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Kylesa - Spiral Shadow



8.2 | 119 votes |
Release date: 26 October 2010
Style: Sludge metal

Owners:

165 have it
16 want it


01. Tired Climb
02. Cheating Synergy
03. Drop Out
04. Crowded Road
05. Don't Look Back
06. Distance Closing In
07. To Forget
08. Forsaken
09. Spiral Shadow
10. Back And Forth
11. Dust

Additional info
The album will be available as a regular CD as well as a limited edition Digipak with 3D cover art packaged with a bonus DVD.

Staff review by
BitterCOld
Rating:
8.3
"We wanted this to be a 'headphone' album" - explains Laura Pleasants on the "making of? " DVD. The album was to also be about distance - distance in terms of the time and miles with the band, as well as distancing themselves from their prior works.

That it is and that it does.

Not quite the raging slab that was Static Tensions, Spiral Shadow is perhaps Sludge-lite. It still has heaping helpings of bludgeoning sludge, but has some more mellow moments and hypnotic-almost-tribal passages to give the album added moods and depth.

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published 11.11.2010 | Comments (14)

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Comments

Comments: 17   Visited by: 394 users
06.09.2010 - 23:19
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Great continuation of their previous outing.
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Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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26.10.2010 - 05:03
Rating: 8
Axe Argonian

This is most definitely the best album that Kylesa has released thus far. There is more musical variation in Spiral Shadow, and at times, the band employs impressive progressive elements surprisingly well. Although it is evident that Kylesa cites its musical influence from bands like Baroness and Mastodon, on Spiral Shadow, Kylesa truly stamps a unique name for itself. Strong 8.7/10.
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"Man does at all times only what he wills, and yet he does this necessarily. But this is because he already is what he wills." - Arthur Schopenhauer
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30.10.2010 - 21:51
Rating: 8
Dangerboner
Lactation Cnslt
Does anyone else get a My Bloody Valentine feeling on this album?

Good stuff, but after only one listen I think I slightly prefer their previous release.
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01.11.2010 - 01:18
Rating: 9
Ag Fox
Angel No More
Written by Dangerboner on 30.10.2010 at 21:51

Does anyone else get a My Bloody Valentine feeling on this album?

Good stuff, but after only one listen I think I slightly prefer their previous release.
I agree slightly on the My Bloody Valentine bit. Cannot exactly pinpoint why though.
After the first listen I thought their previous was better as well, but now I am on my second spin and it suddenly sounded way better
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loves 小巫
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11.11.2010 - 01:51
Rating: 8
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
"Don't Look Back" sounds a lot like a heavier version of Smashing Pumpkin's "Today"...
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get the fuck off my lawn.

Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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13.11.2010 - 09:32
bluegreengod
Account deleted
Definitely more so than their other albums, Spiral Shadow has a sort of '90s throwback sound of raw energy with a In Utero-esque quirky catchiness to it. It's not the kind of music that I typically listen to, but I find myself wanting to keep putting it back in the stereo and push play. There's a nostalgic vibe to it that takes me back to a smoky club in Portland as a teenager, back when there was still an underground scene making its rounds through the Pacific Northwest.
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13.12.2010 - 20:12
Daydream Nation
Account deleted
Meh...There's a nice 90s vibe to it and half a dozen decent to amazing songs. Not as much variety or "meatiness" to a lot of the songs, compared to other bands like Kyuss. DUST is the song that sounds like "Today" by the Smashing Pumpkins, btw.
I just wish I could be more enthusiastic about it. If only they had spent more time and made more higher-quality tracks...because most of what they have is interesting, to say the very least.
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13.12.2010 - 20:26
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by Guest on 13.12.2010 at 20:12

...Not as much variety or "meatiness" to a lot of the songs, compared to other bands like Kyuss.


But then again they play a different sort of metal than Kyuss.
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Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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13.12.2010 - 21:25
Daydream Nation
Account deleted
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 13.12.2010 at 20:26

Written by Guest on 13.12.2010 at 20:12

...Not as much variety or "meatiness" to a lot of the songs, compared to other bands like Kyuss.


But then again they play a different sort of metal than Kyuss.

Well, no doubt they are going to be different. They are generally described as "stoner-prog", not "sludge metal" as Metal Storm claims. That being said, I hear a lot of Kyuss to their sound. Maybe it would be inappropriate to mention them in the same thread...
Kylesa do have a fundamental problem in my opinion: there's hardly anything riveting for the listener when everything sounds the same and there are few interesting movements. Some of their songs are just brilliant (Dust, Forsaken, etc.), but it's less apparent because it all kind of blurs together. And by no means is this a concept album where I'm OK with such songs blurring together. Maybe new instruments, more interesting songwriting or more interesting interludes might set this album apart from their peers... Better luck next time, Kylesa.
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22.12.2010 - 17:25
Daydream Nation
Account deleted
Oh, and I get a real Sonic Youth vibe off it as well. Pleasants sounds like Kim Gordon at times to a point where it is just eerie. Problem: Sonic Youth did these kind of vocals A LOT BETTER. The vocals lack "oomph" to me.
That being said, I've listened to it again and I've revised my rating to an 8.
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11.07.2011 - 20:08
Night Sight

That was not great but that was good for kylesa
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Alone in birth
Alone in the darkness
Alone in death
Alone in the daylight
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18.10.2011 - 08:49
blackelkspeaks

Such a good album, cheating synergy is easily the stand out track
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when i die one thousand birds will fly out of my mouth
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02.02.2012 - 18:26
Rating: 9
SceneryOfLoss

Finally I learned to appreciate this album. Amazing!
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14.08.2012 - 07:54
Rating: 9
Guib
Thrash Talker
That is definitely my favorite kylesa... I like their approach on this one, I hope their next release will be similar to this release ! Its quite unique
it redefines their name a little if you ask me. And They finally have a touch of their own. The progressive parts are inspired and I love that.
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- Headbanging with mostly clogged arteries to that stuff -
Guib's List Of Essential Albums
- Also Thrash Paradise
Thrash Here
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28.02.2013 - 14:24
Rating: 9
Góral
Combo Breaker
Written by Guib on 14.08.2012 at 07:54

That is definitely my favorite kylesa... I like their approach on this one, I hope their next release will be similar to this release ! Its quite unique
it redefines their name a little if you ask me. And They finally have a touch of their own. The progressive parts are inspired and I love that.

100% true
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25.10.2015 - 03:04
Rating: 8
LeKiwi
High Fist Prog
I've not heard Kylesa much until today. This record is miles ahead of the two albums after this. Shame to see they've lost it.
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29.10.2015 - 17:21
Rating: 9
musclassia

Possibly even better than Static Tensions, absolutely quality record. Although I'm not particularly fond of Back And Forth

Edit: Can't believe it took me so long to discover this band - this album in particular is an early favourite of mine. Aside from the effective vocals and the multitude of great riffs and guitar leads, I love how percussive this album is. Two drummers and tom-heavy metal drumming are both big favourites of mine when done well, when combined effectively here with other neat drumming tricks (the alternating rapid hi-hat/drumstick sounds sections on the title track and similar events), just so good. Tired Climb is a great opener and Don't Look Back is very hooky, but the title track is legitimately awesome, probably about as good as music in this style can get.
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