As much as Kittie benefited from the late-'90s nü-metal explosion, they were always one smart step removed from it: From the scrappy, Hole-via-Cannibal Corpse death-grunge of 1999's Spit, to the Pantera-style bludgeoning of 2001's Oracle, to the finessed, goth-tinged chug of 2004's Until the End, the all-female Canadian quartet never followed nü-metal trends; they just applied new rules to old-metal standards. With their fourth album (and the first for their new, self-funded label), Funeral for Yesterday, Kittie starts out in familiar territory, using the first few tracks to force early Black Sabbath through a Swedish-death-metal meat grinder. On the anthemic "Around Your Heart," however, frontwoman Morgan Lander ditches her trademark growl for a nasally croon that's more My Chemical Romance than molten metal; and as the music follows suit, Funeralrolls out the modern sounds of Kittie 2.0: a kinder, gentler roar in which the band embraces the pop atmospheres they'd only toyed with on Until the End. It's a risky move, but as with the sundry styles they tackled previously, Kittie nails it even if they've been, you know, "declawed" in the process.
Find everything you're looking for in your city
Find the best happy hour deals in your city
Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%
Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city
