It was fitting that Kittie took the stage in what vocalist-guitarist Morgan Lander called "the heavy metal capital of our country" for their first Canadian performance of 2024. The love and appreciation of aggressive music in la belle province runs deep, and the crowd that packed Quebec City's Parc de la Francophonie for an evening of heavy music welcomed the London, ON-formed four-piece enthusiastically. Killswitch Engage vocalist Jesse Leach, whose band performed afterward, twice asked the crowd to make some noise for the quartet, excitedly declaring, "They came back!"
Turning up the heat in Quebec City with seventh album Fire in tow — their first in 13 years — Kittie's set celebrated both their triumphant return and the material that made them, leaving little room to breathe between songs in their heavy metal onslaught. Dusting off selections that hadn't been heard live in a decade, the evening highlighted accomplishments beyond their nu metal beginnings; the progressive structure of "What I Always Wanted," the hypnotic grooves of "In Winter," the turbulent doom of "Sorrow I Know" and the rekindled, white-hot spirit burning at the heart of Fire cuts like "Vultures" and "One Foot in the Grave."
Opening with the title track of their latest, Lander made her musical demands look effortless, shifting between her dulcet clean singing and scraping howls at a moment's notice while keeping a steady hand for her chugging rhythm guitar. Lead axewoman Tara McLeod, meanwhile, shredded her gold top Les Paul in ways few others handling the iconic instrument have, cleanly sweeping up and down her higher frets in a furious moment of soloing on "I've Failed You."
Drummer and younger sister Mercedes Lander, whose fiery fills and thunderous kick drum were a powerful presence all evening, lent an assist with guttural growls of her own. Forming an imposing rhythm section with bassist Ivy Jenkins, the duo's synergy was undeniable in grinding out the stuttering pulse undergirding "Severed" and in powering debut album favourite "Brackish," bringing the set to a monumental close.
By the end of their hour onstage, it was clear to everyone in attendance that Kittie weren't only back, but better than ever; all four members assured and uncompromising in their visceral vision.