Kylesa Appreciation! (Update: 5/13/2016)

Update (5/13/2016): Though my older blog post showcased Kylesa and their newest album, Exhausting Fire, the band has announced that they have taken an indefinite hiatus. It's unfortunate news for a band that has been quite inspirational, intertwining genres to construct a sound all their own. As of right now, the band has no plans to reconvene, but this will be updated again if anything changes. For now, please check out their discography as well as their record label, Retro Futurist, which showcases a number of unique bands.

Original post:

A band with an inspirational run of albums, Georgia-based metal band Kylesa are preparing for the release of their seventh studio album (eighth if you include their From The Vaults, Vol. 1 compilation). Their new record, titled Exhausting Fire, releases on October 2 via Season Of Mist. The new track, Lost And Confused is a good representation of where Kylesa are now: Heavy, melodic, and hypnotic, with flourishes of psychedelia. The two pillars of the band, Laura Pleasants and Phillip Cope, showcase their singing chops here more than ever, focusing on delivering their haunting vocals in a smoother, yet familiar fashion.

Every Kylesa album contains a theme, representing different human emotions, and Exhausting Fire is no different. While Ultraviolet dealt with loss, the new record deals with the themes of rebirth and rebuilding toward a greater whole. This kind of approach is what makes Kylesa a truly special band. Not just because they assign themes to their music, but because you can feel these human conditions as you traverse through their songs. Ultimately, at its core, that’s what music needs to do: allow someone to feel something.

This is why I’m showing appreciation for this lovely band. They’ve been through arduous touring schedules, album cycles, and personal struggles, which had them re-evaluate what they wanted to do and where they wanted to go. After contemplating their own reasons for forging onward as a band, they are ready to move on and produce another record. A record that will add to the legacy of an already inspirational band. They may not be the household name for metal, but they are making a name for themselves as one of the more unique bands to emerge in the last 15 years.