Spiral Shadow, Kylesa

Kylesa

Kylesa is a metal band that was formed in Savannah, Georgia. Their music incorporates experimentalism with sludgy riffs, drop-tuned guitars and elements of psychedelic rock. The group was established in 2001 by the former members of Damad, with the addition of guitar player Laura Pleasants who is...

's fifth full-length album, was released on October 25, 2010, in Europe and October 26, 2010, in the United States by Season of Mist.

Reception

The album received positive reviews upon its release, and currently holds a metascore of 85 on Metacritic

Metacritic

Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

 based on 9 reviews, indicating "Universal Acclaim". It is also the highest rated metal album of the year according to the same site. Many critics praised the band's fusion of different genres, including sludge metal

Sludge metal

Sludge metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that melds elements of doom metal and hardcore punk, and sometimes incorporates influences from southern rock, stoner rock and grunge. Sludge metal is typically abrasive; often featuring shouted vocals, heavily distorted instruments and sharply contrasting...

, psychedelic rock

Psychedelic rock

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...

 and crust punk

Crust punk

Crust punk is a form of music influenced by anarcho-punk, hardcore punk and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the mid-1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on political and social ills...

.

Accolades

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Exclaim! Exclaim! Exclaim! is a monthly Canadian music magazine that features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with special focus on Canadian and cutting-edge artists...	Canada	Top 10 Metal Albums of the Year	2010	4
Metacritic Metacritic Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...	International	The 40 Best-Reviewed Albums of 2010	2010	14
Pitchfork Media Pitchfork Media Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...	US	Top 50 Albums of 2010	2010	44
Stereogum Stereogum Stereogum was one of the first MP3 blogs. It was created by Scott Lapatine in January 2002 with a focus on independent and alternative music news, downloads, videos, and gossip. Stereogum has received several awards and citations, including the 2008 Plug Award for best music blog, Blender's...	US	Top 50 Albums of 2010	2010	7

Track listing

1. "Tired Climb" - 3:20
2. "Cheating Synergy" - 2:51
3. "Drop Out" - 4:29
4. "Crowded Road" - 3:29
5. "Don't Look Back" - 3:20
6. "Distance Closing In" - 3:51
7. "To Forget" - 3:32
8. "Forsaken" - 3:41
9. "Spiral Shadow" - 5:12
10. "Back And Forth" - 2:33
11. "Dust" - 3:44

Personnel

• Phillip Cope – guitar, vocals
• Laura Pleasants – guitar, vocals
• Carl McGinley – drums, percussion
• Tyler Newberry – drums, percussion
• Corey Barhorst – bass, keyboards

Charts

Chart (2010)	Peak position
German Newcomer Chart	14
Billboard Heatseekers Albums	11