Kaonashi - Vetus Et Novum vinyl boxset
“I tried my hardest to forgive and forget, but all I know is resent and regret”
The time has come. The gorillas have collaborated with Wax Vessel to bring you the early years of trendsetting pioneers Kaonashi. If you were a fan of Chugcore or heavier music in general, you know these releases and how much impact they had. Look at a release like Native, a release that is available for the first time in 13 years. This shows the inklings of Kaonashi that we know today. We have the beginning of the Exit saga, the blossoming of a sound that would resonate for so long. We also get the beginning of the signature screams and lyricism from powerhouse Peter Rono. A song like The Basics shows Rono blending perfectly with the guitars in a way not many bands could, even back then. There’s a reason why the CD sold on Discogs for $1,000. There’s talent spread all across its 11 minute runtime, and its re-recording will have you fall in love with Native all over again.
We then have Ex-Prayers, the fan favorite that packs a mighty punch. Ex-Prayers shows the band expanding on their sound in the best way. The breakdowns are heavier, the chords are prettier and twinkly, the mathy elements are popping out. The instrumentation is stepped up due to the masterful drumming from Ryan Paolilli in tracks like Drift and Flow. We even got a feature from Patrick Somoulay (ex-Reflections) on the title track. The bands grown up a bit, and the Kaonashi sound we’d see on their later works is starting to become more clear. This experimentation and growth is best shown with the hauntingly beautiful My Life Fell Apart and the title track. My Life Fell Apart is a stunning electronic interlude while Ex-Prayers has Somoulay mesh with Ronos lyrics and powerful vocals in such an impactful way. You can feel it when Rono screams “Everybody's happy but me, everyone has someone but me. My life is a lose, lose, lose, lose, lose situation”. It makes it that much more relatable, and what makes a band like Kaonashi a band so special.
We close it out with everyone’s favorite release, Never Home. This split with the legends in Sabella was THE trendsetter. You know the house on the cover, you know The Depressive Spectrum. Kaonashi finally had their sound, and they striked with Sabella at the perfect moment. Rono is at his most emotional and powerful thus far, Alex Hallquist has the guitars at its most diverse. Pao's drumming is at an all time high, pairing with Hallquist perfectly while they show how they can persuade restraint and power in the instrumentation. There’s a reason why this split had the effect it had, and its influence is still heard in music today. This is the release that showed that Kaonashi was going to be a force to be reckoned with. Never Home is iconic for a reason, but you already knew that if you’re here. This box set is a love letter to the beginning of one of the most powerful and divisive bands in its genre. Before you had I Hate The Sound Of Car Keys and the Lemon House Saga, we had Native, Ex-Prayers, and Never Home. This is a labor of love, and you will understand once you get it. Buy one while you still can so you can hear the re-recordings and experience these masterpieces for the first time again. Believe us, you won’t regret it.
DUE TO THE NATURE AND GRAVITY OF THE AMOUNT OF LABOR INVOLVED IN THE PRODUCTION OF THIS BOXSET, IT POSSIBLY WILL BE SET TO SHIP HOPEFULLY BEGINNING OF Q2 2027, FINGERS CROSSED IT DOESN'T TAKE THAT LONG.
