Purr. Metal maidens Kittie are gonna have a new album out this fall- their 5th full-length release.

In The Black will be the first record featuring new bassist Ivy Vujic… and the 5th consecutive Kittie album with a different lineup than the original. Even their debut Spit (1999) had a different line-up than planned after bassist Tanya Candler left the group (amicably) to stay in school, being replaced with Talena Atfield. Even since, it’s been one after another to come and go from the group, with the exception of sisters and founding members Morgan and Mercedes Lander.

I find that with most metalheads, Kittie is a hit or miss kind of band. As you can probably guess, they’re a hit in my book. With every line-up change, every album has been noticeably different from the rest, and I like it that way. Spit was in the prime of nü metal and teen angsty, Oracle (2001) was noticeably darker and more gothic in sound, Until The End (2004) had a more modern thrash element to it, and Funeral For Yesterday (2007) seemed more classic and even a little power metal influenced. They’re all unique, but still obviously Kittie.

According to reports from Morgan Lander, “this shit is HEAVY” so God-willing, it is. Although they’ve been active all these years, they haven’t really had a big hit since “What I’ve Always Wanted” and they could use one. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed til 9/15/09.

-Julia