Review: Born from the ashes of the pandemic, anime intro inspired Atlanta post-hardcore rock band, Cascadent, delivers their debut album Telemetry.

From the ashes of tumultuous change and the pandemic, rises a phoenix in the shape of The Bebop. Atlanta post-hardcore band Cascadent has been a local staple for many in need of a break from your run-of-the-mill barre chord rockers. Guitarist Jonathan Lee spent the better part of the pandemic quite literally locked in his bedroom. However, it wasn’t just the various intros on Crunchyroll being blasted from the hallway. Jonathan was collecting vital signals from the aether and crafting them into what we now know as Cascadent’s debut album, “Telemetry”.

On this LP, we are transported to a cell-shaded universe where the rose-tinted shades have fallen off. The first two songs give you this raucous start, gripping you immediately into their centrifuge of riffs. For all the shoegazers out there, this is a rocket-fueled journey of proficiency to take if you want to get better at your instrument or quit.  Vocalist Bradley Pallone and bassist Sam “Jam” Mecum couple their voices with a Richard Linklater-esque screenplay of lyrics, providing an open-ended display of the way technology has silently influenced human nature; a theme present in most of the work. What hasn’t been present in previous songs is the added vocals of Mecum and Lee. He presents himself with call and response screams which add nicely to an already crowded composition. Jonathan Lee also provides vocals in Korean, a beautiful touch to the single “Broken Waves”.

The most Cascadent song on the record goes to “Playground Parachute”. From the beginning, you hear everything that makes this band what it is. Punchy, funk driven guitar riffs from the dangerous combo of Lee and Jonah Volk. Athletic drum grooves from Sam Freeman. Smoothly operated vocals from Bradley Pallone. This track is the epitome of tension and release in almost a cartoonish sense. For anyone hearing this band for the first time, it’s the best way to understand why they need to open up your favorite anime. The mixing effort from producer Corey Bautista is unmatched and shows why he is a go-to for many of the great new progressive rock acts today.  

“Telemetry” was written and recorded over a five-year span and seemingly breaks from the “swancore” comparisons that follow the group around. While the rhythmic similarities from bands like Dance Gavin Dance and Hail The Sun are prevalent, Cascadent provides a more mature, but nostalgic aspect to their writing. The record includes features from other local favorites such as Michael “Soup” Campbell from Satyr, Chase Sammons from Grudgestep/Battle of Heart and Mind, and yours truly. It was truly an honor to be in the opening iterations of this group and the outro to this album. One true lesson is to be learned from this record. When Jonathan’s door is locked and the amplifier is screaming– turn around and let the man cook.