In the Black
Studio album by
Kittie
ReleasedSeptember 15, 2009 (2009-09-15)
Recorded2008
StudioBeach Road (Goderich, Ontario)
Genre
Length41:00
LabelE1 Music
ProducerSiegfried Meier
Kittie chronology
Funeral for Yesterday
(2007)		 In the Black
(2009)		 I've Failed You
(2011)
Singles from In the Black
  1. "My Plague"
    Released: July 22, 2009[2]
  2. "Cut Throat"
    Released: July 31, 2009[3]
  3. "Sorrow I Know"
    Released: August 17, 2009[4]
  4. "Die My Darling"
    Released: June 7, 2010[5]

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.[6][7][8][9]

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.[10]

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.[11][12] 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.[13] 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.[14]

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[15] with their previous label.[13] 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).[7][16] 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.[17] 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;[18] Meier said that the band wanted to avoid having too many vocal harmonies and "glisteny, polished, airy things" on the album.[19] 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.”[7]

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.[6][20]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[20]
The A.V. Club(unfavourable)[21]
Blabbermouth.net7.5/10[22]
laut.de[1]
Metal.de6/10[23]
Rock Hard8/10[24]
Time Off[25]
Ultimate Guitar7.3/10[26]

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".[22] Similarly, Rock Hard's 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."[24] Denise Falzon of Exclaim! was surprised by the quality of the album's sound and songwriting.[27] 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".[26]

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".[20] Jan Wischkowski of Metal.de felt that the album lacked any standout tracks.[23] Michael Edele of laut.de felt the album's guitar solos were "sloppily or just cheaply [played]".[1] The A.V. Club's Leonard Pierce and Time Off's Kenada Quinlan both noted the album's improved musicianship but criticized Morgan's vocals.[25][21]

Track listing

All songs written by Kittie.

No.TitleLength
1."Kingdom Come"1:29
2."My Plague"3:05
3."Cut Throat"2:55
4."Die My Darling"2:46
5."Sorrow I Know"3:30
6."Forgive and Forget"3:44
7."Now or Never"2:35
8."Falling Down"3:08
9."Sleepwalking"3:17
10."Whiskey Love Song"4:29
11."Ready Aim Riot"3:13
12."The Truth" (featuring Justin Wolfe)6:41
Total length:41:00

Personnel

Adapted from CD liner notes.[28]

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak

position

US Billboard 200[29] 133
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[29] 18
US Top Independent Albums (Billboard)[29] 23

Release history

Release history for In the Black
Reigon Label Format Date Catalog # Ref.
United States E1 Music
September 15, 2009 KOC-CD-2050 [30]
Europe Massacre Records October 23, 2009 MAS CD0672 [31]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Edele, Michael (October 23, 2009). "Splashes along and doesn't come from the hips". laut.de (in German). Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  2. ↑ BraveWords (July 22, 2009). "Kittie - New Song Streaming Online". bravewords.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  3. ↑ BraveWords (July 31, 2009). "Kittie - New Song Now Online". bravewords.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Kittie posts new song". thegauntlet.com. August 17, 2009. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  5. ↑ Blabbermouth (June 5, 2010). "Kittie: 'Die My Darling' Video To Debut On Monday". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "In the Black track listing revealed". Blabbermouth.net. July 18, 2009. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 Begai, Carl (September 27, 2009). "Kittie – Black Enough For Ya?". carlbegai.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  8. ↑ Begai, Carl (September 20, 2011). "Kittie - The Mourning After". bravewords.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ Moore, Bruce (November 20, 2009). "Interview with Kittie vocalist & guitarist Morgan Lander". PureGrainAudio.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  10. ↑ Blabbermouth (September 23, 2009). "KITTIE: 'In The Black' First-Week Sales Revealed". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  11. ↑ Blabbermouth (March 4, 2008). "Kittie Parts Ways With Bassist Trish Doan". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  12. ↑ Blabbermouth (June 28, 2007). "Kittie Bassist To Sit Out Tour". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  13. 1 2 Cadoni, Miriam (November 7, 2012). "Interview : Morgan Lander - Kittie (2009)". Femme Metal Webzine. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  14. ↑ Seb (October 1, 2008). "Kittie: Entretien Avec Morgan Lander". radiometal.com (in French). Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  15. ↑ McCallum 2017, 1:01:30.
  16. ↑ Night, Nataly (December 18, 2009). "Kittie - December 2009". Reflections of Darkness. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  17. ↑ Schulze, John (August 21, 2011). "Kittie builds on a career's worth of metal". OnMilwaukee. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  18. ↑ Begai, Carl (September 20, 2011). "Kittie - The Mourning After". bravewords.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  19. ↑ McCallum 2017, 1:10:42–1:10:56.
  20. 1 2 3 Monger, James Christophe. "Kittie: In the Black". Allmusic. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  21. 1 2 Pierce, Leonard (September 9, 2009). "September 2009". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  22. 1 2 Blabbermouth (September 8, 2009). "In the Black". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on April 29, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  23. 1 2 Wischkowski, Jan (October 25, 2009). "Kittie - In The Black Review • metal.de". Metal.de. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  24. 1 2 Schleutermann, Marcus (October 21, 2009). "In The Black". Rock Hard (Vol. 270) (in German). Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.(subscription required)
  25. 1 2 Quinlan, Kenada. "Album Reviews". Time Off. Archived from the original on October 17, 2009. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  26. 1 2 UG Team (September 21, 2009). "Kittie: In The Black Review". Ultimate Guitar. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  27. ↑ Falzon, Denise (December 21, 2009). "Kittie: In the Black". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  28. ↑ Kittie (2009). In the Black (booklet). Port Washington: E1 Music. KOC-CD-2050.
  29. 1 2 3 "Kittie". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Official Kittie Site". Kittierocks.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
  31. ↑ "KITTIE: 'In The Black' First-Week Sales Revealed". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. September 23, 2009. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2023.

Bibliography


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