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.
Nature's Predators
Kylesa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sleep no longer rests
Try to tune it out
This is no love generation
This is the town I live in
It is an American tension
Nature's predators live through death
Dim away the world
Whitewashed away
Dim away the world
Whitewashed away
Waking symbols rest
Human interest repressed
We are not victims
We are someone's enemy
We all have to blame someone
Because fault is never personal
This is the town I live in
It is an American tension
Nature's predators live through death
Your neighbor killed big brother
The opening lines "Streets lined with blood, sleep no longer rests" creates an image of a town faced with violence and turmoil where citizens are afraid to peacefully rest. The following line "Try to tune it out, this is no love generation" suggests that the people living in this town have become desensitized to this violence and have resigned themselves to living in a loveless and violent society.
The repeated refrain "This is the town I live in, it is an American tension" invokes a sense of hopelessness and resignation in the face of a deeply rooted societal issue. The lines "Nature's predators live through death, your neighbor killed big brother" may be a commentary on how the primal, animalistic tendencies of humans can lead to violent behavior where the lines between predator and prey become blurred.
The chorus "Dim away the world, whitewashed away" could suggest a desire to escape from the violent society and find some solace in isolation or self-disassociation. The lines "Waking symbols rest, human interest repressed" indicates a disconnect between humans and their surroundings, where even the symbols that should represent and unite people have lost their power to inspire and connect.
Overall, "Nature's Predators" is a song that critiques the American society for its systemic violence and apathy towards the issue.
Line by Line Meaning
Streets lined with blood
The streets are covered in blood, possibly from violence and death.
Sleep no longer rests
It is difficult to sleep because of the disturbing events happening.
Try to tune it out
Attempt to block out the unsettling reality by ignoring it.
This is no love generation
This time period is not characterized by love or positivity.
This is the town I live in
The following lyrics describe the artist's hometown.
It is an American tension
There is a palpable sense of conflict and unease in American society.
Nature's predators live through death
Those who are naturally inclined to dominate and harm others thrive in an environment of death and destruction.
Your neighbor killed big brother
Someone close by has committed a heinous act of violence, possibly even against a member of their own family.
Dim away the world
Wanting to retreat from the world and its problems, to fade into the background.
Whitewashed away
Conforming to societal expectations and losing one's true identity in the process.
Waking symbols rest
Important issues and symbols are overlooked or ignored by society, allowing them to remain unchanged.
Human interest repressed
The interests and needs of people are being ignored or suppressed.
We are not victims
We are not passive individuals who are helpless to change our situation.
We are someone's enemy
Others may view us as a threat or obstacle to their own goals.
We all have to blame someone
It is human nature to want to hold someone accountable for negative events or circumstances.
Because fault is never personal
Negative situations are often the result of a combination of factors, rather than any one person's fault.
This is the town I live in
Reiteration of the artist's hometown as the setting for the song's themes.
It is an American tension
Reiteration of the sense of conflict and unease in American society.
Nature's predators live through death
Reiteration of the idea that those who thrive on violence and domination benefit from a society in chaos.
Your neighbor killed big brother
Reiteration of the shocking and violent event committed by someone close by.
Contributed by Michael J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.