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.
Said And Done
Kylesa Lyrics
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And new ones come
It's said and done
As these days fade away
And new ones sway
It's all been done
As these days stay still
It's said and done
Falling towards gravity's end
As these old days rust
And new ones come
It's said and done
As these days fade away
And new ones sway
It's all been done
This new dawn is callous
This time is not for us
Bring forth forever silent tongues
This time it's not calling
Our numbers they are falling
Bring forth forever silent tongues
As these old days rust
And new ones come
It's said and done
As these days stay still
And some of them kill
It's said and done
The lyrics to Kylesa's song "Said And Done" speak about the passage of time, and the nature of change and progression. The opening lines "As these old days rust / And new ones come / It's said and done" suggest that as the past fades away and new experiences come into being, there is a sense of finality and closure to what has already occurred. The repetition of the phrase "it's said and done" throughout the song reinforces this idea, indicating that certain things have been completed or resolved, and cannot be changed or altered.
The later lines "This new dawn is callous / This time is not for us" shift the focus to a more personal level, suggesting that the singer is facing challenges or struggles in the present. The words "silent tongues" and "our numbers they are falling" suggest a sense of isolation or alienation, as if the singer is struggling to connect with others. The final repetition of "it's said and done" could be interpreted as an acceptance of these difficulties, or as a recognition that life is constantly changing and moving forward, whether we want it to or not.
Overall, the lyrics to "Said And Done" are open to interpretation, and may resonate with listeners in different ways depending on their individual experiences and perspectives. The song's themes of time, change, and the transience of life are universal, and the lyrics provide a powerful reflection on these ideas.
Line by Line Meaning
As these old days rust
As time goes on and things decay
And new ones come
And new days replace the old ones
It's said and done
Things cannot be undone, they have already happened
As these days fade away
As time passes and things disappear
And new ones sway
And new changes take place
It's all been done
Everything that can be done, has already been done
As these days stay still
As some things never change
And some of them kill
And some of those things cause harm and destruction
It's said and done
It cannot be changed, it has already happened
Falling towards gravity's end
Moving towards inevitable destruction
This new dawn is callous
This new beginning is harsh and unforgiving
This time is not for us
We cannot thrive in this period of change
Bring forth forever silent tongues
Let us not speak of our misfortunes and sufferings
This time it's not calling
This period is not beckoning us to succeed or prosper
Our numbers they are falling
Our influence and power is weakening
Bring forth forever silent tongues
Let us keep our struggles to ourselves
As these days rust
As time continues and things decay
And new ones come
And new changes take place
It's said and done
Everything that can be done, has already been done
As these days stay still
As some things remain unchanged
And some of them kill
And some of those things cause harm and destruction
It's said and done
We cannot change what has already happened
Contributed by Charlotte B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.