Kylesa Spiral Shadow |
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 | Tracklist:
1. "Tired Climb"
2. "Cheating Synergy"
3. "Drop Out"
4. "Crowded Road"
5. "Don't Look Back"
6. "Distance Closing In"
7. "To Forget"
8. "Forsaken"
9. "Spiral Shadow"
10. "Back And Forth"
11. "Dust"
| Ranking: #145 for 2010 | |
| | other reviews | Eli K. CONTRIBUTOR (4)
"Spiral Shadow" sees Kylesa fully realizing their potential with an all around solid album.... |
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| Summary: Spiral Shadow finds Kylesa evolving beyond their previous efforts to craft their strongest and most focused endeavor to date. |
6 of 6 thought this review was well written
Somewhere in the midst of the warm piano, languid guitar taps, subtle analog delay oscillations, and cascading drum rolls that occupy the first 50 seconds or so of Kylesa's newest release, Spiral Shadow, it's made fairly apparent that the band would not be satisfied with simply rehashing the same pseudo-psychadelic motifs and sludgy aesthetics found on their previous releases (although honestly, there wouldn't be anything wrong with that). Where Kylesa's previous endeavors reveled in their dual percussion, sludgy riffs, dueling vocals, and general bad-assery, Spiral Shadow finds the group evolving beyond their previous work and embracing a slew of new influences and aesthetics. The core of the Kylesa sound is still very much in tact here, as pounding dual drum work, sludgy riffs, and the vocal interplay that Kylesa has come to be known for still permeate the album, but not only have these components all been elevated to an entirely new level, they've been reworked and reshaped to create their most cohesive and hard hitting release to date.
Album opener "Tired Climb" serves as the perfect introduction for what the rest of Spiral Shadow entails. After the aforementioned intro, the song is ripped open by pounding drums, delicious fuzzy drop G riffing, and remarkably clear, yet still authoritative shouting from guitarist Phillip Cope, followed up by Laura Pleasants's hypnotic, lazy delivery in the chorus. As the final chords of "Tired Climb" die out, this throbbing, earthy, ethereal organ of some sort (which incidentally is one of the coolest damn sounds I've heard all year), swells into the soundscape of "Cheating Synergy" before being cut right down the middle by snare rolls, fuzzy bass, and more sludgy riffs. Still, Spiral Shadow is so much more than a collection of spiffy intros that segue into head pounding metal riff fests. Tracks like "Dust" and "Spiral Shadow" showcase Kylesa's newfound ability to take a simple, slow motif and not only build on it, but eventually turn it on it's head and create a massive soundscape out of it. At the same time, tracks like "Back and Forth" and "Don't Look Back" find Kylesa embracing more catchy, major key aesthetics. The chorus of "Back of Forth" has an almost Torche-esque feel to it, while still remaining very much a Kylesa track, and "Don't Look Back" manages to be catchy, triumphant, and pummeling all at the same time. As a quick side note, for anyone who says that Pleasants's vocal delivery here lacks a general sense of conviction, just check out her venomous shrieks in the bridge of "Drop Out" and verses of "Cheating Synergy".
Going into the studio so quickly after the release of Static Tensions, it's really quite remarkable just how much Kylesa has grown as a unit since last March. Where Static Tensions seemed to almost show that Kylesa was comfortable being labeled as just another solid act in the burgeoning Georgia metal scene (that just happened to have two drummers), Spiral Shadow finds the group not only living up the potential it's been clear they've possessed all long, but also getting an incredibly solid foothold on the way to becoming a true juggernaut amongst their contemporaries, and a driving force within the entire metal community.
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Album Rating: 4.5
Probably a little short for a 4.5 but I feel like I said all that needed to be said. Album's a strong AOTY contender for
me...might even edge out the new Enslaved as my favorite metal of 2010.
Stream at http://www.myspace.com/kylesa
| | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
I like this review a lot, I don't think it needs to be any longer at all. I think I'm going to give this another listen tonight.
Digging: Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music Digging: Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music | | | Album Rating: 4.5
Could have added some meandering intro about how stagnate the Georgia metal scene is becoming and blah blah blah but that would have been unnecessary and pointless.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Very nice review and I agree with Inveigh, it doesn't need to be any longer. Album is in my top 5 of the year so far for sure.
Digging: Rosetta - The Galilean Satellites Digging: Rosetta - The Galilean Satellites | | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
"Spiral Shadow finds Kylesa evolving beyond their previous efforts to craft their strongest and most focused endeavor to date."
^This, yet no one else agrees with us.
"Could have added some meandering intro about how stagnate the Georgia metal scene is becoming and blah blah blah but that would have been unnecessary and pointless."
^ I was also going to do this, but for the same reasons did not
Digging: Suis La Lune - Riala Digging: Suis La Lune - Riala | | | Album Rating: 3.5
buying this now. enjoyed on first listen.
Digging: The Walkmen - Heaven | | | Album Rating: 3.5
Not as good as I thought it was after the first listen.
Digging: Hawk Eyes - Ideas Digging: Hawk Eyes - Ideas | | | Album Rating: 3.5
album is good but they have done better
Digging: Knut - Challenger Digging: Knut - Challenger | | | Album Rating: 4.5
I mean their past stuff has been solid but more or less two dimensional compared to this.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
I'm loving this album, "Don't Look Back" is prob my fav track.
Good review, short, sweet and to the point.
Digging: Alcest - Les Voyages De L'Ame Digging: Alcest - Les Voyages De L'Ame | | | Album Rating: 4
you would love this
Digging: Love American - Disquiet Digging: Love American - Disquiet | | | Album Rating: 4.5
Great review, I'd just put song titles in quotes and italicize the album title.
Is this really in drop G? I want to know how they got this tone that I love so much.
Digging: Carissa's Wierd - Songs About Leaving | | | Album Rating: 4.5
I'd just put song titles in quotes and italicize the album title.
I never remember to do that ish. And yeah, it's in drop G. I just threw some 56 gauge string on my Eclipse a few weeks ago and tuned down to G. I just fiddled with my fuzz pedal and cranked up my amp and it sounded fairly similar.
you would love this
You tryin to say somethin?
| | | Album Rating: 4
already said it
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
What can I say, I'm a sucker for Georgia metal bands...except for Black Tusk...they're sort of lame.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
I like Black Tusk, only that they sound TOO much like Kylesa.
The lowest I've had my guitar is drop A. I assume that you'd need some kind of fuzz pedal and
probably an Orange or Badcat amp to get this sound. ESP Eclipse right?
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Yeah...ESP Eclipse, Orange AD30HTC, and a Musket Fuzz...haha.
Black Tusk is ok, they're just the most "inside the box" band in that scene at the moment to me. They don't really try
to branch out at all.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
That's basically what I said. Good band, but they're not anything special.
I'm jealous of your setup.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
I'm thinking about selling my head and either upgrading to AD140 or getting a Badcat actually. But yeah, Orange amps are well worth the investment.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Kurt Ballou uses Badcats with Orange cabs, usually, since he owns a bunch of stuff that he keeps at his studio. His tone is amazing. I just have a Peavey ValveKing and a decent Hughes and Kettner cab.
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