In the Black
Introduction '''''In the Black''''' is the fifth studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Kittie, released on September 15, 2009, through E1 Music. It was the band's first album with bassist Ivy Jenkins, who joined in late 2007.Recording sessions for the album were held with producer Siegfried Meier at Beach Road Studios in Goderich, Ontario. Disappointed with the production of the band's previous album ''Funeral for Yesterday'' (2007), Kittie sought to return to a stripped down and more aggressive metal sound. ''In the Black'' received generally favourable reviews from critics, with several critics calling it the band's strongest album to date. The album debuted at number 133 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 3,400 copies in its first week.
Background and recording In 2007, Kittie released their fourth album, ''Funeral for Yesterday''. Four months after the album's release, the band parted ways with bassist Trish Doan due to her struggles with anorexia athletica-nervosa. Kittie subsequently toured with former touring guitarist Jeff Phillips on bass for several months, before hiring Ivana "Ivy" Jenkins as their new bassist later in the year. Kittie knew of Jenkins as she was supposed to have auditioned for the band in 2005, but was unable to because of "circumstances not working in her favour at the time", according to vocalist/guitarist Morgan Lander. Kittie began "sketching out ideas" for their next album whilst on tour in the summer of 2008, but did not begin writing new material until later in the year, after they had bought themselves out of their contract with their previous label. The band would record ''In the Black'' in three weeks during the winter of 2008 at Beach Road Studios in Goderich, Ontario with producer Siegfried Meier, who first worked with Kittie as an assistant engineer on their second album ''Oracle'' (2001). For the album, Meier bought a Studer A827 tape machine, which was used to record its vocals, guitars and bass parts; Mercedes Lander's drums were recorded digitally. Having been disappointed by the production of ''Funeral for Yesterday,'' Kittie strove to "undo all the things it did" production-wise and give ''In the Black'' a raw and aggressive sound, according to Morgan; Meier said that the band wanted to avoid having too many vocal harmonies and "glisteny, polished, airy things" on the album. Mercedes praised Meier's production, saying that he was "the first producer Kittie have worked with that knows metal and knows what we want to sound like. He said he could do that for us and he did. ''In the Black'' is the first album that we've recorded that I'm totally happy with."
Style After the softer style of ''Funeral for Yesterday'', Kittie returned to their more extreme sound heard on the album ''Until the End''. ''In the Black'' incorporates elements of black metal, death metal, alternative rock and grunge.
Critical reception ''In the Black'' received generally favourable reviews from critics''.'' ''Blabbermouth.net'' applauded the album's "ferocious conviction" and considered it to be "the biggest metal shock of 2009". Similarly, ''Rock Hard'' Marcus Schleutermann stated that the album's songs and arrangements are "more convincing than ever", and that ''In the Black'' is "undoubtedly their best album." Denise Falzon of ''Exclaim!'' was surprised by the quality of the album's sound and songwriting. ''Ultimate Guitar'' noted Kittie's stronger instrumentation and chemistry on the album, and stated that it "could very well be the Canadian quartet's best effort". Some critics were more reserved in their praise. James Christopher Monger of AllMusic stated that ''In the Black'' only "fortifies what Kittie have been standing on for the last decade". Jan Wischkowski of Metal.de felt that the album lacked any standout tracks. Michael Edele of laut.de felt the album's guitar solos were "sloppily or just cheaply played". ''The A.V. Club'' Leonard Pierce and ''Time Off'' Kenada Quinlan both noted the album's improved musicianship but criticized Morgan's vocals.
Track listing All songs written by Kittie.
Personnel Adapted from CD liner notes. '''Kittie'''* Morgan Lander – lead vocals, guitars, piano * Mercedes Lander – drums, percussion, backing vocals* Tara McLeod – guitars* Ivy Jenkins – bass'''Production'''*Siegfried Meier – production, mixing, engineering*T-Roy – mastering (at Spectre Studios)'''Artwork'''* Dale May – cover and insert photography* Paul Grosso – creative direction & design* Gregory Alan – hairstylist* Dahlia Warner – make-up
Charts Chart (2009)PeakpositionUS ''Billboard'' 200133US Top Hard Rock Albums (''Billboard'')18US Top Independent Albums (''Billboard'')23}
Release history +Release history for ''In the Black''ReigonLabelFormatDateCatalog #Ref.United StatesE1 MusicSeptember 15, 2009KOC-CD-2050EuropeMassacre RecordsOctober 23, 2009MAS CD0672}
References
Bibliography * *