’…a record that defies all expectations, and elevates Knocked Loose from cult icons to true modern legends…’
This record feels important.
A bold statement to start a review with, but this is a bold album we’re dealing with here. For Knocked Loose, the path to this point has been anything but ordinary; a hardcore band achieving TikTok virality, a Coachella performance, and mainstream media attention is unheard of. Knocked Loose, much like the hardcore scene in general, is not an outfit here to appeal to the masses, but instead provide aggressive sonic catharsis, and defy societal expectations in the process.
Therefore, it is easy to imagine a world in which their third record is a divisive one, or perhaps a total failure, catering to their newfound popularity and softening their edges down to form something more marketable. Thankfully, that universe is not the one we live in, and instead we are treated to Knocked Loose’s violent magnum opus, ‘You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To’.
At only 27 minutes long, it is easy to fear that this record is one lacking in substance and creativity, but that could not be further from the truth. This is a blistering, unsettling, and cohesive experience that pushes Knocked Loose to new extremes; the Kentucky five-piece sound more ferocious than ever, grappling with grief, religion, depression, betrayal, and pure, unadulterated aggression.
Lead singles for the album, ‘Blinding Faith’ and ‘Don’t Reach For Me’, both see the band experimenting more with a verse-chorus-verse structure, yet bending it to fit their style as opposed to watering down their tone. Rejection of the church runs deep on the former track, with Bryan Garris declaring ‘With my final breath/I deny the church’ atop percussion that thunders like some unholy marching anthem, and frantic, frenzied guitars. The claustrophobia of rural bible-belt Americana, encapsulated via sonic panic attack.
’Suffocate’ is another track that possesses a more accessible structure, yet again does not relent in how furious Knocked Loose sound. A stellar vocal performance from Poppy dominates the second verse, perfectly suiting the eerie undertones that accompanies the aggression of this record. The syncopated breakdown in the back half of the track is wholly unexpected, yet brilliantly fun to behold, marked by the gunshot snare of Kevin Kaine.
It is beyond these already fantastic singles, however, where the record truly becomes something special. ‘Take Me Home’ is an unsettling affair that bristles with a horrific tension, as the instrumentals here take on an amorphous nature that leans a little more into noise and drone than one might expect. ‘The Calm That Keeps You Awake’ is a delirious nu-metal tinged beast, with bouncing percussive rhythms laying beneath jagged guitar riffs, and a slick, swaggering breakdown in the climax of the track.
The entirety of this record, every ounce of its raw and domineering aggression, is perfectly capped off with the powerful, despairing closer, ‘Sit & Mourn’, as Garris reckons with his grief. It’s an impressive performance, with his screamed vocals now carrying more sorrow than anger, yet losing none of their potency; ‘I pulled from the root and found more blood/This life can bе way too much’ he confesses, painting the aggression of this record as almost seeping from the open wound that is grief. It’s a beautiful, intense, and heartbreaking moment, and one that signifies that Knocked Loose are truly something special.
As previously mentioned, it could have been easy for Knocked Loose to soften their image for this record. It also could have been easy for them to maintain their own status quo; a record of pure, mindless aggression. Instead, they chose to push themselves artistically like never before; the anger is focused, ruminated upon, and delivered with a divine, rapturous purpose. This is Knocked Loose clawing at the insides of their own skulls, demanding an answer for what any of this painful existence even means.
That is why this in an important record. In the face of unexpected pressure, ‘You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To’ is a record that defies all expectations, and elevates Knocked Loose from cult icons to true modern legends. This is not just a huge moment for the band, but the hardcore scene, opening up to the world in all of its beautifully ugly glory; the pit’s not for anybody, but it is for everybody, and door is open for you to join.
RATING: 91/100 – Excellent
For Fans Of: Speed, Headbussa, Dreamwell, Frail Body, Show Me The Body
Physical copies of the album are available to purchase here.
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