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.
To Walk Alone
Kylesa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where all things die
Witness the sameness of will
Where all men cry
Farther and farther away
Into long ago
Soft yellow halo inside
Keeps me alive
My own reflection subsides
When I look to you
Written and noted by none
Fade out into
I drift farther away
Into long ago
Witness your hollowing eyes
Find time to die
Long ago
Fade too slow
Fall to life
Motion go
At a surface level, Kylesa's song "To Walk Alone" appears to be a story about a person who fears walking alone, where everything dies and every man cries. The song appears to suggest a lack of hope in one's journey as the past slowly fades away. However, as we continue to listen and analyze the lyrics, the song paints a picture of a glimmer of hope, as suggested by the soft yellow halo inside that keeps the singer alive. This halo suggests that there may still be a light at the end of the tunnel, despite how dark and overwhelming the challenges may seem. The second verse describes the singer's reflection subsiding when they look to someone else. This could be interpreted as the singer finding comfort in their relationships with others, which further fuels their desire to keep pushing forward.
The chorus of the song talks about fade outs and motion, which could be interpreted as the process of moving on, and accepting the natural progression of life. The last line, "fall to life, motion go," suggests that the singer has embraced life for what it is, and is ready to continue the journey, even if they have to walk alone.
Line by Line Meaning
Thought not to walk alone here
I did not expect to be alone here.
Where all things die
This place is where everything goes to die.
Witness the sameness of will
I see that everyone here has the same will and desires.
Where all men cry
This is a place of sorrow where all men cry.
Farther and farther away
I am getting further away from where I came from.
Into long ago
Imagining memories of a distant past.
Soft yellow halo inside
There is a comforting light inside of me.
Keeps me alive
It keeps me going and alive.
My own reflection subsides
I stop thinking about myself so much.
When I look to you
When I look at someone else.
Written and noted by none
No one has written or kept track of this story or moment.
Fade out into
Disappear slowly into something else.
I drift farther away
I continue to move further away.
Witness your hollowing eyes
Observing the emptiness in someone's eyes.
Find time to die
Find the right time to pass away.
Long ago
In a distant past.
Fade too slow
Disappear slowly and painfully.
Fall to life
Come to life after falling down.
Motion go
Keep moving forward.
Contributed by James M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.