KYLESA IN CONCERT:
Savannah-based rockers Kylesa play what could loosely be called sludge metal, but putting a genre label on their music does a disservice to their multi-faceted sound. The band combines elements of psychedelic rock, crust punk, and experimental music to arrive at a truly singular metal hybrid, and they continue to push themselves in new directions with each successive album. Their name derives from “kilesa mara”, a Buddhist term for a delusory mental state, and in concert they live up to the moniker with trance-inducing performances of their epic metal masterpieces. With two lead singers, dual drummers, drop-tuned guitars and plenty of tempo changes in their set, Kylesa always stuns fans with experimental shows that redefine the concept of metal.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
Kylesa was started in Savanah, GA in 2001 by several former members of the sludge metal outfit Damad. That same year the band played their first show with metal legends Mastodon, and in 2002 they released their self-titled debut album. After several years of touring, they followed up in 2005 with sophomore album To Walk a Middle Course, which they supported while on a US tour with Mastodon. Three more albums followed in the late ‘00s amid various lineup changes, but lead singers Philip Cope and Laura Pleasents have remained constants. For their sixth album, 2013’s Ultraviolet, the band built on their aggressive, hazy sound with even darker elements, a welcome change that has fans eager to catch their ominous and ever-evolving brand of psych-metal on tour.
