Knocked Loose’s “You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To” Introduces New Trends to the Metalcore Scene
The Metalcore band, Knocked Loose, has been gaining more and more attention over the last couple of years. Originally from Louisville, KY, they have garnered the attention of fans and critics worldwide. Making appearances at major festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Lollapalooza, Knocked Loose is now taking that energy all over the US for their headline tour. The tour is a must-see, with other hardcore heavy hitters on the support lineup like Loathe, Show Me The Body, and Speed. At the beginning of May, Knocked Loose released their fourth Album You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To to the world. The album turned heads with the 10-song tracklist filled with a flow of consistent, and new sounds.
The opening track “Thirst” lures the listener in with an eerie drag of clashing sounds, leaving only seconds to turn up the volume. Almost immediately after, you hear a breath from frontman Bryan Garris as he vocalizes on top of heavy inexplicable sounds – creating a chaotic sonic landscape Garris even said himself that this is an album of “anxiety-inducing” music. You Won’t… begins to pull its listeners into conflicting feelings of grief and security as the album moves onto its next track, “Piece by Piece''. This track features vocals that have garnered mass praise for their unique high pitch and range of horror-esque screams.
Each track introduces a new variety of drums by Kevin Kaine, a legato of two steps that follow in with thundering guitar riffs by Nicko Calderon. Keeping the anxious pace, we immediately transition into the third single off the album, “Suffocate,” featuring Poppy. Considering the Metalcore scene is heavily male-dominated, having an alternative/rock female vocalist on such a heavy track is an exciting twist, proving her voice flows flawlessly into Knocked Loose’s signature sound. While this track has been pretty divisive, we find Poppy’s feature to be important to the culture – the wrath from her belting scream that closes out the song can be felt by all and aids in her exploration of genre-bending.
The next three tracks include the second single, “Don’t Reach For Me,” which fans have been enjoying since the beginning of April. As they continue to push the sounds of each instrument beyond their sonic limit, bassist Kevin Otten, in particular, shines. After the shrill first 40 seconds, we hear what could only be considered as one of the greatest come-down moments of all time. The ending of “Moss Covers All” fades into the build-up of “Take Me Home”. After the build-up, Issac Hale and Garris sing a special lyric - “I thought I could run, but I’m not as strong as I thought I was.” This line provides a feeling of fear and reflection of one’s actions as the song progresses into the breakdown lyrics, “Take me Home. Forget.”
Knocked Loose knows how to keep their fans engaged, giving listeners only quick breaks and mere moments to catch their breath, yet the band has the stamina to come back quickly with their classic clash and clatter. A big highlight on the album is their track “Slaughterhouse Pt. 2”, featuring frontman Chris Motionless from the band, Motionless in White. For long-term listeners of Knocked Loose, this track is a callback to when Garris was featured on MIW’s track “Slaughterhouse” in 2022. The Motionless frontman displayed his full vocal range in exciting ways that surprised audiences.
One of the final tracks on the album, “The Calm That Keeps You Awake,” begins with a short, pulsating beat before drawing us into the lyrics that force the listener to ask themselves: “What is the calm that keeps me going?” As “anxiety-inducing” as it may sound to others, this emotionally heavier genre can be what brings peace to its listeners. Continuing with the theme of processing grief, the second to last track, “Blinding Faith,” (originally released as the album’s first single) provides a perfect closure to this gut-wrenchingly emotional journey.
“Blinding Faith” proves Knocked Loose can flip a genre, but still produce music that delivers their signature aggravated sound. Listening closely to the record, you can pick up on the connections made within the music. Garris himself spoke on how even though this album has a very religious image, “it is not anti-religious nor religious.” Instead, it represents the light that follows us and the control that outside forces can have on a person's actions. If you pay close attention, there are several connections to one’s personal life and struggles within the album. “You Won’t Go…” almost forces listeners to reflect on the things they can and cannot control, and how they impact you.
The album closes out with “Sit and Mourn”, encouraging listeners to savor their time left, leaving room to reflect on the album’s heavy themes. The energy is just buzzing around you like a fly you’ve grown to ignore, closely resembling those feelings you may not know how to control. Before being overwhelmed with heavy percussive sounds one last time, the final lines “Why’d you leave? I feel like I’ve failed” leave us in awe of how Knocked Loose was able to encapsulate the perception of rage in grief so perfectly.
Though I have such a connection to their past hits like “God Knows”, which is off the heavy-hitting LP preceding this album, A Tear in the Fabric of Life which shaped them into the band they are now, I am very pleased with what they have created on this record.
Check out this gallery from our photographer Jackilyn Cooper, who was able to capture them for their hometown show at MegaCorp Pavillon in Kentucky! I am also about to see them for the second time in Pittsburgh. We highly recommend taking a chance with the hardcore realm and seeing how you can connect with Knocked Loose as they continue to grow in the metal scene. If you can catch them on their current tour, we promise you won’t regret it.