SOUND BITES

KYLESA Unspoken From: Ultraviolet Released: May 28 Kylesa's fifth album, Spiral Shadow , was one of 2010's most pleasant surprises; metallic and murky yet melodic and majestic, it got high praise from this writer. The follow-up continues down the same path, with a heavy focus on groove. Without the element of surprise, Ultraviolet doesn't hit me as hard as Spiral Shadow did; however, it's probably the better album with better songs, such as the monstrous groove they lock into on album highlight Unspoken .

Stream Kylesa's Ultraviolet here , courtesy Pitchfork Advance. The release of the sixth album from Georgian rock monsters Kylesa draws near and, as many bands are wont to do, they're giving listeners an early chance to sample the goods. Ultraviolet is the follow-up to 2010's Spiral Shadow , an excellent album that saw the band ease up on the sludge and infuse more melody, with fantastic results. After a quick run through Ultraviolet , the thing that sticks out to me more than anything is the album's grooves . This thing is chock full of them, thanks in no small part to their dual-drummer attack. The stringed instruments only add to Ultraviolet 's grooves, which all add up to an album that's not as dark as Spiral Shadow , but sure as hell sounds meaner. And that, to me, is a very good thing. At this point, I'll save something for the review (which you can expect soon), and highly recommend you take this beast for a spin. Ultraviolet is released May ...