Album Details

• Artist: Kylesa
• Album: Spiral Shadow
• Label: Season Of Mist
• Year of Release: 2010
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2011-07-06

I sort of fell into Kylesa's music back with their 2005 release, To Walk A Middle Ground and have been keeping an eye on them ever since. Their 2010 release, Spiral Shadow, really made an impression though. Enough to warrant a few words about it.

You might be subject to a few grunge flashbacks with Spiral Shadow. Although this sort of grunge is what you would have expected rather than the more pop oriented mainstream grunge of the 90s. I thought Laura Pleasants' vocals were as good as Phillip Copes'. And I really like how they trade off vocal duties. It just adds to the depth of the album. I actually think Laura sings more than Phillip on this album. One of Phillip's outstanding contributions is the track "Back And Forth". 

You may call Kylesa's music psychedelic metal but it would be too limiting. They are a little dark but still easy to approach. There is a reason that Spiral Shadow ended up on many critic's year end list. This is a must listen for any metal or even hard rock fan. It is quite accessible and a very enjoyable listen. I've listened to it over and over to get the full effect. 

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