Spiral Shadow is the fifth full-length album by American sludge metal band Kylesa, released by Season of Mist on October 25, 2010 in Europe and October 26, 2010 in the United States.[1]

Spiral Shadow
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 25, 2010 (2010-10-25)
RecordedJuly 2010
StudioThe Jam Room
Columbia, South Carolina
GenreSludge metal
Length40:02
LabelSeason of Mist
ProducerPhillip Cope
Kylesa chronology
Static Tensions
(2009)
Spiral Shadow
(2010)
From the Vaults, Vol. 1
(2010)

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic85/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarStar[3]
The Austin ChronicleStarStarStarHalf star[4]
Kerrang!StarStarStarStar[5]
Metal Injection8.5/10[6]
MetalSucksStarStarStarStar[7]
PopMatters8/10[8]
Pitchfork8.4/10[9]
Rock Sound9/10[10]
Spin7/10[11]
Sputnikmusic4/5[12]

The album received positive reviews upon its release, and currently holds a metascore of 85 on Metacritic based on nine reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[2] It is also the highest rated metal album of the year according to the same site.[13] Many critics praised the band's fusion of different genres, including sludge metal and psychedelic rock.

Accolades

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Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Exclaim![14] Canada Top 10 Metal Albums of the Year 2010 4
Metacritic[13] International The 40 Best-Reviewed Albums of 2010 2010 14
Pitchfork Media[15] US Top 50 Albums of 2010 2010 44
Stereogum[16] US Top 50 Albums of 2010 2010 7

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
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

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

Charts

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References

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  1. http://metalbuzz.net/main/2010/08/24/kylesa-unveil-cover-art-and-tracklisting-for-spiral-shadow/[permanent dead link]
  2. 1 2 "Spiral Shadow Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  3. Freeman, Phil (August 20, 2010). "Spiral Shadow - Kylesa". AllMusic. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  4. Hernandez, Raoul (November 5, 2010). "Kylesa". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  5. This is still towering, hazy, stoner metal--it's just shaped with more craft than once before and is therefore far more interesting. [16 Oct 2010, p.50]
  6. Brown, Kit (November 4, 2010). "CD Review: KYLESA- Spiral Shadow". Metal Injection. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  7. O'Hagar, Sammy (October 26, 2010). "KYLESA'S FORESEEABLY EXCELLENT SPIRAL SHADOW". MetalSucks. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  8. Begrand, Adrien (November 3, 2010). "Kylesa: Spiral Shadow". PopMatters. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  9. Harvell, Jess (November 2, 2010). "Kylesa: Spiral Shadow | Album Reviews". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  10. Kerswell, Ronnie (October 21, 2010). "Kylesa - Spiral Shadow | Reviews | Rock Sound". Rock Sound. Archived from the original on October 25, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2011.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. "Kylesa, 'Spiral Shadow' (Season of Mist) | SPIN.com". Archived from the original on October 23, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  12. "Kylesa - Spiral Shadow (album review)". Sputnikmusic. October 24, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  13. 1 2 Dietz, Jason (January 11, 2011). "The Best Albums of 2010". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  14. "Year in Review: Metal". Exclaim!.
  15. "Staff Lists: The Top 50 Albums of 2010 | Features". Pitchfork Media. December 16, 2010. Archived from the original on April 20, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  16. "Haunting The Chapel's Top 50 Albums Of 2010". Stereogum. December 21, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  17. "Mit Haftbefehl in die Newcomer-Charts". Media Control Charts. Retrieved October 27, 2011.