# Oracle (Kittie album)

Oracle is the second studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Kittie, released on November 12, 2001, by Artemis Records. The band recorded the album as a three-piece following the departure of co-founding guitarist and vocalist Fallon Bowman, whom was replaced by touring guitarist Jeff Phillips, at EMAC Recording Studios with producer Garth Richardson between July and August 2001. Categorized as death metal, nu metal, thrash metal and black metal, Oracle has been described as an angrier, more aggressive and extreme album than Kittie's debut album Spit (1999). It was Kittie's only album with bassist Talena Atfield, who left the band four months after its release.
Upon release, Oracle received mixed reviews from critics, whom acknowledged Kittie's musical growth but were divided on the quality of the album's songwriting. Retrospective reviews have been more favourable. The album debuted at number 57 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 33,000 copies in its opening week, and also made appearances on the German and UK Albums Charts. By 2004, it had sold 220,000 copies in the United States. Kittie embarked on an international tour in support of Oracle that ran from August 2001 to February 2003; the band committed to extended touring as they felt it had not been publicized enough.

## Background and recording

In November 1999, Kittie released their debut album Spit, through Ng Records. Shortly after the album's release, Ng was acquired by Artemis Records, who gave the album a wider release on January 11, 2000. The album was a commercial success, becoming certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In between tours in support of the album, Kittie wrote two new songs; "Pain", whose main riff they had composed during soundchecks at Ozzfest, and "Mouthful of Poison". On October 31, 2000, Kittie debuted "Pain" live in San Antonio, Texas. The band played the song and "Mouthful of Poison" whilst performing on the SnoCore Rock tour in January and February 2001. In an January 2001 interview with NME, guitarist and vocalist Morgan Lander said that Kittie's next album would be more aggressive than their debut. In an interview with The GW Hatchet the following month, she highlighted the fact Kittie "haven't written [new material] in 4 or 5 years" and acknowledged a change in influence from the band's early days, stating: "Then we listened to bands like Nirvana, Silverchair, and Alice in Chains. Now we listen to stuff like Cannibal Corpse and Nile." Following the SnoCore tour's conclusion on February 17, 2001, Kittie began working on new material in the basement of Morgan and drummer Mercedes Lander's parents' house in London, Ontario. By March 2001, they had written five or six songs. Kittie wrote the music together whilst Morgan wrote its lyrics. As with Spit, they wrote the music first, as a "backdrop" to Morgan's vocals.
According to bassist Talena Atfield, Kittie were given three months to write and record Oracle, but it ultimately took them five. The band quickly became stressed and frustrated by trying to write new material immediately after coming off the road, leading them to take a month-long break before trying again. Mercedes said she found writing to be particularly hard as she had not "come into to [her] own for writing songs" at the time. Writing was finished by June 2001. According to Mercedes, the album's songs were completed in pre-production and were not changed during recording. Weeks before recording was due to begin, co-founding member and guitarist Fallon Bowman left Kittie, due to creative differences with Morgan and her own struggles dealing with the band's newfound pressures. On July 1, 2001, Kittie played their first show with guitarist Jeff Phillips, the band's guitar tech, in Alberquerque, New Mexico. Phillips was not identified until Artemis Records released a statement on August 9, 2001, confirming that Kittie would be continuing as a three-piece with him filling in as a touring guitarist; Bowman was not named in the statement.
Kittie recorded Oracle at EMAC Recording Studios in London, Ontario with producer Garth Richardson, whom they had both used for Spit, between July 21 and August 14, 2001. As a result of Bowman's departure, Morgan recorded all of Oracle's guitar parts herself. Richardson said that recording the album was easier than its writing process due to Morgan and Mercedes "knowing what they wanted to do". In a 2001 interview with Guitar World, Morgan said that the band aimed to make a "straight-ahead metal record. Our attitude was, Don't fuck around; don't play bloops or bleeps." She said the band felt no pressure recording the album as they were confident that its material would surpass Spit. Morgan and Atfield recorded their parts with equipment from their live rigs, respectively using a Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifer (occasionally an Egnater) and a Ampeg B5R amp. The album's mixing process, handled by Randy Staub at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, was completed on August 28, 2001.

## Composition and lyrics

Described as an angrier, more aggressive and extreme album than Spit, Oracle has been categorized as death metal, nu metal, thrash metal and black metal. Kori Golding of Chart Attack described its songs as "pure rage and venom", with Morgan sounding "utterly demonic". The album contains heavy, chopping guitar riffs and percussion, double bass drumming, time signature changes, and screamed, growled and cleanly sung vocals. Drowned in Sound's Ollie Appelby stated that the album is focused on presenting music "as [based on] emotion, as power", instead of instrumentation. In an 2007 interview with the Cleveland Scene, Morgan said that the aim of Oracle was to confirm that Kittie "weren't what a lot of critics wrote us off as, [and] that we were a real metal band". In a 2024 interview with Metal Hammer, Mercedes described the album as "the complete antithesis of Spit " and Kittie's attempt to make "the heaviest record we could." As she had on Spit, Morgan based Oracle's lyrics off of her personal experiences, albeit from a broader, less localized perspective. In an 2001 interview with Rock Sound, she said Kittie's songs were about "human relations, interaction, and learning from your mistakes". Nick Catucci of Spin felt the album's lyrics were more introspective than confrontational, whilst Dave Ebner of The Globe and Mail highlighted their ambiguous nature. The lyrics do not feature any swearing, something Morgan said was unintentional but considered representative of her improved self-articulation.
Oracle's two-minute long title track is characterized by its "churning guitars, pounding drums" and Morgan's hard-to-discern screamed vocals, the latter which Golding and Rolling Stone's Tom Moon credited with establishing the album's tone. "Mouthful of Poison" features speed metal guitar riffs and a "big '70s-style outro [that] gives it an epic, arty feel", according to Chart Attack's Liisa Ladouceur. Morgan said that the song is about people who spread false rumours and assumptions about Kittie and others to bring them down. Described as a "big pop move" by Sean Richardson of The Boston Phoenix, "In Winter" is an alternative rock and gothic metal song that sees Morgan alternate between singing and screaming, with her growling providing a counterpoint to its opening melody. "Severed", which Bradley Torreano of AllMusic described as "Pantera-esque", is about "feeling hopelessness and abandonment". Kittie began covering Pink Floyd's "Run Like Hell" at their shows after the band were asked to contribute to a Pink Floyd tribute album—which was ultimately scrapped—in February 2000. The band included the cover on Oracle as they felt the album lacked enough material. Highlighting its "drilling" double bass drumming and "coal-burning" guitarwork, Catucci described Kittie's cover as a "metamorphoses" akin to Tori Amos' cover of Eminem's "97' Bonnie & Clyde". Conversely, Graham Finney of Rock Sound remarked it was nothing other than a Kittie song due to its "gritty nu-metal twist". The song ends with an "unscripted guitar freakout". "Pain" is about "the state of being in pain", reflecting the stresses of Kittie's touring. Ladouceur described it as a "full-throttle, go-for-the-kill-track".
The lyrics of "What I Always Wanted" reflect the pressures Kittie faced from the music industry whilst working on material for Oracle. In an interview with SOCAN's Words & Music, Morgan said that "Safe" is about having hope and patience in order to achieve one's dreams. Torreano described the song as a "piano metal dirge". Mercedes said the song came about from Morgan "diddling around on the computer one day", likening it to Kittie's earlier song "Immortal". Morgan said it was her favourite track from Oracle, feeling it proved Kittie were "capable of doing so many different things". "No Name" features "rolling drums and chugging guitars" and was compared to Machine Head circa Burn My Eyes. Morgan completed the song at the last minute before her final vocal recording session for Oracle, and as such, it did not receive a title. The album ends with the "ballad-like", ten minute-long closer "Pink Lemonade", whose length led to comparisons with the Slipknot songs "Scissors" and "Iowa". According to Mercedes, Morgan wanted to show how "some things even if they look pretty and inviting sometimes have a darker ugly side to them."

## Title and artwork

Morgan said that Oracle's title was intended to represent how it was Kittie's "coming-into-our-own album", stating: "An oracle speaks of truth, and sort of foresees the future. [...] We've found our own sound, and it's our truth." Morgan came up with and designed the artwork concept, which shows an x-ray of a mason jar in a stomach, after reading an article about "people swallowing weird things" in Discover magazine. Similar images displaying "x-ray images of self-mutilation" are found inside the album's liner notes, according to the Sandra Sperounes of the Edmonton Journal.

## Release and promotion

On August 21, 2001, eight songs from Oracle were previewed at a private listening session at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver. During the weekend of August 25–26, 2001, Kittie performed at the Beast Fest in Japan, after which they played a few shows in Europe and Australia, and North America. On September 7, 2001, "What I Always Wanted" was made available as a free download on the band's website. The song was serviced to radio stations as the lead single from Oracle on October 9, 2001. Thomas Mignone directed its music video, which "concerns the self-destructive consequences of greed". The single peaked at number 36 on Billboard's Active Rock chart, whilst the video received heavy airplay on the MTV, MTV2, MTVX and MuchMusic channels. Artemis Records shipped 400,000 copies of Oracle to stores prior to its release, and promoted the album through independent retailers and magazines including Bust, ROCKRGRL, Metal Edge, Rolling Stone and Spin. According to Artemis employee Michael Krumper, the label targeted MTV2 and heavy metal magazines instead of fashion and teen magazines as the "true metal fan [wasn't] going to look for [Kittie] there". Following manufacturing delays due to the September 11 attacks, Oracle was released in Europe on November 12, 2001, and in the United States the day after. The album debuted and peaked at number 57 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 33,000 copies in its first week, and remained on the chart for five weeks. The album also reached number 91 on the German Offizielle Top 100 Albums chart, and number 121 on the UK Albums Chart. By July 2004, Oracle had sold 220,000 copies in the United States.
Kittie embarked on an international tour in support of Oracle, starting with two tours of North America, from October 21 to November 23, 2001, and December 27, 2001, to January 26, 2002. Ill Niño supported the band on both tour legs, with No One and Chimaira providing additional support on the second. On November 24, 2001, Kittie performed at the Harpos Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, where they filmed two live music videos, for "Pain" and "Run Like Hell". The band financed both videos themselves. The "Run Like Hell" video was aired on MTV2's Headbangers Ball. On January 16, 2002, Kittie released "Run Like Hell" as a digital-only single. That same month, Artemis serviced the Live in Hell extended play (EP) to radio stations, featuring the song and three live tracks recorded in Detroit. From February 2 to March 2, 2002, the Kittie toured Europe supported by Shadows Fall. On March 18, 2002, Talena Atfield left the band. Two days later, Kittie recruited Jennifer Arroyo, formerly of the rap metal band Spine, as her replacement. Arroyo and Kittie had first met each other in 2000, when both of their bands played on Farmclub.com.
Arroyo played her debut gig with Kittie in Manchester, New Hampshire on March 29, 2002. From April 7 to April 21, 2002, Kittie embarked on the F.ck Yer Label tour with Skinlab, Flaw and My Ruin. On May 13, 2002, "In Winter" was released as the third and final single from Oracle. Morgan expressed interest in making a video for the song but said it was unlikely due to a lack of support. On May 25, 2002, Kittie performed on the Kerrang! stage of the UK edition of Ozzfest at Donington Park, as part of the first (and only) European Ozzfest tour. In July and August 2002, the band toured with Shadows Fall, Poison the Well, Killswitch Engage and Hotwire. In October and November 2002, the band toured with Ünloco, Acacia and Clockwise. Coinciding with the tour, Kittie released the Safe EP on November 19, 2002, which features five live tracks recorded at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California, on August 12, 2002, and two remixes of "Safe" by Sascha Konietzko of KMFDM. The EP had sold 20,000 copies by November 2003. In January and February 2003, Kittie toured the United States with Brand New Sin and Eighteen Visions. Biohazard were initially involved in the tour, but dropped out after the band's bassist and vocalist Evan Seinfeld was hospitalized due to an unknown illness.
Kittie felt that Oracle had not been properly promoted and advertised by Artemis Records. To make up for what they saw as a lack of publicity and support, Kittie committed to extended touring to "spread the word" about the album. In an Uranium interview conducted around the time of their tour with Shadows Fall and Poison the Well, Morgan said that she felt Oracle had not been heard by enough people due to "due to promotional reasons and record company-related reasons"; Arroyo and Mercedes also claimed that some of Kittie's fans were unaware the band had released another album outside of Spit. In an November 2002 interview with Prick, Morgan said that Kittie were looking to leave their label as the band didn't "want to put out another album that's going to fall on deaf ears".

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Aggregate scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 56/100 |
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Alternative Press | |
| Blender | |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10 |
| Drowned in Sound | 9/10 |
| Kerrang! | |
| NME | 5/10 |
| Q | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Spin | 7/10 |
On review aggregator website Metacritic, Oracle holds a score of 56 out of 100, based on reviews from eight critics, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". Bradley Torreano of AllMusic called it "an average album by a promising band who needs to find a distinct identity". Eden Miller of PopMatters praised the album's musicianship and Morgan Lander's vocals, but felt that "its music relies too much on metal formula". Catherine Yates of Kerrang! said the album was "simply not bad" and described much of it as "a seamless, streamlined execution of pretty unoriginal material" lacking in creative moments. Rolling Stone critic Tom Moon felt Kittie were divided between "[playing] doomsayer or dominatrix" and were unable to mix "melodic hooks" with "ordinary, one-dimensional power-chord catharsis". Ambika Thompson of Now highlighted Kittie's ability to "[mix] the growly with the melodic, vocally and musically" compared to other bands, but ultimately felt the album "sound[s] like one long rant". NME's Imran Ahmed similarly commented that, with the exception of "Safe", the album's "violent marriage of melody and brutality [...] makes for a highly uneasy listen". Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album a one-star "honorable mention", commenting: "when they are good they are horrid".
Ollie Appleby of Drowned in Sound felt that Oracle's instrumentation and vocals allowed it to transcend into "something far more than the sum of it’s parts". Alternative Press saw Kittie as having "[moved] from novelty status to bone-crushing legitimacy". Tommy Udo of Metal Hammer believed the album would silence Kittie's doubters and detractors and said the band displayed greater confidence in their songwriting through their avoidance of Spit's "brat shock tactics". Though considering it to be "sloppy" when compared with Pantera and Slayer, Paul Rogers of the Las Vegas Weekly said that Oracle "shows a marked improvement over Kittie’s previous output" and praised the band for their "authentic malice" and rejection of "commercial pressures". Hit Parader was less enthusiastic, finding it to be less "satisfying" than Spit despite Kittie's "technical and song-structure" improvements. Whilst acknowledging the band had broken away from clichéd and stereotypical writing of Spit, Elmar Salmutter of Ox-Fanzine felt that Kittie's songs had not improved and found their attempts "to sound as evil and nasty as possible" unintentionally humorous. Similarly, Chart Attack's Golding remarked: "you wonder if Kittie are just trying harder to be hard just because they're girls." Ben Mitchell of Blender believed Kittie did not warrant the attention they had gotten from the press and dismissed the album as "entirely dispensible". Referencing the "love/hate relationship" between the band, fans and the press, Graham Finney concluded his review of Oracle for Rock Sound: "The best thing you can say about [it] is that it's a good, 'current' album—[Kittie's] fans will love it and the rest of you will hate it."
Retrospectively, Jon Hadusek of Consequence and Denize Falzon of Exclaim! have described Oracle as representing Kittie's "heyday" alongside Spit, with the latter considering it to be their best "in terms of sound and songwriting". In 2007, Mark Fisher of the Times West Virginian called it "one of the heaviest albums of the last decade" and credited it with establishing the band "as a legitimate force in heavy music". In September 2008, Hit Parader placed Oracle at number 82 on their list of "The Top 100 CDs of the 21st Century". Attributing contemporary criticism of the band to "male chauvinism", Canadian journalist Martin Popoff remarked in The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 4: The '00s (2011) that Kittie were both "heavy as hell" and "advanced" for their time, praising the band's "adventurous" and "proggy" song structures and stating they knew "how to pound out a bottom end that keeps one interested". In 2024, Paul Travers of Metal Hammer ranked it as Kittie's best album, viewing its pivot to extreme metal as "not only a bold move" for the band, but one that "resulted in a stormer of an album that would stand the test of time."

## Track listing

All tracks are written by Kittie, except "Run Like Hell", written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters.

## Personnel

Personnel per liner notes.