History & Biography Formed by former members of the crossover band Damad, who added singer and guitarist Pleasants, Kylesa has been active between 2001 and 2016 and again as of 2024. Damad became active again in 2016 and Phillip Cope was in. From the start, the band pushed the commonplace “push our own boundaries” mantra asserting no allegiance to metal or anything else.
The act issued a 7” called Point Of Stillness through Prank Records in 2002. This was backed with a cover version of The Accüsed’s song Judgement Day from the More Fun Than An Open Casket Funeral! album of 1987. The line-up here was singer and guitarist Laura Pleasants, singer and guitarist Phillip Cope, bassist Brian Duke and drummer Christian Depken. The drummer had picked the band’s monicker. The self-titled album was released in 2002. Duke had died of an epileptic seizure during the album’s recording in 2001. The album was dedicated to him. The artwork had come from Pushead who had worked for Maximum Rock & Roll magazine. The issuing label, Prank Records, was managed by a writer for the same publication. A Michael Redmond contributed bass to the record. The group opened for Mastodon. Kylesa and a band called Memento Mori shared a split in 2002. There was another split with an act called Cream Abdul Babar the year after. The band had played its first gig with Cream Abdul Babar in 2001. A 2004 EP featured yet another cover version, this time a song called Clutches by Nausea. The act switched over to Prosthetic Records for To Walk A Middle Course. Corey Barhorst was on bass. Brandon Baltzley was on drums. Time Will Fuse Its Worth featured again new members, this time two drummers, namely Carl McGinley and Jeff Porter. Kylesa appeared on an Eyehategod trite album. Static Tensions disposed of the notion that the band has a bass player. Someone called Javier Villegas was a guest bass player. Cope produced again. Corey Barhorst would join Black Tusk later, which was a band Cope had produced previously. The group was booked for Japan in 2009 and signed to Season Of Mist in the spring of 2010.
Spiral Shadow had the band on Season Of Mist. Nothing if consistent, the band introduced drummer Tyler Newberry. The group toured as openers for High On Fire. The band appeared at Hellfest in 2011 and again in 2014. 2012 had the band at Wacken and Brutal Assault while touring the USA as an opener for Gwar. Ultraviolet introduced Eric Hernandez on drums. We told you the band is consistent. Safe to say that Mr. Hernandez was not putting money down for a mortgage given the level of his job security although he was on bass briefly as well. The record was supported through a video for the song Unspoken and a US tour with Pinkish Black and Sierra. Violitionist Sessions was the title for a 2013 demo. The band had set up its own Retro Futurist imprint and toured Europe with bands on the concern, namely Sierra and Jagged Vision. The Live Studio Improvisation 3.7.14 demo featured drummer Edley O'Dowd. Australian & New Zealand Tour 2014 was next. Exhausting Fire was on Season Of Mist again, but the band was down to one drummer, still no bassist and someone called Andrew J. Ripley playing something called an oboe. The group was booked for Psycho California Festival 2015 alongside the likes of Eyehategod and SubRosa. Next was a tour with Cult Of Luna. An announcement of an indefinite hiatus came in April of 2016. Nonetheless, Record Store Day 2017 brought Live At Maida Vale Studios.
Sludge metal band, Kylesa announced a return to performing live in 2024, starting at the 2025 edition of Roadburn, following an absence of ten years. The first North American show was at Toronto, Canada’s Prepare The Ground 2025. The group was also booked for Inferno Festival 2025. Two new members, drummer Roy Mayorga (Ministry, Hellyeah, Stone Sour and ex-Nausea) and John John Jesse (also ex-Nausea) on bass, were announced in 2025.
The band’s monicker is inspired by ‘Kleshas’, which is a Buddhist notion denoting a state of the mind that clouds one’s judgement.
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