On April 28, 2016, the band announced in Facebook post that they would be going on an indefinite hiatus, stating, "We have collectively decided to take a hiatus with no set date to reconvene.
Kylesa is a metal group that borrows elements of hardcore punk, psychedelic rock, stoner rock, sludge metal, and speed metal. They have two singers, Phillip and Laura. Kylesa formed in Savannah in 2001, taking their name from "kilesa mara", a Buddhist term denoting delusory mental states.
Guitarist and singer Phillip Cope, bassist Brian Duke and drummer Christian Depken were former members of the Savannah sludge metal act Damad, which had released two albums in the '90s. Philip Cope has been described as the Savannah "metal scene's godfather." He began playing in hardcore punk groups in the late 1980s, and in 1992 booked groups such as Buzzoven and Neurosis at a local all-ages club. From 1993 to 2001, Cope played in the group Damad. Pat Mathis of the Passive Fist label said that Damad "established a sound that's stuck-- that whole heavy, doomy Southern kind of metal. When you've got these old punk guys who listen to the Allman Brothers and start a metal band, that's kind of what you get." Damad changed their name to Kylesa in 2001 with the addition of Laura Pleasants, a native of North Carolina who attended the Savannah College of Art and Design.
After recording the majority of their first record (S/T on Prank) in May 2001, Kylesa played their first show with Mastodon and Cream Abdul Babar in Savannah, Georgia on June 2, 2001. On June 6, 2001, Brian Duke died from an epileptic seizure during the course of the night. The band decided to finish the recording in Brian's honor, wrote and recorded two more songs (where local bass player and friend Michael Redmond stepped in and played bass). The self-titled record was released about one year later on Prank Records when artwork by Pushead was completed. Prior to the full LP, a single limited 7" was released on Prank also with Pushead art. The Pushead-designed Band Logo from these releases has been used on all the band's merchandise and releases ever since.
Replacing Duke with bassist and singer Corey Barhorst, the band wrote and recorded a split 7" with Memento Mori, on Hyperrealist, and a split full length with Cream Abdul Babar from Florida, on At A Loss Recordings. These records came out immediately following the release on Prank, although they were recorded much later, The long wait for artwork by Pushead delaying the release of the S/T LP. More singles and a placeholder EP, 2004's No Ending 110 Degree Heat Index followed right before Depken left the group.
Kylesa signed with the independent metal label Prosthetic Records and released their second proper album, To Walk a Middle Course, in 2005 with drummer Brandon Baltzley.
Following the release of that album, Baltzley left the group, replaced by a pair of drummers, Jeff Porter and Carl McGinley. Kylesa's third album, Time Will Fuse Its Worth, was released on Halloween 2006. Eric Hernandez replaced Porter and appears on Static Tensions, released in 2009. Two songs on this album were inspired by the shooting of Jason Statts, a Savannah musician. They toured with Mastodon after the release of this album, whose guitarist, Bill Kelliher, said that “ We took Kylesa on tour because we love those guys and have been hanging out with them for years. They blew a lot of people's expectations out of the water.”
Journalist David Peisner of Spin described them as "dark psych-metal titans," practicing an "aggressive [sound], but with a hazy, stoner vibe that suggests a strange amalgamation of Black Sabbath, Black Flag, and early Pink Floyd." As of 2010, they have sold 75,000 albums. In 2010 they signed to the Season of Mist records label to release the album Spiral Shadow on October 26 that year. A rarities compilation album titled From the Vaults, Vol. 1 was released later that year.
Their sixth album, Ultraviolet, was released through Season of Mist in May 2013. The record is said to be darker lyrically and sonically than previous works, containing more vocals from singer/guitarist Laura Pleasants. The band embarked on a full North America headlining tour to promote the release with direct support from Blood Ceremony, White Hills and Lazer Wulf. In October 2015, the group released their seventh album Exhausting Fire through Season of Mist.
Back And Forth
Kylesa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Brain is melting
Walking in a daze
Security of isolation
Always shifting, back and forth
Blueprint within
Voices unspoken
Sounds unheard
Always shifting, back and forth
Calm, but no peace
Race without a prize
Youth faded too fast
Reset this life
Always shifting, back and forth
We all fade out
The lyrics to Kylesa's song Back and Forth are introspective and reflect upon the inner turmoil of the singer. The song depicts the confusion and mental exhaustion experienced by the singer through lines such as "Try and concentrate, Brain is melting, Walking in a daze, Security of isolation". The sense of detachment and numbness that the singer feels is evident through the line "Security of isolation". It seems as though the singer has retreated into a cocoon of their own mind, away from the pressures of the external world.
The singer's mind is in a constant state of flux and confusion, as depicted by the recurring line "Always shifting, back and forth". The reference to "Blueprint within" perhaps refers to the idea that everyone has a unique purpose, something they're meant to do, and the singer is grappling with the realization that this blueprint is constantly shifting and they can't keep up with it. The next two lines "Light to be switched, Voices unspoken, Sounds unheard" further strengthen this idea of the singer trying to find direction but being unable to communicate or decipher what's happening around them.
The singer's sense of despair is heightened in the line "Calm, but no peace, Race without a prize, Youth faded too fast, Reset this life". It's a realization that even though things may seem calm on the surface, they're actually in disarray. It's as if the singer is longing for a fresh start, to reset their life and start anew. The song ends with the solemn line, "We all fade out" - a reminder that everything is temporary, and we all have a finite amount of time to make an impact in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Try and concentrate
Focus and pay attention
Brain is melting
Feeling overwhelmed and mentally exhausted
Walking in a daze
Moving aimlessly and feeling disconnected from reality
Security of isolation
Feeling safe and protected by being alone
Always shifting, back and forth
Constantly changing and moving between different states
Blueprint within
A plan or design that exists internally
Light to be switched
A change that can be made to illuminate a new perspective
Voices unspoken
Thoughts and feelings that are not expressed or communicated
Sounds unheard
Experiences and emotions that go unnoticed or unrecognized
Calm, but no peace
Appearing outwardly serene, but still feeling unsettled or anxious
Race without a prize
Engaging in a competition that offers no real reward or fulfillment
Youth faded too fast
Feeling like time has passed too quickly and youth has been lost
Reset this life
Desiring to start over and make significant changes
We all fade out
Our existence ultimately comes to an end
Contributed by Reagan G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Raul Raul
great album of kylesa...
Lord UND, Himself
I love when Kylesa gets on some stoner punk shit here and there