Funeral for Yesterday - Dark Publications

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Similar Items:

•	Spit
•	Beautiful Tragedy
•	Until the End
•	Oracle
•	Cannibal

Editorial Reviews:

Album Description
Includes bonus DVD with 45 minutes of exclusive footage, interviews, and videos. It also features behind the scenes content in the studio making the album, Funeral For Yesterday.

Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Kittie at their peak March 10, 2007
13 out of 15 found this review helpful

Kittie's albums have been up and down for me since I was introduced to them with "Spit". To say that I wasn't thrilled with their last album "Until the End" is saying it lightly, but thankfully, "Funeral For Yesterday" finds the metal band led by sisters Morgan and Mercedes Lander at their musical peak. Technically speaking, for having a revolving door of guitarists and bassists, Kittie sounds better here than they ever have before on any of their previous studio albums. The guitar work is wonderful, and this can be found on the title track, "Everything That Could Have Been", "Witch Hunt", and the excellent closing track "The Change". If there's any downside to "Funeral For Yesterday", it's similar to what was pointed out by a previous reviewer. Vocalist Morgan Lander seems to want to resemble Amy Lee more than herself at various points throughout this disc. Now this doesn't happen often, but it's noticable enough to catch. That aside, this is still Kittie at their technical peak, and "Funeral For Yesterday" only further goes to show that Kittie has always had the talent to rise above the nu-metal pack that they were associated with when they first burst upon the scene, and the fact that they survived that era is only further proof.

4 out of 5 stars

Kittie's best yet May 31, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

Kittie formed in 1999, and their debut, "Spit," met with overall positive acclaim. But by six years later, the Canadian all-female alt-metal quartet had gone through a great deal of problems. In 2005, when they parted ways with longtime label Artemis Records, and lost two of their band members (Jennifer Arroyo and Lisa Marx), many skeptics thought the end of Kittie was near. But the Lander sisters (Morgan and Mercedes - the two founders of the group) choose to think of it a different way - a new beginning. In 2006, Kittie emerged from the ashes with a new bassist (Trish Doan), a new lead guitarist (Tara Mcleod), new record label (their own label, X of Infamy Records), a new album (this year's very aptly titled "Funeral For Yesterday"), and, more-or-less, a new sound, too!

"Funeral For Yesterday" is doubtlessly Kittie's most mature, melodic, accessible, realized, confident-sounding, well-written, and polished release to date. "FFY" is living proof that Kittie's sound has changed dramatically since the days of "Spit." The new album boasts a crisp, clear, almost squeaky-clean production job, and a wealth of memorable songs, infectious hooks, and clean singing from Morgan. Morgan explores her singing voice so much that her growls and screams have been put on the back burner, and are only occasionally brought out to offset the melodic vocals. In fact, we don't even get a single growl until track four, "Slow Motion," and track seven, "Sweet Destruction," is an ultra melodic interlude track that even finds Morgan crooning things like "Life is good." As other reviewers have already pointed out, "Funeral" is slightly hindered because Morgan can sometimes come dangerously close to sounding like an Amy Lee (of Evanescence) clone, but those moments are few and far between.

And despite all of the melodic touches, these fourteen songs pack enough muscular, meaty rhythms, crunching, often thrashy riffs, propulsive leads, and even occasional blazing solos to make the album typically quite heavy. The final sound is very dynamic, diverse, well-balanced, and well-textured. "The Change" is remarkably heavy and hard-hitting, and "Last Goodbye" and "Witch Hunt" (the heaviest songs of the bunch) are also quite brutal. Elsewhere, tracks like the title track, "Breathe," and "Slow Motion" are bolstered by strong, crunchy guitars and humming bass lines, and "Never Again" and "This Too Shall Pass" evoke industrial metal - their churning riffs, and repetitive, lumbering rhythms wouldn't sound completely mismatched if they came off of a Prong or Ministry record. Also of note are the third track, "Everything That Could Have Been," which is highlighted by excellent singing and almost doomy riffs; the kind of spacey chorus and ripping, wailing solo of "Flower of Flesh and Blood"; and the hooky, galloping rhythm that bolsters "Around Your Heart."

Kittie remain an acquired taste for some listeners, and "Funeral For Yesterday" won't change your mind if you're not already a fan, but no matter what your opinion of them is, one should at least give them props for overcoming such adversity to release their best album to date. To conclude, "FFY" is a very satisfying, eminently memorable, and extremely solid album that gets better with repeat listens, and it is sure to become a favorite among fans and critics alike. Nicely done, girls.

5 out of 5 stars

Kittie at their best. February 23, 2007
6 out of 8 found this review helpful

Back with a new lineup, this is the bands most solid release to date. The album seems to be a kinda split, with the softer tracks first, and the heavier ones later. Morgan doesn't even scream until the fourth track "Slow Motion". And that's not a bad thing at all. Morgan has improved the most out of the band. Her song writing, her lyrics, everything fits perfectly with this album. Her singing voice sounds so much better, and is way more in tone than on previous albums. Especially check out the track "Sweet Destruction [Interlude]. If you've ever doubted Morgans singing, in that track alone, she'll put you to shame. Mercedes kicks it up a notch as well, bringing way more aggression and onslaught than she ever has before. Mercedes also lends some violent backing vocals on the track, "The Change". The new members [not really new, been in the band since late 05'] Trish Doan and Tara McLeod round out the Kittie circle. Tara, (as the reviewer below me stated) throws in some crushing guitar solos ("Slow Motion & Flower Of Flesh & Blood" for example), and her guitar sound is loaded with nothing but METAL. Trish's bass is the most outstanding on this album than any other bass player has done on previous albums. Her chunky heavy sound on "This Too Shall Pass" is bass goodness to the ears.

If you're looking for the crushing Kittie sound you grew to love from previous albums, you'll find that on "Flower Of Flesh & Blood", "This Too Shall Pass", "Last Goodbye" & "Witch Hunt"..just to name a few. If you're looking for the softer side (if you can even call it soft, hah) you'll find it on the first half of the album. This album truly has a little bit of something for everyone. After all the detours this band has had to endure, hardships, lineup changes, a horrible label, I think it's brought out the best in Kittie, with their best and most technical material to date. This band has earned their right to greatness, and deserve nothing but the best. PERIOD.

2 out of 5 stars

Musically Mindblowing, Vocally Sickening... February 23, 2007
4 out of 12 found this review helpful

2 1/2 stars actually...

Morgan's demons are dying, and that ain't a good thing. Is she far less angry or just trying to be Amy Lee?

I've been a Kittie fan since "Spit". Morgan, Mercedes, and the revolving door of guitarists/bassists have always been in my top 15 favorite bands. The hard-edge riffs, slamming blast-beat drumming, and enraged fanged ferocity of Morgan's devilish vocals of "Oracle" were insanely entertaining and left me drooling for more. I could hardly wait for the next release. Then came "Until The End" and the beginning of something of a change in the vocals. Morgan was far less aggressive and her screeching, demonic growl began to change into something more of a Mickey Mouse cartoon. Very off key, high pitched singing and noticeably less growl. The Kittie of old was beginning to morph into something new. Something I found myself not digging.

I wrote off "Until The End" and heard that a new disc was coming that would be "blackest black times infinity" or whatever the exact quote from Morgan was. I bought "Funeral For Yesterday" the first day it came out and jammed it up right away. After the first listen I can easily say this is Kittie at their musical peak. Every song hits hard and delivers the type of brutality we've all come to expect from the name. But Morgan..........these vocals are horrible! I know how talented you are, but these vocals are terrible! You sound like a dying cat! You sound like you're trying to be Amy Lee and make Kittie sound like Evanescence.

There are a couple songs on the disc that give us "old school Kittie fans" (I can't believe I'm already saying that about this band) the vocal fury we desire but in short-lived flashes before Morgan drowns us again in off-key whaling that never seems to go away. I don't understand why she felt the need to change. Just doesn't make sense.

If you're a fan of metal and don't pay much attention to the vocals then this is your CD. You'll be thrilled by the attack on the senses that this one masterfully delivers. But if you've been a Kittie fan for years and prefer the first two (darker) albums where Morgan haunts you from the bowels of hell, you'll definitely want to sample this one first.

I'm so disappointed...but still very proud of the musical effort.

5 out of 5 stars

The Progression Never Ends! February 25, 2007
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

After ten years, many line ups and three full length albums, Kittie claims their place back in the Metal community with Funeral For Yesterday. Now combining their trade mark agressive thrash metal sound with utter harmony and melody. This in fact one of Kittie's most accomplished and technical albums to date.

The album starts with their first single, Funeral For Yesterday which shows the progression from their last endeavor Until The End. For a few tracks we have clean vocals which is departure from past albums until we get to Slow Motion. Slow Motion shows advance haromonies between the clean and agressive vox. Half way through the album we get a glimpse of some old school Kittie which is reminiscent of Oracle in the song, Never Again. With advance drumming, scathing vocals that we all have come to love and one siq solo we are reminded that Kittie has not lost their edge. Flowers of Flesh and Blood in my opinion is Morgan Lander's best lyrical effort which is complemented by fast guitars and Morgan's signature growl. I don't think any song will prove the nay sayers more wrong then Witch Hunt. Witch Hunt has Tara McLeod's lead guitar sweeping beautifully over the verses and Trish Doan's advance bass techniques show that this is Kittie's best line up by far! Finally we have the last track The Change which ends the album beautifully on a bluesy note.

With all said and done Kittie can hold their heads up high. Not only have they matured with every release but it seems that they have found themselves among the top. Even elitist Metal heads can find somthing to love here!

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