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.
exhale
Kylesa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Speaking as loud as humanly possible
Earful of whispers, hearsay and rumors
Opinions too many beating down your door
It's your own fault
Choose your own truth
or any actuality
Just a morbidity
Loss of all capacity
The lyrics of Kylesa's song Exhale seem to address the struggles of dealing with negativity and criticism from outsiders. The opening lines suggest that the subject is being closely watched by detractors who are waiting for a chance to pounce. The second line portrays the subject responding to this by trying to speak as loudly as possible, perhaps in an attempt to drown out their detractors. However, despite these efforts, they are still plagued by whispers, rumors, and opinions that are beating down their door.
The chorus, "It's your own fault, choose your own truth," can be interpreted in a number of ways. It could be seen as a call to take responsibility for one's actions and to not blame others for one's own problems. Alternatively, it could suggest that the truth is subjective and that one must choose what they believe is true. The final lines of the lyrics seem to suggest that the constant negativity and criticism can lead to a loss of capacity or a numbness to the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Watching your back, detractors everywhere
Being cautious, as there are people who are against you, who want to harm you and your reputation.
Speaking as loud as humanly possible
Stating and expressing your opinions loudly and clearly, so that everyone can hear you. You want to express yourself without any restrictions or limitations, to prove yourself right.
Earful of whispers, hearsay and rumors
Being overwhelmed with so many rumours and untruths, which are being spread about you. These people are trying to create a false image of you, and make others believe it too.
Opinions too many beating down your door
Opinions of others, which are not necessarily true, are giving you a hard time. You feel like everyone is talking about you and you're being judged by them all the time.
It's your own fault
You invited such negativity and criticism because of your own actions, and now you're paying the price for that.
Choose your own truth
It's up to you to decide what's true and what's not. You know yourself better than anyone else does, so you should listen to your own voice and not let anyone else's opinion affect you.
There is no validity
What's being said about you has no evidence, and there's no reason to believe it. It's all hearsay and rumours with no truth to back it up, so you shouldn't give it too much importance.
or any actuality
There's no reality behind this. It's just people gossiping and trying to create something out of nothing. There's nothing for you to worry about.
Just a morbidity
These rumours are like an illness, and they're only hurting you. It's important to remember that they're not real, and that they will eventually fade away.
Loss of all capacity
You're feeling overwhelmed by all of this. It's hard to focus on anything when so much negativity is surrounding you. However, you need to remember that you can overcome this and come out stronger on the other side.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheZweihander666
1:18 oh god
@scarsunseen24
that down-tuned fuzz... oh mannnnnnn
@alial-rawahi7375
cool
@chibblesfontana2061
all the fuzz puppies eat soup
@sabrinakrisb4672
Sounds great but some of those lyrics are just making me laugh