Oh, Kylesa..! What an awesome band! How unique, unpredictable and variable!Their second full-length release, "To Walk Middle Course", has recently been my personal favorite and I feel like getting a kind of addicted to it. Although I've been a fan of the band for almost two years, this is the first time I feel this way, and, damn, it feels right!
In this effort Kylesa combine their early hardcore-punk influences along with sludge and doom elements.Also, you can come across with some traces of psychedelia, especially during the seconds
of ambience between each song, something that makes the album flow better. At that particular point of their career Kylesa used to have a single drummer, however the drumwork on this album is pretty solid and does not lack of anything, really heavy percussion. The riffing is amazingly creative and unique in some tracks, such as the uber-catchy opening riff of "Eyes Closed from Birth". Others are bleak and slow, like the intro of "Motion and Presence" and "Phantoms". Of course, some DOOM passages are always present as well as beatdowns.Vocalwise, I have really fallen in love with Laura's vocals (or rather screams?) on this album. She appears like being the "man" of this band, since her vocal approach is so harsh and hardcore influenced. That takes guts. As for the guys' vocal attempts I prefer more the deep guttural growls of the bassist (although I'm not sure if that's him) than the let's-say-singing of the other guitarist, which I consider the only drawback of this album.
The lyrics..I really like them, even though they're not audible sometimes. As I said above I love Laura's vocal parts and apart from her style, that's because of the lyrics.
"The air rolls through me
Only to cultivate fog
We're smothered with blackened lungs
An internal smog
Have you ever known fear?
Have you ever felt fault?
Have you ever felt something?
Did you ever seem lost?" ( In Memory )
Simply stunning! In general, the lyrical themes on this album, just like in their entire career, vary from personal issues and inner struggles to abstract thoughts.
Ten songs, a total running time of 40 minutes. Could be an enjoyable listen for everybody as the majority of the songs are kind of short and keep far from getting bored or something. I would recommend it to anyone keen on hardcore-punk influenced sludge metal and generally a fan of experimentation, cause these guys really tend to experiment a damn lot.
Standout tracks: "In Memory", "Fractured", "Motion and Presence", "Eyes Closed at Birth", "Phantoms"
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