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Benjamin Kyle has lived a lot of lives. He’s been a musician, a stuntman, an interior designer and decorator and an occult investigator, to offer a truncated list. It’s hard not to be impressed by the sheer force of will it takes to throw oneself so completely into each one of those lives. That indomitable spirit and desire to create is immediately apparent in the music of his band, Oblivea. As Kyle said of Oblivea’s 2024 record, Immortal, “I spent about 200 hours on that record, that’s the commitment…sometimes if I start recording, I don’t stop until, like, four in the morning. You’re in that mode and you don’t want to stop.”
Oblivea is on the cusp of a big year. On the heels of their latest single,“Misery,” the band is set to embark on an ambitious tour in 2026. “We’re going to be doing about 40 shows coming up this year throughout the country and throughout the world,” said Kyle. Joining him is a coterie of Oblivea’s “Elite Warriors” (per their website), including guitarists Steve Cummings and Zephyr Roads, bassists Phil Witz and Ben Chapman and drummer Ryche Green. Not everyone will be sharing the stage at the same time – band members will sub in and out based on location and availability – but Kyle has every confidence in the full outfit he’s put together and is adamant that the Oblivea experience will consistently satisfy audiences regardless of the exact makeup of the band at each show.
Kyle is a consummate showman and, in some ways, a little old fashioned. As the world of rock n’ roll leans further toward a simpler, more “DIY” aesthetic, Kyle believes firmly in the importance of stage presence to a compelling rock show. “We’re not a grunge band hitting the stage and playing the guitar,” he said. “We’re going to hit the stage with interesting lighting, fog, and projection screens to give it that three-dimensional feel.
Approaching heavy music (and themes) with Hope
While the band’s aesthetic – much of their branding is saturated with blacks and reds and emblazoned with sharp, occasionally occult-like imagery – might suggest to some a darker tone in sound and lyrics, Oblivea touches on a wide range of topics, both light and heavy. Kyle sees his role as spreading honesty and positivity through his music. “That’s kind of always been my thought process. I want to be a positive message bringer. I mean, we might talk about some negative things, but at the end of the day, the end of the song, it’s supposed to be a positive.”
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He was talking specifically about one of the best examples of this juxtaposition – “One More Try.” Inspired by his own struggles, it touches on themes of self-hatred, despair, and self-harm, tempers it with a resolve to keep going and ultimately ends on something approaching hope. The music is suitably heavy, leaning into the metal side of their sound, but is also infused with echoing, water-like processing on the vocals and guitar motif to reinforce the water imagery prevalent throughout the song. The track’s tone changes after Kyle’s gentler requests to “please give me one more try” ratchet up to a primal scream. It follows with an expansive bridge, a triumphant guitar solo and a final repetition of the chorus. The message is clear: the song’s subject may have been through darkness, but they’ve come out the other side with a will to live on – to make the most of their “one more try.” Reinforcing that message of hope to those who have also found themselves at what feels like rock bottom, Kyle said simply, “Life ain’t over. It’s not over. You just reach out and call somebody.”
Another topic Kyle returns to often is support for the US’ troops as an Army veteran himself. He highlighted that each album Oblivea has released so far has one song dedicated to the troops and is meant as a reminder of the role they play in protecting our freedoms. Elaborating, he said “that way you know I support the troops in the military. I love our military, like I said you know, thank you guys for keeping us free.”
What’s next for Ben Kyle?
On top of Oblivea’s 2026 tour – which, not for nothing, is a herculean effort all its own – Kyle is bringing his unflagging work ethic to several upcoming albums, with number four, titled Awakened, already in the can and number five well into recording, both set to be released through Empire Records. The single following “Misery,” entitled “Drown,” is coming soon, as well.
As if that weren’t enough, he’s also got irons in a wide range of other fires. In addition to Oblivea, Kyle and his fiancee, Kristen Lindsey, are working on a reality program, entitled The Unseen, as well as a separate music project steeped in the dark wave genre typified by artists like Joy Division and Depeche Mode. An article could span pages and still barely touch on what Kyle’s creative spirit has pointed him towards and what it continues to drive him forward. Benjamin Kyle lives a lot of lives; and every single one to the fullest.
