| Static Tensions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 17, 2009 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:24 | |||
| Label | Prosthetic | |||
| Producer | Phillip Cope | |||
| Kylesa chronology | ||||
| ||||
Static Tensions is the fourth studio album by the American heavy metal band Kylesa, released on March 17, 2009, by Prosthetic Records. The artwork and layout was created by John Dyer Baizley of the band Baroness. [1] Like its predecessor, Time Will Fuse Its Worth (2006), the record features two drummers. [2]
Static Tensions is a sludge metal album. [2] On the album, Kylesa features a three-singer- and two-drummer lineup, which distinguishes the band's "technically busy brand of post-progressive metal from contemporary competitors (and fellow Southerners) like Baroness and Mastodon," according to AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadiava. Rivadiava also noted the use of downtuned guitars and different singing styles such as shouting, crooning or croaked singing styles, along with elements from stoner rock, sludge rock, psych-rock and alternative rock. [3] Pitchfork critic Cosmo Lee characterized the track "Scapegoat" as "a hardcore punk two-step" and added: "But despite this newfound efficiency, the songs are more baroque than ever. They flaunt melodies shamelessly now. Choruses are insistent. Practically the whole record is hummable." Lee also noted that "the track 'Running Red' alternates Slayer harmonies with riffs redolent of Black Sabbath's 'Iron Man'" while Laura Pleasants' singing, once a buried gem, is often upfront." [2] Spin critic David Marchese thought that the band's guitarists "summon amorphous detuned riffs covered in reverb that suddenly snap into distorted single-note flurries. Throughout, drummers Carl McGinley and Eric Hernandez play tight, tribal beats." [4]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 79/100 [5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| Alternative Press | [6] |
| The Austin Chronicle | [7] |
| Pitchfork | 8.2/10 [2] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [8] |
Upon its release, Static Tensions generally received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 79, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on eight reviews. [5]
AllMusic critic Eduardo Rivadiava wrote: "At the end of the day, the best single word for describing Static Tensions is 'unpredictable,' and although this characteristic may demand a few more listens before the album's many amazing qualities can sink in properly, the ultimate payoff is very much worth the effort." [3]
Jesse Raub of Alternative Press stated: "Though some might fear the band have lost their edge, their latest album is more focused and, like a laser beam, ultimately more destructive when concentrated." Raub further commented: "Although a more varied use of the two drummers would be appreciated, the overall echoed effect with the cleaner production offers a complete, homogenized sound, which, when consumed en masse, makes for a killer album." [6]
The Austin Chronicle's Raoul Hernandez thought: "While not as compositionally right-angled as 2006 Prosthetic disc Time Will Fuse Its Worth, liquefies massively ("Perception") and even psychedelically ("Unknown Awareness") into a multiton Teutonic corkscrew ("Only One")." [7]
Pitchfork critic Cosmo Lee wrote: "The band has etched light, dark, sky, and earth so deftly onto wax that it vibrates the very soul." [2] David Marchese of Spin commented: "The heat subsides at times, but it never breaks." [4] Tiny Mix Tapes' Bryan Reed wrote: "This is a dynamic, densely-packaged slab of rock 'n' roll, which not only stands alongside the titans of the genre, but gives Kylesa a name of their own." [8]
All songs written by Phillip Cope, Carl McGinley and Laura Pleasants, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Scapegoat" | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Insomnia for Months" (Cope, Pleasants, Eric Hernandez) | 2:04 |
| 3. | "Said and Done" | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Unknown Awareness" | 4:22 |
| 5. | "Running Red" | 5:46 |
| 6. | "Nature's Predators" | 4:10 |
| 7. | "Almost Lost" | 3:03 |
| 8. | "Only One" | 5:20 |
| 9. | "Perception" | 3:43 |
| 10. | "To Walk Alone" | 4:22 |
Sludge metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that combines elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. The genre generally includes slow tempos, tuned down guitars and nihilistic lyrics discussing poverty, drug addiction and pollution.
In on the Kill Taker is the third full-length studio album by the American post-hardcore band Fugazi. It was released on June 30, 1993, through Dischord Records and was recorded at Inner Ear Studios and produced by Ted Niceley and Don Zientara. In on the Kill Taker captured the aggressiveness of the band's earlier releases while displaying a more diverse range of influences.
ASG is an American stoner rock/metal band signed to Relapse Records, originating from Wilmington, North Carolina. It is a four-piece band, with Jason Shi on vocals and guitar, Andy Ellis on bass, Scott Key on drums and Jonah Citty on guitar. The band has acquired an underground following, as a number of its songs have been featured in skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding videos.
Baroness is an American heavy metal band from Savannah, Georgia that has been active since 2003. The members of the original line-up grew up together in Lexington, Virginia. The band has undergone numerous line-up changes, with Baizley serving as the sole constant throughout.
Kylesa is an American sludge metal band that was formed in Savannah, Georgia. Their music incorporates experimentalism with heavy riffs, drop-tuned guitars and elements of psychedelic rock. The group was established in 2001 by the former members of Damad, with the addition of guitar player Laura Pleasants who is from North Carolina.
A Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk is a split album by American heavy metal bands Baroness and Unpersons. The artwork was done by Baroness frontman John Baizley.
Time Will Fuse Its Worth is the third full-length album by American sludge metal band Kylesa. It was released October 30, 2006 by Prosthetic Records.
Black Tusk is an American sludge metal band from Savannah, Georgia, formed in 2005.
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.
To Walk a Middle Course is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Kylesa. Released on March 22, 2005, by Prosthetic Records, it was produced by English record producer Alex Newport, who is known for his projects Fudge Tunnel and Nailbomb.
Taste the Sin is the third full-length album of the sludge metal band Black Tusk. It was released on May 25, 2010 through Relapse Records. It blends elements of sludge metal, stoner metal, thrash metal and hardcore punk combined with vocals by all band members to create a sound similar to Kylesa and Baroness, contributing to Savannah's Sludge music scene.
Ultraviolet is the sixth full-length studio album by American sludge metal band Kylesa. It is the group's third album to be released through Season of Mist.
From the Vaults, Vol. 1 is a compilation album by American sludge metal band Kylesa, collecting previously unreleased tracks, alternate versions of released tracks and one new track. It was released on November 16, 2012 in Europe and November 20, 2012 in North America through Season of Mist. The collection features a newly recorded track titled "End Truth" as well as a cover of Pink Floyd's "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" and Buzzoven's "Drained".
Whores is an American noise rock/sludge metal band based in Atlanta, Georgia. It currently consists of vocalist and guitarist Christian Lembach, bass guitarist Casey Maxwell and drummer Douglas Jennings Barrett. The band has released two records through Brutal Panda Records and is known for its "intensely cathartic live shows".
"Ramble Tamble" is a song written by John Fogerty and recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was released as the opening track on the band's fifth studio album, Cosmo's Factory, in 1970. It is known for its lengthy instrumental section and tempo changes.
Purple is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Baroness. It was released December 18, 2015 through the band's newly founded label Abraxan Hymns. It is the first album to be released by the band following their involvement in the 2012 bus accident that left nine people injured; it is also the first album to feature new band members Nick Jost and Sebastian Thomson, playing bass/keyboards and drums respectively and the last album to feature Pete Adams before his departure from the band in 2017.
Exhausting Fire is the seventh full-length studio album by American sludge metal band Kylesa. It is the group's fourth album to be released through Season of Mist.
The discography of Baroness, an American heavy metal band, consists of six studio albums, one compilation album, four extended plays (EPs), thirteen singles, two splits, and twelve music videos. Formed in Savannah, Georgia in 2003, the group was originally composed of vocalist and guitarist John Baizley, guitarist Tim Loose, bassist Summer Welch and drummer Allen Blickle. Signed with Hyperrealist Records, the band released their first two EPs, titled First and Second, in 2004 and 2005, respectively. The split album A Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk – featuring two tracks by Baroness and four by fellow Savannah-based band Unpersons – was released in June 2007. After Loose was replaced by Brian Blickle, the band released its debut full-length studio album Red Album through Relapse Records in September 2007.
Gold & Grey is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Baroness, released on June 14, 2019, on the band's own label, Abraxan Hymns.
"Take My Bones Away" is a song by American heavy metal band Baroness and the first single from the band's third studio album Yellow & Green. The song was released digitally and on a 7-inch flexi disc included with the 63rd and 64th issues of the Austrian alternative music magazine Slam.
