The latter half of the fall music release season is undoubtedly filled with greatest hits albums and b-sides/rarities collections. The key to standing above the rest is to have an album such as Kylesa’s recently released From The Vaults, Vol. 1 stand on par with some of your best work. Whether you got into Kylesa through recent gems like Static Tensions of Spiral Shadow or were there from the beginning, there’s no doubt you’ll like something on From The Vaults, Vol. 1.
Besides featuring the all new track “End Truth” (Which serves as a teaser until the new studio album arrives in 2013), From The Vaults, Vol. 1 boasts rarities, b-sides, and alternate takes meticulously chosen by the band and arranged to create a cohesive album on its own and not some random collection of old songs. Phillip Cope and Laura Pleasants sound just as vicious on earlier recordings as they do on Kylesa’s most recent outings (Just listen to “Between Sound And Silence II” or “Inverse”) while elsewhere the band tackle a Pink Floyd song (“Set The Controls for the Heart of the Sun”) and tread Melvins territory with “Drained”.
In the end From The Vaults, Vol. 1 reiterates what fans have know all along about Savannah, Georgia’s finest sludge rockers: their sound may be ever expanding but that edge will always remain.
From The Vaults, Vol. 1 is out now through Season Of Mist.
Grade: A