Spiral Shadow

Spiral Shadow
Studio album by Kylesa
Released	October 25, 2010 (2010-10-25)
Recorded	July 2010
Studio	The Jam Room Columbia, South Carolina
Genre	Sludge metal
Length	40:02
Label	Season of Mist
Producer	Phillip Cope
Kylesa chronology
Static Tensions (2009) Spiral Shadow (2010) From the Vaults, Vol. 1 (2010)

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]

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	85/100 [2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The Austin Chronicle	[4]
Kerrang!	[5]
Metal Injection	8.5/10 [6]
MetalSucks	[7]
PopMatters	8/10 [8]
Pitchfork	8.4/10 [9]
Rock Sound	9/10 [10]
Spin	7/10 [11]
Sputnikmusic	4/5 [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

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

No.	Title	Length
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

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

Charts

Chart (2010)	Peak position
German Newcomer Chart [17]	14
Billboard Heatseekers Albums	11

References

1. http://metalbuzz.net/main/2010/08/24/kylesa-unveil-cover-art-and-tracklisting-for-spiral-shadow/%5B%5D
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 (3 November 2010). "Kylesa: Spiral Shadow". PopMatters . Retrieved 12 May 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 . Retrieved October 27, 2011.
11. "Kylesa, 'Spiral Shadow' (Season of Mist) | SPIN.com". Archived from the original on 2010-10-23. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
12. "Kylesa - Spiral Shadow (album review)". Sputnikmusic. October 24, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
13. 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. 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.