Though Kylesa has released seven proper albums since forming in 2001, Exhausting Fire is the fourth—and best—installment of what will hopefully one day be recognized as the finest thing going in the forward-thinking heavy underground. (From metal to authentic heaviness without any metal to a gazillion points throughout.) Since the release of 2009’s Static Tensions, Kylesa has trafficked in a wholly original utilization of massive burliness via riffs and teeth-rattling heaviness; tastefully applied psych elements; the most infectious of hooks (guitar and vocal anchor Laura Pleasants is the primary source of this crucial attribute) that recall the greatest examples of ’90s downbeat indie-rock excellence; frequent forays into tribal and polyrhythmic drumming that somehow double as the perfect framework for the heaviest pop band on the planet; and an immediately identifiable—not to mention emotionally impactful—male/female approach (not always within the same song, however) to the venerable vocal dichotomy of ferocious and visceral played against hauntingly beautiful. If Exhausting Fire emerges from the looming “best of 2015” listicle-orgy as a dominating presence, then music journalism might survive another year.
—Andrew Earles
