal outfit that I have grown to love, they have progressed to a level where most bands only dream of reaching. They have successfully mixed neo-metallic ideas, a both very etherial and brutal vocal apporach, a strong death metal edge, hardcore / metalcore riffing, and a slight gothic sound. 'Oracle' is starkly different than their Artemis debut 'Spit'. With 'Oracle' they have lost all of their nu-metal sound, but still retained the freshness and melody that came with it.

Comparisons to bands such as KoRn and Slipknot are no longer appropriate when describing Kittie. Durring the aggressive portions of the album, it has more of an early Soilwork (pre-'A Preditor's Portrait') type feel to it, or a definite Lamb of God reference (the song "No Name" sounds so much like "Black Label" its scary, but it still retains its own identity), and a references to early Dismember and Death can be found on the album's opener "Oracle" and on "Mouthful of Poison". During the more melodic parts of the album, it sounds like a more etherial type vibe, he ll maybe even Sigur Ros influenced. But, again, unlike 'Spit', Morgan Lander's (vocals / guitars) voice has a beautiful, melodic quality to it, and her scream has been fined tune (references to the great Arch Enemy are pointless, she sounds almost nothing like Angela Gossow). The standout tracks on the album are "In Winter", "What I Always Wanted", "No Name", and "Run Like Hell" (one of the few times that a band has ever covered Pink Floyd and done them justice).

This album goes beyond moth-goths who think 'Hot Topic' is what it means to be metal, it is a strong death metal insprired album that keeps one he ll of a melodic through out. But do remember inspired is the keyword here, Kittie in no way sounds like Vomitory or Immolation, but it is still just as good. Not since Tool has such a great band been accepted into the mainstream. Kittie's sophmore album 'Oracle' is definitely once for the ages, and is definitely one of my favorite albums.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kittie got claws, January 23, 2002

By	ixion75 - See all my reviews

Anything half-baked and coquettish about Kittie's notable yet flawed debut have been scrubbed away on their second album, _Oracle_. To what will be the surprise and delight of many a metalhead, the band have augmented their always strong confidence with this set of killer metal tunes. Not a bad riff on the platter, _Oracle_ will push Kittie's aspirations to a new horizon, although it won't surprise me (or them) if the differences between records one and two do not go over well with all the fans.

The new disc, forsaking airbrushed pictures of the ladies for Tool-flavored x-ray artwork, shows that Kittie has matured greatly. Weathering the loss of fourth member Fallon, the band's move to a trio seems to have tightened the playing and songwriting. Deft, handsome heavy metal power is showcased from every corner. The songs have become slightly longer and more complex, with significant changes and sudden lurches that were not found on _Spit_. "Mouth of Poison" signals the new direction, a solemn power and rage oozing from every note. Morgan Lander's vocals range from a feminine plaintiveness to a black metal growl, lending each track a hue of emotional grandeur. Talena Atfield's bass keeps things dark and dense while Mercedes Lander's switch to steel kick-drum pads keep a beat that is more than substantial for the mid-tempo grind Kittie concocts. Tracks like "In Winter" are both magisterial as well as majestic, the band showing an excellent grasp of metal form combined with their own sensibilities. "What I Always Wanted" is an eerie dirge, "Safe" an admirable ballad. The plodding, atmospheric "Pink Lemonade" recalls parts of Neurosis and Godflesh. A cover of Pink Floyd's "Run Like Hell" works surprisingly well, and the title track is both a lyrical statement of the album's musical courage as well a summation of the disc's heartfelt pain told through a story of bludgeoning riffs and wails.

Contrary to the information in Amazon's "professional" review, Morgan does do *all* the vocals on the record, although Talena helps out live (my source is an interview with Mercedes on the band's website). I feel the band would also rather be viewed on their merits as musicians instead of those purely gender-based. We all know women can create magnificent art describing and decrying their personal tragedies and despairs as effectively as men-- the real triumph is when something such as this appears, as it does all too rarely. In the world of heavy metal in particular this is more true than ever. However, Kittie has carved, or clawed, a comfortable niche for itself with this strong sophomore effort.