Kittie Online

The SAFE EP was released this day in 2002 (November 19th). I remember buying this online - one of my first ever internet purchases.

One review by Christian Hoard said:

Kittie have gotten better in the last year: This seven-track EP continues their ascent from the dungeon of death metal and into the realm of chic goth rock, complete with piano, electronic grooves and, of course, a healthy dose of sludgy thrash.

"I didn't follow the band after my involvement with them," she said. "I wanted nothing to do with hearing about them or anything. Getting to see what they had to go through after [former bassist] Talena [Atfield] left the band was interesting to me. There were so many things that I had no idea had happened. It was very informative to me as a former member. We kept in contact, but we never really had in-depth conversations about the things they had to deal with and the ups and downs post-'Oracle'. It was very interesting to me on that level, and it was quite shocking at times. I was like, 'Wow! That's crazy!' But I enjoyed it; I laughed my ass off at some parts, and there was the appropriate amount of emotion injected in there. It was very well done."

Behind the drum kit of Kittie since she was only a teenager, Lander has gone on to become an easily distinguished member of the Metal community. Spreading her wings and diving into uncharted waters, Lander now fronts her own band called The White Swan, musically melodic, heavy, and dark. Excited for what the future brings, Lander and The White Swan recently released their new EP The White, with plains of plenty more to come. Recently we caught up with the motivated Lander to talk the early beginnings with Kittie, the possibility of Kittie’s return, the story behind The White Swan, and much more.

CrypticRock.com – You have been involved in Rock and Metal for the better part of two decades, and have built a really respected name in the Metal community with Kittie. Now you have your latest band, The White Swan. What has this incredible ride been like for you?

Mercedes Lander – I feel like I’ve had a pretty interesting life. I don’t think very many people get to experience a lot of things that I got to experience. I feel pretty lucky about that. I’m just some girl from a smaller town in Ontario. I didn’t expect this to happen, but it’s pretty exciting that it did. I feel like I got to experience a lot of really cool things and have had a lot of fun on the way.

CrypticRock.com – Sometimes life takes you in unexpected directions. You began Kittie when you were very young, and the band built a really strong name from the 2000 debut up through each album. Each album broke the Billboard 200, that is really impressive. How would you describe that journey?

Mercedes Lander – Crazy! I was only 15 years old at the time. It was definitely, first, a culture shock going into a couple different countries and getting to experience that whole side of things. At the same time, our schedules were jammed pack. I don’t know very many 15 year olds that have a job like that where you work your butt off 24 hours a day basically. It was a lot, it was a lot to deal with, it was really overwhelming. It takes a different kind of person to be able to do that, experience that, and be able to come out on the other end of that okay.