The Great Kat-Worship me or die

Metal Mind re-issue
2007



We all have things we did when we were younger that seemed cool at the time, but later on we may look back and wonder, “What was I thinking?” I remember buying the hype surrounding the Great Kat’s debut and a lot of that was some garbage about her being the fastest guitarist around. Perhaps worse than buying the hype was that I bought the album and played it numerous times for a few months around late 1987 and early 1988. I even joined the Great Kat fan club and again “what the hell was I thinking?” I think it cost $1.00 or so and I got a button, an autographed picture of her and maybe a short newsletter. I still have the button, which is a big generic looking black and white deal that states, “Kat says worship me or die”. Oh, wait there is music of a sort here that I should probably address at some point. You know how Stormtroopers of death did “Speak English or die”? It was a bunch of very short songs that were also fast, heavy, simple and funny. Yes, the Great Kat is like that except remove heavy and funny and replace them with out of tune and dreadfully annoying. Her voice alternates between shrill and a grating dry scream, but neither is very appealing or effective. However, if she’s the fastest guitarist alive then it’s the music that really matters. Yes, its crap too as it varies between scattered noodling to something that sounds like someone throwing a plugged in guitar into a bunch of empty trash cans. I remember liking this because I thought it was so fast at the time yet now it doesn’t seem that fast at all. It’s also rather hollow with very little heaviness and for some reason that fact didn’t occur to me twenty years ago. The songs are mercifully short though so that’s a plus. Okay, some people may say it’s a joke album or a novelty act and it shouldn’t be taken so seriously. However, even as a joke act it would need to be funny or have some redeeming characteristic that makes it worthwhile. Unfortunately the Great Kat isn’t funny in a clever way or even in a silly way so the humor aspect doesn’t help this clunker much. All in all The Great Kat CD is one of those skeletons that should remain in the closet or at least keep it away from the stereo.