Philip Cope has been described as the Savannah “metal scene’s godfather.”] He began playing in hardcore punk groups in the late 1980s, and in 1992 booked groups such as Buzzoven and Neurosis at a local all-ages club. From 1993 to 2001, Cope played in the group Damad. Pat Mathis of the Passive Fist label said that Damad “established a sound that’s stuck — that whole heavy, doomy Southern kind of metal. When you’ve got these old punk guys who listen to the Allman Brothers and start a metal band, that’s kind of what you get.” Damad changed their name to Kylesa in 2001 with the addition of Laura Pleasants.