Since forming in 2013, Knocked Loose has dominated the scene with their raw energy, candid lyrics, and crushing breakdowns. The five lads from Oldham County, Kentucky, have earned a formidable reputation by blending hardcore punk, metalcore, and hints of sludge metal into a punishing yet cathartic sound. Their debut album, 'Laugh Tracks' (2016), showcased their fusion of aggression and melody, with bangers like 'Deadringer' and 'Billy No Mates'. Three years later, 'A Different Shade of Blue' further solidified their acclaim. Now, in 2024, they return with 'You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To'.

Writing their third studio album hasn’t come without pressure, both inside and out. They knew they needed to create something that met, if not exceeded, the expectations that came from their previous album and push their creative limits while maintaining their trademark intensity. Alongside this, they gained an influx of attention after a successful year on the road which saw them take on major stages worldwide, resulting in them becoming unexpected viral favourites at Coachella and Bonnaroo. This pressure didn’t stop the absolute powerhouses that they are, and they ended up writing close to a whopping 40 songs before finalising the 10 featured. “We worked so hard on it and doubted it so much that I think we ended up with the perfect record,” guitarist Isaac Hale says. “And we didn’t know it until it was done. I think that the doubt and the struggle is what made it so special.”

‘Thirst’ begins quite calmly, a bit tranquil if you will, but this is Knocked Loose and that of course didn’t last long. Dilly dallying over and we’re straight in with a massive wall of noise, setting the energy high which continues throughout the rest of the album.

We have a tiny segue into ‘Piece By Piece’. There’s catchy riffs and some cool echoed screams, but to be honest, this track wasn’t quite as hitting. The ending does have a nice little dramatic build up for the next song.

 The third track, ‘Suffocate’, features the first guest vocalist of the Since forming in 2013, Knocked Loose has dominated the scene with their raw energy, candid lyrics, and crushing breakdowns. The five lads from Oldham County, Kentucky, have earned a formidable reputation by blending hardcore punk, metalcore, and hints of sludge metal into a punishing yet cathartic sound. Their debut album, 'Laugh Tracks' (2016), showcased their fusion of aggression and melody, with bangers like 'Deadringer' and 'Billy No Mates'. Three years later, 'A Different Shade of Blue' further solidified their acclaim. Now, in 2024, they return with 'You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To'.

Writing their third studio album hasn’t come without pressure, both inside and out. They knew they needed to create something that met, if not exceeded, the expectations that came from their previous album and push their creative limits while maintaining their trademark intensity. Alongside this, they gained an influx of attention after a successful year on the road which saw them take on major stages worldwide, resulting in them becoming unexpected viral favourites at Coachella and Bonnaroo. This pressure didn’t stop the absolute powerhouses that they are, and they ended up writing close to a whopping 40 songs before finalising the 10 featured. “We worked so hard on it and doubted it so much that I think we ended up with the perfect record,” guitarist Isaac Hale says. “And we didn’t know it until it was done. I think that the doubt and the struggle is what made it so special.”

‘Thirst’ begins quite calmly, a bit tranquil if you will, but this is Knocked Loose and that of course didn’t last long. Dilly dallying over and we’re straight in with a massive wall of noise, setting the energy high which continues throughout the rest of the album.

album. For those who say, “girls don’t belong in hardcore,” grow up. This isn’t Poppy’s usual vocal style, but I think she did a stellar job, her and Garris’ vocals really complement each other, and she’s proved she has incredible range. She’s already making massive moves and I predict she’s going to be making more. One part we must mention is the reggaeton breakdown which has taken fans by storm (if you’re unfamiliar, it’s the “du, ka-du-ka, du” bit). A little funny fact, Hale said in a 2023 HardLore episode that he didn’t like reggaeton.

There’s no messing around and we’re straight into ‘Don't Reach for Me’. Towards the middle of the song, things are softened with a little groovy bass and drum section. Speaking of drums, hats off to drummer Kevin “Pac Sun” Kaine because the snare sounds incredible the whole way through this album.

‘Moss Covers All’ and ‘Take Me Home’ could be the same song and you wouldn’t even realise unless you were physically watching the tracks change. This isn’t so much as a segue as ‘Take Me Home’ feels more like a continuation of ‘Moss Covers All’ due to the use of the same eery guitar riffs. What I like in ‘Moss Covers All’ is the low vocals from Isaac. Like I said earlier, the energy is high, and the album so far is full of heavy and brutal soundscapes, but the end of ‘Take Me Home’ offers a sudden change of pace with a little old-school blues sample.

In May of 2022, Motionless in White brought out ‘Slaughterhouse’ which features Bryan. With the ball now in Knocked Loose’s court, they present ‘Slaughterhouse 2 (Ft. Chris Motionless)’. Both songs open with the guest vocalists “Break down the wall again”, and both have Chris’ “one mutilation under god”, a nice little touch to link the two songs. This track feels a lot more metalcore-y than the others.

What stands out for me in ‘The Calm That Keeps You Awake’ is the hints of the wooden blocks throughout, and the swinging groove towards the end. Instead of two-stepping, the crowd will be two-swaying, ba dum tsh (I’ll show myself out).

 Another segue and we’re into ‘Blinding Faith’ that has such a punchy opening and to be honest, kind of reminded me of No Love/No One by Gideon. The rest of the song smoothly fluctuates between different tempos. Throughout, we have a showcase of the band’s 3 vocal styles one after another: Nickolas Calderon shouting, Issac giving us some lows, and Bryan doing gutterals. This adds a bit of texture and nuance, suiting the fluctuating tempo.

 Segue into the last track, ‘Sit & Mourn’. Probably the eeriest track, it feels very haunting. There’s both a catchy riff and a soft melody played on a distorted guitar. Reverbed vocals with a solid drum backbone with the ghost notes only adding to the eeriness. Lyrics wise, the title of the album is said. The name came from a conversation Bryan had with a woman sitting beside him on a challenging flight. What he describes as a “borderline phobia of flying,” he opened up about his anxiety, and she unknowingly provided him with comfort by saying, "You won't go before you're supposed to." This simple statement shifted his mindset and helped him overcome his fear.

 Overall, there were highs and lows of this album for me. My highs include the segues (I’m a slag for a segue), the incredible drumbeats, and the catchy melodic riffs. My lows are that I wasn’t sold on every song, which in all fairness, is going to happen with any album. There were times where it felt very verse-chorus-verse, which I never really associated with Knocked Loose doing so heavily. Nonetheless, I do think that they’ve delivered standout songs here, and ventured down some creative avenues.