The Great Kat

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The Great Kat is the stage name of Katherine Thomas, an English-born, Long Island NY raised, musician best known for her thrash metal interpretations of well-known pieces of classical music. Most feature her using the electric guitar, but some have her on violin. 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.

According to her website, Guitar One magazine listed her as one of the "Ten Fastest Shredders of All Time" [link], and many media reviews of her work have praised the speed and clarity of her playing. Her classical background, technical skills and self-promotion are sometimes compared to Yngwie Malmsteen.

Kat's public persona, as portrayed in her publicity photos and videos, is influenced by the BDSM community and more specifically that of a dominatrix, albeit in a somewhat over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek manner. She publicly claims to be god and insists on being compared to Beethoven on occasion. [link]

Discography

1986 - Satan Says (EP)
1987 - Worship Me Or Die!
1990 - Beethoven On Speed
1996 - Digital Beethoven On Cyberspeed
1998 - Bloody Vivaldi
2000 - Rossini's Rape
2002 - Wagner's War
2005 - Extreme Guitar Shred (DVD)

External links

http://www.greatkat.com - Official Website, with audio samples
http://www.guitarnoise.com/review.php?id=268 - favourable listener review of Wagner's War, her latest album.
http://music.tinfoil.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=521 - another favourable review
http://www.raw42.com/reviews/the_great_kat2.html - less favourable review
http://www.radicalbright.com/wp1/?p=128 - Chicks that SHRED
http://www.metallian.com/thegreatkat.htm interview and reviews

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