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 Kat's speed-metal interpretations of Beethoven's music are nothing if not original. ~ Alex Henderson