THE GREAT KAT “Guitar Goddess” /MCD/

The third EP by legendary American Speed/Thrash Metal/Shred guitarist and singer.
The Great Kat is guitar virtuoso and Neoclassical Metal reject extraordinaire.
"Classical music is dead!" proclaims the latest "self-anointed genius" of the next musical era. It might seem like an unlikely combination, but she brings these facets of Classic and Metal music together into a ferocious blitz of dense sound released to the public in small doses. And she actually kinda gets this one right!
What sets these pieces apart from ordinary Heavy Metal, however, is the fact that they are not approximations of the original pieces. They are recordings of the actual music transcribed and re-arranged. The Great Kat had to study the original scores and carefully consider how to distribute the notes to her ensemble. Unlike that of her anarchist Heavy Metal peers, her treatment of the music is clever and , in fact, very Classical.
The Great Kat’s own songs (there are two on this CD) are not as well conceived. Her lyrics border on the ridiculous, spewing violence, blood and sado-masochism. Her vocals are snarled, screamed and whooped, and her guitar tracks are so thick that it is hard to hear anything else over them. The brevity of her songs is part of a cyber-based philosophy that the human attention span is diminishing. It also could be that beyond sensationalism she has little to say.
The Great Kat is an unfortunate hostage of her unabashed self-promotion and hype. "The world’s fastest guitarist", "genius personality", "the High Priestess of Guitar Shred", and "systematically changing the face of classical music", shout her press releases. The reality of the Great Kat’s music is far less outrageous. In the early 1980s, The New York Times reviewed her debut recital while she was still Kathy Thomas -- a violin student at the Juilliard School. The reviewer, after praising her strong technique and ideas, mentioned her "overstated" performance of the Carmen Fantasy. On this new CD, she overstates this same piece, only now in a different milieu.
Still, The Great Kat has created an unmistakable sound, and her intimidating personality reaches for the jugular of any concert-goer or listener. This CD, although short, is a valid musical statement from one of the stranger characters on the Heavy ,etal scene. It would be to her musical advantage if she calmed down her own hype. But as one of the very few women in Heavy Metal, maybe she has to make the most noise in order to be noticed.
TPR Music, 1998/2011. Made in the USA.


Tracklist:
1. Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" For Violin, Chamber Orchestra & Band 2:12
2. Torture Chamber 2:28
3. Blood 0:39
4. Sarasate's "Carmen Fantasy'" For Violin & Band 2:04
Total playing time: 7:22 min.

The fifth EP by legendary American Speed/Thrash Metal/Shred guitarist and singer.
Juilliard Graduate violin/guitar virtuoso shredder/creator of "Shred/Classical" music confronts the terrorists after 9/11 with the revolutionary CD "Wagner's War". "The song "War" was written out of severe rage and the song "Terror" was written in horror out of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and my city - New York City!", – declares the Great Kat. Listen to this shocking CD and hear for yourselves!
The Great Kat was a short-lived phenomenon in the late 80s, when her albums "Worship Me Or Die" and "Beethoven On Speed" initiated a counter-revolution all by herself, impossibly fast music played by a delicate woman, not much taller than five feet, but containing more energy than whole legions of long-haired male Metal bands. The Great Kat was so far ahead of her time that her former label didn't do more music with her.
Back in the present: The Great Kat is still alive. These days, she is releasing short CD-EPs, with songs rarely longer than 2 minutes, through TPR Music – her sister's public relations company. And one thing is for sure: The Great Kat still knows how to sell herself!
Where in her early days, we had to do with satanic clichés, the 9/11 events have made her a fierce warrior queen against terrorism. Dressed in camouflage clothes and looking scarier than a whole squadron of navy seals, The Great Kat starts her album with Wagner's "The Ride Of The Valkyries", a fitting opening for such a violent album. She still knows how to blend perfectly hyperspeed Metal with Classical music, adding her virtuosity with the fastest guitar solos you might ever hear. And by the way, The Great Kat has been voted among the ten fastest guitar shredders by Guitar One Magazine.
Next up are four original compositions, displaying the typical The Great Kat sound: Speed Metal so fast that even early Napalm Death seem lame in comparison, with wailing banshee vocals that scare the hell out, and whenever you think that this is all getting out of control, you are rewarded with one of the mistress's staccato solos that are so out of this world.
The two last tracks are again Classical pieces, the first one being Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody #2", with impossible fast guitars and without a doubt the highlight of the album. On the last track, Sarasate's "Zapateado", The Great Kat gets out her violin and proves that she is a Juilliard graduate for a good reason. The Classical pieces are backed by a midi Symphonic orchestra, but as the emphasis is on guitar and violin, you don't even really notice.
Since the late 80s, instrumental (or nearly instrumental) guitar albums have been quite popular mostly with musicians, but rather inaccessible to casual listener. The Great Kat outperforms not most, but all of the competition, by not only being faster, but also much fiercer than anyone you can think of. As much as we enjoy the combination of Extreme Metal (which may seem parodist at times), BDSM imagery and an ego bigger than Jesus, we also can see that there is incredible virtuosity in a musician that makes it easier to write whole pages about 10 minutes of sheer originality than to even wonder what to write about hour long albums of boring mediocrity. The Great Kat may only release 10 minutes of music every other year, but these short moments are well worth the wait!
TPR Music, 2002. Made in the USA.


Tracklist:
Act I: War
1. Wagner’s “The Ride Of The Valkyries” (from the Opera “Die Walkürie) for Symphony Orchestra, Band & Opera Singers 1:34
2. War 1:24
3. Terror 1:22
Act II: Revenge
4. Punishment 1:28
5. Humiliation 1:07
Act III: Victory
6. Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody #2" for Symphony Orchestra & Band 2:11
7. Sarasate's "Zapateado" for Violin, Piano & Band 1:58
Total playing time: 11:06 min.

The eighth EP by legendary American Speed/Thrash Metal/Shred guitarist.
This seven-song EP is a collection of Classical pieces by composers like Rossini and Beethoven, which are arranged and performed in a high-speed Metal style, including "Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony No. 6", "Rossini's William Tell Overture" (also known as the "Lone Ranger" theme), and "Paganini's Caprice No. 24".
The EP showcases The Great Kat's signature style, which includes blistering guitar and violin playing and combines Classical compositions with Thrash Metal. 
Self-released, 2021. Made in the USA.


Tracklist:
1. Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony No. 6 1:34
2. Beethoven's Bolero Mosh 1:29
3. Rossini's William Tell Overture 1:54
4. Czardas Gypsy Violin 1:16
5. Beethoven's Eroica Symphony No. 3 1:08
6. Beethoven's Fur Elise For Guitar Violin And Piano 1:10
7. Paganini's Caprice No. 24 1:29
Total playing time: 10:00 min.

The thirty-first Single by legendary American Speed/Thrash Metal/Shred guitarist.
The Great Kat is the stage name of Katherine Thomas (born 1966), an English-born, Long Island, NY raised musician, best known for her Thrash Metal interpretations of well-known pieces of Classical music.
Thomas is in fact a classically-trained violinist, graduating from the Juilliard School and touring for a time playing conventional Classical music before crossing over to Metal.
Kat's public persona, as portrayed in her publicity photos and videos, is mainly that of a dominatrix, albeit in a somewhat over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek manner.
Self-released, 2020. Made in the USA.


Tracklist:
1. Chef Great Kat's 4-Course Mashup 07:50
Total playing time: 07:50 min.

The thirteenth EP by legendary American Speed/Thrash Metal/Shred guitarist and singer.
The 7-song EP features shredding guitar and violin interpretations of Classical composers like Wagner and Chopin, along with original compositions. Fusion of Classical music and Thrash Metal, with tracks like "Wagner's The Ride Of The Valkyries" and "Chopin's Funeral March" transformed into high-speed Shred anthems.
The EP title itself combines the words "shred" and "terrific" and includes a track titled "Shredderrific", which is described as a guitar shred masterpiece.
The EP features the artist's signature style of taking Classical pieces and reinterpreting them at extremely fast tempos with Heavy Metal instrumentation.
Self-released, 2021. Made in the USA.


Tracklist:
1. Goddess 01:48
2. Chopin’s Funeral March 02:45
3. Wagner’s the Ride of the Valkyries 01:34
4. Goddess Shreds Live in Chicago 01:46
5. Chopin’s Marche funèbre for Guitar and Piano 02:20
6. Shredderrific 01:05
7. Brindisi Waltz the Drinking Song 01:29
Total playing time: 12:47 min.

The sixteenth EP by legendary American Speed/Thrash Metal/Shred guitarist and singer.
A thrilling fusion of Classical and Metal genres! Renowned for her virtuosic speed and fiery performances, the Great Kat reimagines Bach and other Baroque masterpieces with electrifying guitar riffs.
On this EP, The Great Kat features her trademark brutal Metal moshing, blistering Shred guitar whammy bars, Classical violin virtuosity, wailing Shred screams and lightning speed runs.
The Great Kat, Juilliard grad violin virtuoso and "Top 10 Fastest Shredders Of All Time" (Guitar One Mag) dominates Wagner, Chopin, Alard and all Metal and Classical with intensity, virtuosity, speed, and power all in one masterpiece.
This EP features meticulously selected tracks that showcase her technical prowess and unique interpretation, blending the elegance of Classical music with the intensity of Metal. Perfect for enthusiasts of both genres, this CD offers a captivating listening experience that highlights the extraordinary talents of one of the most innovative musicians in the industry.
You thought that The Great Kat's "Beethoven On Speed" was a Shred masterpiece? Just hear this brilliance, and you'll be declaring "The Great Kat is Shredderrific!"
Self-released, 2022. Made in the USA.


Tracklist:
1. Bach's Jesu Joy Mosh 01:17
2. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto no. 3 02:40
3. Bach's Toccata and Fugue: Terror 01:22
4. Bach's Air on the G String 01:42
5. Bach's the Art of the Fugue 01:03
6. Bach's Jesu Joy for Classical Violin 02:17
7. Shredacious 01:18
Total playing time: 11:39 min.

The twentieth EP by legendary American Speed/Thrash Metal/Shred violinist/guitarist.
The New York-based Shred Guitar Goddess has been busy celebrating the 250th birthday of the great German music composer Ludwig van Beethoven. As usual, she does it in her own inimitably virtuosic fashion.
She’s been incredibly active and prolific in her continuous salutation of this man and his compositions. Any fan/Kat slave knows, her observance of his works actually began 30 years ago with her second full-length studio album, 1990s "Beethoven On Speed".
Now, the shred demon, The Great Kat, unleashes high-speed shred guitar and violin insanity on the blistering EP "Ludwig Van Shred".
Self-released, 2022. Made in the USA.


Tracklist:
1. Beethoven’s Leonore/Fidelio Overture 01:14
2. Beethoven’s Moonlight Mosh 02:05
3. Beethoven/Chopin/Wagner’s Twilight of the Gods 01:00
4. Beethoven Mosh 2 01:45
5. Sex & Violins: Beethoven's Für Elise 22nd Century 01:08
6. Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony 01:33
7. Beethoven’s Bolero Mosh 01:28
8. Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony 01:08
9. Beethoven’s Leonore/Fidelio Overture Classical Violin 01:16
10. Shredthoven 01:07
Total playing time: 13:44 min.

The twenty-second EP by legendary American Speed/Thrash Metal/Shred violinist/guitarist.
On this 8-song EP, The Great Kat shredding Mozart's overtures with special guests appearance in one track: Beethoven, Paganini and Rimsky-Korsakov. The Great Kat shreds Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at insane speeds on both guitar and violin and proves why she is the only Classical music maniac since Mozart himself!
The Goddess Of Metal shreds Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" and "The Marriage Of Figaro Overture" on Shred Metal guitar and then on Classical violin. Chef Great Kat whips up a little dessert, baking Amadeus' favourite German apple strudel. The Great Kat's stunning "Mozart Mashup" with both Classical and Metal versions mashed up at Mozartian levels of genius will leave you floored. Mozart's protégé, Ludwig van Beethoven, even makes a special guest appearance, along with Paganini and Rimsky-Korsakov.
The Great Kat is known as the Goddess of Metal and shreds at lightning speed on both guitar & violin with entertainment and excitement. Goddess Great Kat dominates the Greatest Hits of Mozart with this new masterpiece album. If you thought that The Great Kat's "Beethoven On Speed" was a brilliant Shredadeus creation, you haven't heard anything yet until you'll hear this brilliant album!
Self-released, 2022. Made in the USA.


Tracklist:
1. Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik 01:04
2. Mozart’s the Marriage of Figaro Overture 02:09
3. Mozart Mashup - Let Them Eat Cake! 01:13
4. Chef Great Kat Bakes German Apple Strudel With Mozart 04:44 
5. Mozart/Beethoven/Rimsky-Korsakov/Paganini’s Shredacious 01:18
6. Mozart’s Le Nozze Di Figaro Violin 02:07
7. Shredadeus Amadeus 01:02
8. Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Amadeus Violin 01:04
Total playing time: 14:41 min.

The twenty-seventh EP by legendary American Speed/Thrash Metal/Shred violinist/guitarist.
This 9-song EP from guitar legend features Shred Metal guitar's "God Save The Queen Guitar" and Classical violin's "God Save The King" by The Great Kat. Born on a U.S. Air Force Base Military Hospital in Swindon, England, and New York raised, The Great Kat pays tribute to the Queen and the new King with these stunning masterpieces!
The EP also features a genius "Mozart Mashup". The Great Kat takes you back to the Disco Era with catchy violin/Disco/Dance songs "Pachelbel's Canon Dance", "Ave Maria Disco" & "Ravel's Bolero Hustle" and back to the 11th Century with Pope Gregory on "Gregorian Mosh". The serious "Funeral March" by Chopin and Bach's beautiful "Jesu Joy" complete this stunning new Great Kat album.
The Great Kat shreds brilliantly Mozart, Bach, Ravel, Chopin, Schubert, Pachelbel, Traditional Songs and Gregorian Chants with absolute pizzazz at stunning speeds, total technique and virtuosity, while bringing this genius music to a whole new generation.
You haven't heard anything yet until you'll hear "God Save The Queen! God Save The King!" The Great Kat is the proper English Goddess!
Self-released, 2022. Made in the USA.

Tracklist:
1. God Save The Queen Guitar 01:03
2. Let Them Eat Cake! Mozart Mashup 01:13
3. Pachelbel’s Canon Dance 01:20
4. Gregorian Mosh 01:07
5. Ravel’s Bolero Hustle 01:16
6. Chopin’s Funeral March Piano/Guitar 02:20
7. Ave Maria Disco 01:09
8. Bach’s Jesu Joy 02:17
9. God Save the King 01:01
Total playing time: 12:46 min.

The second mini-album by legendary American Speed/Thrash Metal/Shred violinist/guitarist.
"I was born listening to Beethoven – history’s most powerful Classical composer. After hearing Beethoven’s genius music since birth, I realized that my mission in life was to continue Beethoven’s brilliant legacy and bring his music to the entire world!", - The Great Kat.
Self-released, 2022. Made in the USA.


Tracklist:
1. DJ L.V. Beethoven 01:06
2. Amazing Grace
3. Metalhead Disco
4. Mozart A Go-Go
5. Disco van Beethoven 01:07
6. Bach Boogie
7. Brindisi Strut
8. Pachelbel’s Canon Dance 01:20
9. Beethoven's Lust Tango
10. Strauss’ The Blue Danube Waltz 01:25
11. Ave Maria Disco 01:09
12. Schubert Shuffle 01:05
13. Chopin's Minute Waltz 01:00
14. Ravel’s Bolero Hustle 01:16
15. Do the Can-Can! 01:03
Total playing time: 17:20 min.