Album Review: Kylesa-Spiral Shadow

Kylesa is at the forefront of the sludge scene. They have a niche for heavy riffs and proggy weirdness. On Spiral Shadow,Kylesa heavily embraces their artsy,strange, hipster side and it works to mixed results.

Spiral Shadow is noticeably less heavy than their previous release 2009's "Static Tensions". Replacing the heavy sound is a very artsy and at times poppy sound. I like progressions and banks that take risks, but there are points during this record where Kylesa's new sound backfires. It's way too spacey sounding(like Pink Floyd, if that makes any sense) and odd for Kylesa. This sound really doesn't play into Kylesa's skill set as a band. For example, "Forsaken" is one of the tracks that is a misfire. Laura Pesants drones through the song with a boring riff and creates a strange atmosphere(in a bad way). "Forsaken" is not alone in the dud department, "Drop Out" and "To Forget" are two others that are quite lackluster, all you want to do is take a nap and hope some intresting happens later on in the record.

Spiral Shadow isn't all weak though. From time to time. the Kylesa of old is present. "Tired Climb" reminds me why they are sludge gods.The title track sticks with the more psychidelic sound established on this record, but it actually works. It's one of the few moments on the entire record where the artsy side of Kylesa works really well.

For the most part, the new Kylesa really doesn't click with me. It didn't grab me like Static Tensions did. Even upon multiple listens, most of the material is subpar. There are a few great tracks and a few that completely blow as well. Spiral Shadow is a tepid release and the biggest disspointment of 2010.
2.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Tired Climb
2.Spiral Shadow
3.Crowded Road