Since their return from hiatus in 2022, it has been full steam ahead for Canadian metal crew Kittie. In fact, the buzz surrounding the band has been nothing short of sensational, perhaps because the times are now more conducive to their sound, rather than when they first burst onto the male-dominated music scene with their debut album in 2000. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of their debut long player, Kittie take four key tracks from that album and rerecord them, then present them as Spit XXV, an EP that proves that time hasn’t worn away their charm.
Formed in London, Ontario in 1996, Kittie released their debut album at the dawn of the new millennium and the ripples it caused travelled far and wide. Tinkering with history can be a risky business, especially with an album as well regarded as Spit; it’s an album that not only created waves in the music industry but influenced countless people to pick up instruments and start bands. These are songs that mean a great deal to fans and fellow musicians, so it’s not only the songs that Kittie are reworking, but people’s memories, too. For example, the album’s title-track (and the song which kicks off this disc) was ranked the 82nd best metal song of all time, so it’s hard to conceive how the band could improve on perfection. Spit XXV circumnavigates this problem by adding a modern twist to proceedings. You won’t find the songs acting in new, strange ways, yet these four cuts are dragged into the future, kicking and screaming, and get a thorough service which ensures they’ll sound fresh many years hence.
Spit XXV works because the band haven’t torn up their roots; with producer Garth Richardson once again in the hot seat there’s a continuity that tethers the band to the past, and the wealth of experience the band bring to songs such as ‘Do You Think I’m A Whore?’ places them firmly in the present. The staccato riff which punctuates the song will never grow old and Morgan Lander’s banshee, demonic shriek is now far more powerful by dint of age; like a fine malt liquor that’s been brewed to perfection in a cask, it adds an air of authority that was previously absent. ‘Brackish’ is as incendiary as it ever was, ditto haunting closer ‘Charlotte’, ensuring that this is no mere exercise in nostalgia.
My only (minor) complaint with this release is that it is too darn short and poses a question as to why the band only rerecord four tracks instead of the whole album. But Spit XXV certainly leaves you hungry for more and finds the band saluting the past and looking towards the future.
- Spit XXV is released via Sumerian Records on 19th September 2025.
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Track List:
1. Spit XXV
2. Do You Think I’m A Whore? XXV
3. Brackish XXV
4. Charlotte XXV
