This cat doesn't purr; it growls

Naturally, metal's primal energy attracts a young, angst-filled male audience, creating young, male, head-banging musicians as a byproduct. Raw energy and aggression fill heavy-metal music, making it a great outlet for expressing angst and frustration.

Youth and rock music go hand-in-hand, and the current youth movement within rock 'n' roll is obvious. Silverchair helped usher the movement along in the early '90s. Today, youth-driven rockers Linkin Park and Sum 41 follow that same formula and are now bona fide rock stars.

Kittie is a part of that new breed of rockers leading the charge of youth-driven rock (the oldest member of the band is 20). Its music gives a classy, feminine touch to the traditional metal staples, proving that metal isn't just made for people with penises.

The band hails from London, Ontario, and consists of three members: Morgan Lander, vocals and guitar; her sister Mercedes Lander on drums; and bass player Jennifer J. Arroyo. Kittie released its first full-length album, Spit, in 1999, an earsplitting metal debut filled with screeching guitars and booming drum beats.

While the band has won various accolades, the trials and tribulations of rock-star life have not eluded the girls. Arroyo is the band's third bass player in two years, making it the Destiny's Child of metal.

The group's time on the Ozzfest tour was key to its sucess. "It was like heavy-metal summer camp," said Morgan. "One night we'd be hanging out with Phil (Anselmo, lead singer of Pantera), and the next night Godsmack would be having a barbecue in some motel parking lot where we'd be staying."

Its latest effort, Oracle, is a loud, heavy and intense metal manifesto. Every element of metal stands out, from power guitar riffs, machine-gunning kick drums, fast bass chords and a seemingly mad-as-hell singer.

Morgan's vocals are the perfect hybrid of Phil Anselmo and Shirley Manson, hence Kittie's unique sound. Her voice goes from melodic to maniacal at the flip of a switch. Either a long, screeching guitar bridge or an intensely fast drumbeat triggers her growling vocals. Oracle is a great addition to any metal fan's music collection.

The heavy, dark guitars and Mercedes' in-your-face drumbeats playing alongside Morgan's alto banshee screams set the tone for the album on the title track. The single "What I Always Wanted" not only showcases the band's musical talent with its instruments, but also gives a good sampling of Morgan's vocal range. The chorus, with her sorrowfully singing, "What I always wanted," overlaps with her aggressive screams.

"We just want to keep our integrity. As long as we keep true to what we're doing we'll keep going on strong...Trends will come and go but there will always be fans of metal," said Mercedes.

"Right now, especially with the mainstream, metal is in a rut. There isn't much more of a direction that it can go in. Hopefully, we can try to bring it out of that."

Kittie is performing at Graceland Aug. 18.