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Audiofile Kittie Spit NG/Artemis Records This abrasive group of teenage girls from Canada could well be the bastard love child of Slipknot and Hole--and, man, are they pissed. Kittie delivers fierce thrash-metal full of furious, choking vocals and a rage so vicious it's just barely contained by the music. Spit is an angry, fragmented, disjointed affair with pummeling percussion, crunching guitars and snarls that alternate between growling and hissing. From the heated hostility of "Suck" to the suspenseful intensity of "Trippin' " to the tormented aggression in "Do You Think I'm a Whore," this decidedly untamed album surges between barbed-wire screams and biting melodies. With their glam-goth, metal-glitter image and assaulting attitude, these girls positively kick ass. It's nice to see the metal boys finally getting a little competition. (Sarah Quelland) Aqua Aquarius MCA Even the most avid haters of Euro-pop couldn't escape Aqua's "Barbie Girl," a sugary dance hit. This Scandinavian sensation's debut, Aquarium, sold more than 14 million copies, and its latest effort should see similar results. On Aquarius, the band dabbles in various genres, giving "Freaky Friday" a techno-country twang and "Cuba Libre" a tropical Latin sizzle. While the tinkly "We Belong to the Sea" comes off like a sparkling pop shower, the power ballad "Aquarius" takes a more serious, orchestral approach and finds vocalist Lene Grawford Nystrøm abandoning her usual helium squeak. Without missing a beat, Aqua incorporates the Friday the 13th "killkillkill" chills into its Scream-inspired "Halloween." But the real gem is "Bumble Bees," a sticky song about the dating game that starts off, "I know I'm not the only flower you see/But what can I do, you are a good-looking bee/Wham bam, thank you, ma'am." Strangely enough, the band's frivolous bounce and cartoony appeal are as addictive as newly spun cotton candy. (SQ) [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]