The lethal young ladies of Kittie show that they are going to be around for a while with their second album "Oracle". When their debut "Spit" came out, they were looked on by many as a novelty act, like a metal version of The Runaways. Could they keep up the momentum and prove they were for real? "Oracle" should settle the argument. This is an all-around heavier and more focused record than "Spit", which vacillated between metal and alternative rock. "Oracle" is metal through and through, thundering along with some brutal low-tuned riffing and plenty of throat-ravaging howls from singer/guitarist Morgan Lander. The band's approach tends towards the punishingly slow and methodical instead of all-out thrashing.

You can't question the heaviness and intensity of the material here, but it is rather one-paced and fairly monotonous, with most songs based on simple mid-tempo riffs. This is not technical music by any stretch and the girls don't try to push themselves past their limits. I for one would like to hear some more variation and guitar soloing from Morgan. It's Morgan's vocals that make Kittie the band it is. She is really one of the most intense performers in heavy rock and many of the tracks revolve around either that raw, anger-filled rasping or her more delicately melodic "real" singing. Often the styles overlap. It's Morgan's fiercely impassioned approach that sets Kittie apart.

"Oracle" is a solid second album that sees Kittie tightening up considerably and laying some more groundwork for what looks to be an exciting future.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2002 Year Book Volume 2 at  garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2001-and-2002.