Static Tensions

The artwork and layout are by John Dyer Baizley of Baroness. Like its predecessor, Time Will Fuse Its Worth of 2006, the record is made with two drummers. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic held that the three-singer, two-drummer line-up is what distinguishes Kylesa's "technically busy brand of post-progressive metal from contemporary competitors (and fellow Southerners) like Baroness and Mastodon". He noted the down-tuned guitars, the different vocal manners — shouting, crooning, croaking — and the elements of stoner rock, sludge, psych and alternative rock. Cosmo Lee of Pitchfork called "Scapegoat" "a hardcore punk two-step" and went on: "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." He also noted that "Running Red" "alternates Slayer harmonies with riffs redolent of Black Sabbath's 'Iron Man'" while Laura Pleasants's singing, once a buried gem, is often up front. The album scored 79 out of 100 on Metacritic. The running order here is the original's as printed.