An unorthodox heavy metal singer/guitarist specializing in thrash versions of classical pieces,
the Great Kat
was a cult figure of the 1980s and early '90s whose mission seemed to be converting headbangers to classical music.
Kat
-- who really was classically trained at the prestigous Julliard School of Music -- took herself much too seriously and managed to alienate a good bit of the metal world with her frequent condemnations of bands like
Slayer
,
Testament
and
Metallica
. But while
Kat's
abrasiveness and exaggerated sense of self-importance didn't help her career,
Beethoven on Speed
and its predecessor
Worship Me or Die
proved quite entertaining. Forceful, aggressive and obnoxious as well as amusing, the snarling
speed-metal interpretations of
Beethoven's
music are nothing if not original. ~ Alex Henderson