Kylesa
Time Will Fuse Its Worth

Getting to know the Kylesa was like being hit in the teeth with a cobblestone. If you're not into sludge, if you don't understand the hardcore beatings of the band from Savannah (Georgia, United States), then you can't fully savor the distorted and magmatic sound that the group has managed to create since their self-titled debut, even with its ups and downs.

The splendid "desert" cover opens the doors to what is the third full-length effort of the combo: "Time Will Fuse Its Worth" saw the light in 2006, under the blessing of the label Prosthetic (the same one that discovered another interesting band like Scale The Summit).

2005 was the year of "To Walk a Middle Course," and compared to that album, Time Will Fuse Its Worth raises the stakes, elevates the power. There is a predominance of that "muddy" and highly aggressive sound that was not as present in past works. However, this renewed power coincides with some ideas that seem to be a bit tangled.

Starting with the positive notes, one cannot help but highlight the work done behind the microphone by Laura Pleasants (also guitar), who, when called upon, proves to be more important than she was in "To Walk a Middle Course." Her voice appears more aggressive and unrefined, well blended with the landslide of riffs that the group unleashes. An early warning comes out with "What Becomes an End," where Pleasants and Phillip Cope's guitars build impenetrable soundtracks, repeated again in the subsequent "Hollow Severer." It is with the next two "Where the Horizon Unfolds" and "Between Silence and Sound" that the combo's class emerges: the first starts with an unexpected reflective touch before bursting into the usual magma-filled riffs, just like the second, which makes variety its strength.

So if up to mid-album it holds its own against any past work and even seems to present itself as the best, in the second half of the CD, the old problems resurface: "Intermission" doesn't convince, "Ignore Anger" seems to spiral into itself without a clear focal point, probably due to inexperience. In the end, after this brief (but intense) muddy outpouring of at times thrash and at times sludge riffs, always with hardcore hints, there is a realization from the listener that although Kylesa put all their courage and great desire to make a name for themselves into Time Will Fuse Its Worth, there isn't yet full maturity, there isn't yet the full achievement of the strength and compositional class that the band will still manage to earn as they continue their work.

It's not enough just to have ferocity and riffs dialed up to a thousand to deliver a record that can be remembered as a masterpiece: too many contemporary bands have clung to this superficial vision of music, particularly in the metal domain. Beyond the willpower, beyond the musician's attitude, what's especially needed is a new freshness in producing ideas. Too many artists, too many scenes have spiraled into themselves, offering no novelty. The horizon line of global metal appears liquid, watered down by a sensation of stasis that has now become almost standard for everyone. Unfortunately, Time Will Fuse Its Worth also appears static.

1. "Intro" (0:35)
2. "What Becomes An End" (4:02)
3. "Hollow Severer" (4:13)
4. "Where The Horizon Unfolds" (4:53)
5. "Between Silence And Sound" (6:18)
6. "Intermission" (2:01)
7. "Identity Defined" (3:21)
8. "Ignore Anger" (5:17)
9. "The Warning" (6:26)
10. "Outro" (2:23)