Kittie
Eyes Wide Open
In the good times, there were independent record stores. Not an independent chain of stores, literally single-location passion projects entirely run by people who love music. They sold CDs and vinyl (after it stopped being cool and before it started being cool again).
One such independent store sat between Salisbury’s train station and my place of work, which meant I’d drop in often. On one occasion, I dropped in when they were playing ‘Brackish’ from Kittie’s debut album, Spit. Well, the album was purchased and enjoyed, and over a decade or so, they released five more albums with almost as many different lineups.
Early Kittie
The signature elements of the band include dark gnarly riffs, raging angst, and a vocal that hits the swirling depths of black metal (though on the debut it was switched in and out for melodic moments, too, like with ‘Charlotte’ or ‘In Winter’).
Over time, their sound became more full-bodied with thicker guitar tones and more all-round warmth to the tone, with the vocal becoming darker and darker. Now it’s been over a decade since their last album, so what does that mean for ‘Eyes Wide Open’?
Eyes Wide Open
For a moment, the opening riff gave me intense Therapy? vibes, but the vocal quickly transforms the song into a death-metal song. The song pounds out a steady pace, bringing that slower grind to proceedings that nudges it towards the doomy end of the spectrum.
And that doom is well reflected lyrically, with themes of lies and betrayal. ‘Eyes Wide Open’ is when you finally realise the truth.
Our first new material in 13 years, ‘Eyes Wide Open’ is a vision quest for truth. It is a torch lit in the darkness of ignorance to reveal one’s true motives
Morgan Lander
Eyes Wide Open Video
Watch Kittie – ‘Eyes Wide Open’.
Eyes Wide Open Lyrics
Ascend
The mountain
The edge of sanity
My vision is in focus
And my eyes deceive me not
With the heat of a thousand suns
The torch is lit for me
The darkness set ablaze
Wisdom in clarityAnd I unmask the beast
I was blind
But now I seeEyes wide open
Nothing is for free
Eyes wide open
(And now I see)
Eyes wide open
Show your true face to me
I was blind but now I seeI peer behind the looking glass
The truth of what once was has set me free
With the sting of a thousand lies
The words you spoke to me
A beast you cannot tame
We rise above the flamesAnd I unmask the beast
I was blind
But now I seeEyes wide open
Nothing is for free
Eyes wide open
(And now I see)
Eyes wide open
Show your true face to me
I was blind but now I seeSecond sight has set me free
I was blind but now I seeEyes wide open
Nothing is for free
Eyes wide open
(And now I see)
Eyes wide open
Show your true face to me
I was blind but now I seeEyes wide open
Eyes wide open
Eyes wide open
Eyes wide open
Written by Fenton on
