A sophomore outing is always a big step in any successful bands career, but for a band like Kittie who've come under much fire from the media and even their peers regarding the legitimacy of their talent, not to mention the departure of guitarist Fallon Bowman, this follow-up album definitely has a lot to prove and live up to. As such, what we are presented with here is a reinvention of the band who have now abandoned their fairly standard new metal direction for a punishing array of brutal metalcore, complete with a healthy helping of black/death metal trimmings. Searing vocals, unrelenting double kick and chunky riffs are what are served up here by the truckload, making the latest incarnation of Kittie sound like Walls Of Jericho weened on a steady diet of Slayer and Cradle Of Filth, rather than the Korn-ish feel they steeped themselves in on their last outing, "Spit".

Band frontwoman Morgan Lander delivers an exceptional performance, ripe with conviction as she unleashes bark after bark of screeching guttural intensity, only occasionally rounding things out with some sullen croons and sultry moans. The guitar work as such has also taken a definite step into the realms of death metal and metalcore, slamming out corrosive riffs that squeal and shred with a surprisingly technical flair, adding a musical maturity to the band that was not present in the past. Meanwhile, the basslines seem quite complacent this time out, preferring to work closely with the guitar, adding chugging rhythms that strengthen the sonic attack while a vicious drumming performance that pulverizes with continual double kick and off timed rolls punctuates the songs in a generally bruising manner.

Its quite impressive to see such a bold direction being taken as the material contained on "Oracle" is nowhere near as commercial as that which made up "Spit". The band sound genuinely pissed off and are more than able to pound out menacing assaults of caustic metal fury in well regimented doses, sounding well beyond their young years in terms of both influence and ability. However, though the music is definitely up to par, it seems as though the band were more intent on making things as heavy as possible rather than being innovative and injecting creativity into the tracks overall. As a result, the songs tend to drag on a bit and it can tend to feel like the only change of pace is when band frontwoman Morgan unleashes a emotive howl as the band slow it down with some more atmospheric styled playing. Not to say that this is necessarily a bad quality, but overall sans a few choice tracks, "Oracle" finds Kittie sounding like a more precise and refined version of Walls Of Jericho, with little else new being brought to the table. If you're a fan of darker metalcore or want to hear perhaps one of the heaviest records done by an all female group (recorded as a three piece) done to date, then look no further. But if you're expecting a dynamic full on assault, you may be left hoping that they have something a bit more colorful in store for the future.