Hardcore is a genre I have a lot of love for. Black Flag, Misfits, Suicidal Tendencies, - the list goes on. Knocked Loose, known for the insane track 'Counting Worms' are back with a brand new album, which, clocking in at only 27 minutes, may have the timings of an EP, but when it's boasting features from Poppy and Chris Motionless you can't help but be intrigued. I've heard good things online, so I'm thoroughly looking forward to hearing this one through. Without further adue, here is my track by track breakdown and review of the latest record by Knocked Loose:
(Album Art - Knocked Loose 2024)
1. Thirst - 1:46
This track opens with a soundscape that sounds straight out of a Saw film. And that drop hits insanely hard, and once you get over the initial shock of it all, the guitar pitch is sublime. The vocals as well, moving from the nasal screams to the guttural bellows, it's majorly impressive. It's a song that really churns, if you catch my drift. The drums are nice and heavy, ladened with double kick bass drums and chugging bass that keeps that insane pace clocking over nicely - my 'oof' face was on firmly during a lot of this track. Then, it switches up on a dime, going at almost half pace, with some really sweeping guitar and deep meaty bass. It's a little brief sure, but a great way to open.
2. Piece by Piece - 2:51
Another slamming opener here, but all parts chaotic and brilliant. The little addition in the drum beat of the bell on the ride cymbal add some insane depth to the opening that is so so good. The vocals are good, a little one dimensional in this opener, but again the layered gutturals are a really nice added texture. This song bleeds hardcore, in the pace of the drums, the slicing guitar, and the insane pace it grinds at. What I love about this one is that it makes you wait for those insane drops, and you find yourself loving the build, and revelling in the insane drops. Again this one hits another half-time section, and it's fucking awesome once again. A little similar to the first, sure, but nonetheless another sick track.
3. Suffocate (ft.Poppy) - 2:44
A song that bleeds from the one before? Fuck yes Knocked Loose, a band after my heart. And the way it's counted in by the drums in the last track, with the guitar riff building and the toms before the breakdown, woof. I find in these tracks that I'm not really listening to the vocals as much - it's the instrumentation I'm really marvelling at. The way the vocals are mirrored by the guitar and drum fills is a really cool addition to this track. Poppy also adds some really cool features to the vocals, and her higher pitch really adds to the arguably one sided vocal delivery of Bryan Garris. But the guitar chugs, the breakdown sections are insanely good, and it really feels like the sound of this record is being funneled into a really concise sound that I can't help but enjoy.
4. Don't Reach for Me - 3:45
The bend in the guitar riff on this one is so good to hear. Not only does it feel like a nice bit of texture in the mix, but it helps when a lot of the riffage in the earlier songs that feel a little more like 'open drop D string over and over again'. Again the build up hits, and this one with such a rapid drum beat that really crushes, it makes this song stand out amongst the crowd. The breakdowns are awesome, and they seme to keep on nailing them as the songs continue. However, I do have to say that although instrumentally this one has some really awesome layers, I can hear some lead guitar and almost industrial sound effects, I am kind of bored of the vocals by now. The lead singer seems to sing extremes at one tone and in one style, and when these songs are so tight in that Hardcore pocket, you feel like something a touch different is needed in the vocals department. However, the bass centric and stripped back bridge is fucking inspired, and sounds awesome with that oddly reverbed guitar that hits right back into another insane breakdown. The stank face was out again for this final breakdown, it rips, and even though I'd like a little more form the vocals, the sound and instrumentation is spot on.
5. Moss Covers All - 0:43
An insane interlude here, that kicks up at an insane pace and continues to run and run and run. It's a little samey again, with the silence for the vocals, but hits a really cool section that capitalises on the gutturals, which I really like. Short, sweet, to the point.
6. Take Me Home - 2:15
The odd guitar in the opener and tapped sticks is a brilliant build up. And with that insane down-tuned bass in the background? I'm in. The strip back to the sticks is so fucking cool, and this new spoken word vocal delivery is exactly what I asked for when I meant I needed something new. It heads into an awesome chorus section with that guitar sitting just in the back of the mix, and is a really threatening presence. This song bleeds in something new that this record needs, and has a super industrial soundscape built into it. It's chaotic, and insane, and hard to keep a hold of, but it's a nice left turn. The end however, and that left turn into an old ass song? Not my cup of tea. Feels like an odd change to be chucking at the end of a track that worked to hard to build and be eerie, and kinda kills the mood dead.
7. Slaughterhouse 2 (ft. Chris Motionless) - 3:03
This one sounds evil on the opening. What I will say is that this music is punishing. No one is making music this insanely heavy, and I love that it has it's own identity carved out into the Hardcore sound. This one again capitalises on that pace, going from an insane crushing chug to a dope halftime speed. There's more variation in this ones sound that I really enjoy, and the Chris Motionless feature is really powerful. It's a really good song, full of some awesome tiny features, like some ride bell, stick taps and other industrial sounds that give this song an insane depth and heaviness that fucking kicks ass. Plus, the call back to the 'one mutilation' line? Chefs kiss.
8. The Calm that Keeps you Away - 2:41
When this track kicked in I genuinely thought in the opener I had accidentally clicked onto a Korn track. It has that real Nu-Metal play in it that I really love, before once again it slams into its regular insane pace. The drums slam, the bass and guitar absolutely slaps once again. I have to say that the low end of the mix on these tracks is insanely impressive. And the way it brings back those stick taps from the opener is absolutely genius. The gutturals are back in this one and I love to hear it, and the halftime breakdown is so fucking good - with the scraped guitar and open hi-hat groove, I was thoroughly enjoying myself.
9. Blinding Faith - 2:51
Again there's this Korn-esque opener here that I love, with clapping and stick taps, and this awesome industrial undercurrent. Their sound is super cool, and in this latter end of the record is really pulling out all the stops. It's almost like the first half was 'here's what we were' and this one is 'and now look at the insane shit we can do now'. The cut to the insane clap of the drums and into the breakdown, and the cut to the insane drumroll leading into the breakdown is just genius song building. The lead guitar is once again insanely evil, and absolutely rips. This track has more breakdowns and insanity than you can shake a stick at, and no one else in the Hardcore or Metalcore scene is doing shit like these guys are. This song really just evolves at it's own pace, screaming on and on, taking you on a serious journey over it's pretty short runtime. What a track.
10. Sit & Mourn - 4:46
I'm expecting big things from this one. Again there's an awesome opening soundscape that is so suspenseful and building. More akin to a Halloween film, it blows into another insane groove section, with some impressive drum embellishment and wailing guitar. The use of silence in this record to really show the depth of this bands range is so cool to hear. The quieter verses on this track are proof of it, it works so well when that instrumental builds the tension, and when that wailing guitar builds and it grooves into the punchy chorus sections it just feels right. I'll say it again, no one is doing it like these guys, it's heavy and coarse, and hits so so hard you can't help but grin. There's an interlude again, with those same soundscapes you heard at the beginning hailing into a brand new breakdown. I love how the instruments are allowed some time to take centre stage, because really that's where this record has truly shined. In it's complex mix and insane percussion, this albums sound bleeds heaviness and punch. It's so viscerally unshaken, flourishing in it's wailing highs and slamming lows, it's a closer that wraps up everything you need to know about this bands sound.
(Knocked Loose 2024)
Overall: This record is INSANE. Not only does it rip, the breakdowns are chunky, the guitars chug, and the low end is glorious. The heaviness and insane animalistic vocals just bring this album into the forefront of the scene it hails. The guest spots are insane, in the fact that they enhance everything they touch. I would argue that for some tracks I'm left wanting a little more from the vocal delivery, but for the love of god this record rips. The first half introduces you to their sound, and the second grabs you by the throat and takes you for a ride that is insane. Is it something I'd listen to again and again...no probably not, but do I have some serious respect for these guys off the back of this record? Fuck yes.
Highlights: Suffocate, Don't Reach for Me, Slaughterhouse 2
Rating: 7.5/10
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