Artist Kylesa

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Kylesa

Like its Georgia brethren Mastodon, Kylesa is often lumped into the catchall category of “metal,” then immediately chased by qualifiers like “avant-garde” to differentiate it from run-of-the-mill thrashers (though there are certainly hints of that in its sonic churn). Most often, however, Kylesa is pegged as “stoner metal” for its drop-tuned, Sabbath-derived sludge and hints of psychedelic wanderlust. This is actually dismissive, too, when considering how 2009’s Static Tensions is focused, unrepentantly melodic, and steeped in Neurosis-esque atmosphere, but never at the expense of chest-pounding assault. 2010’s Spiral Shadow improves on that album in almost every way, breaking it out of the halfhearted genre-guessing and establishing Kylesa as its own beautiful monster.

Updated 01/11/2011