Kaonashi

All Ages
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Kaonashi’s music is difficult to define. It combines death metal growling, unexpected time changes and technical flourishes that bring to mind nineties metalcore legends like Coalesce and The Dillinger Escape Plan. However, there isn’t anything dated about the band’s sound—and in fact, there’s something inherently progressive about the Philadelphia trio’s unique brand of music. This is exemplified on songs like the eerie “Fairmount Park After Dark,” which is as evil-sounding as it is energetic and showcases the act at the height of their powers. Although the act was started by vocalist Peter Rono and guitarist/vocalist Alex Hallquist in 2012, things really solidified for Kaonashi in 2016 when drummer Ryan “Pao” Paolilli joined the band and they started touring all over the country, eventually gaining the interest of Equal Vision Records who released the band’s sophomore full-length Dear Lemon House, You Ruined Me: Senior Year in 2021.
The band’s new album, I Want To Go Home. is a follow-up Dear Lemon House, You Ruined Me: Senior Year and the second part of a series that started with that album. “‘Confusion in a Car Crash’ and ‘Fairmount Park After Dark’ open the new album and really set the tone for what the album is going to entail,” Rono says of the album’s first two singles, which were released in February and show the band taking their metallic and melodic tendencies to new heights that defy categorization. “[Conceptually], this album answers any questions anyone has ever had about the story,” he continues, adding that the band’s 2024 EP collection The 3 Faces Of Beauty: A Violent Misinterpretation Of Morgan Montgomery/A Second Chance At Forever: The Brilliant Lies From Casey Diamond, helps further expand on this compelling narrative.
“The new album is the conclusion but we’re taking it from the beginning, Tarantino-style and it’s about Taylor witnessing the catalyst for the entire story, which is the counselor killing Jackie with the blood red Camry,” Rono explains. “Taylor sees that and tries to run away from the counselor in fear and the music was written specifically to reflect that: It was written to be heavy, chaotic and overwhelming.” Correspondingly, the aforementioned album opener “Confusion in a Car Crash” is a moody meditation featured detuned guitars, electronic flourishes and a hypnotic groove while “Red Sink, Yellow Teeth” sees Rono alternately shrieking and screaming as his voices try to keep up with the mathcore-inspired riffing. Although there are plenty of blistering breakdowns on the album, the chaos is tempered by “J.A.M.I.E.” a sweetly syncopated respite from the brutality that features an acoustic interlude and angelic vocals from Anthony Green (Circa Survive, LS Dunes).