You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To by Knocked Loose | Album Review

A punishing third studio album from Hardcore’s latest phenomenon.

Listen to You Won’t Go: Apple Music | Spotify

I’ve noticed that Knocked Loose has been getting a lot of attention over the last few years. Possibly thanks to word of mouth on social media, the Kentucky-based band has been making waves with a slew of hard-hitting tracks and performances at events such as Coachella and Sick New World (they're also slated to tour with Slipknot later this year.). Either way, this attention is well deserved. Their most recent outputs, in particular, such as 2021’s A Tear in the Fabric and the few singles preceding You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To have all been well received. Showcasing brutal production and lead singer Bryan Garris’ ruthless vocals.

You’d think that because of this sudden mainstream attention that Knocked Loose were going to dial it down to gain mass appeal, but thankfully that’s not the case. You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To sees the band turn the ferocity up even further, albeit in a more calculated manner. The result is an anxiety-inducing, punishing album from one of hardcore music’s latest phenomenon.

Traditional “verse-chorus-verse” structures are rare to hear on a Knocked Loose song, yet You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To features a handful of tracks built with this concept. Normally it would feel like a downside but that’s the complete opposite here. It allows Knocked Loose to concentrate their sound and deliver some aggression like none other. Such as the case with the “Suffocate”. It channels white-hot rage with its nasty guitar riffs and pounding drums similar to their previous works, yet introducing a more familiar song structure intensifies the song further.

A lot of the quintet’s idiosyncrasies are apparent throughout You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To, brutal breakdowns and blast beats among other aspects envelope the entire album. Knocked Loose gives listeners very (and I mean very) little breathing room. As soon as the album’s minute-and-a-half opener “Thirst” finishes, you’re immediately pulled back into the hellish soundscapes of “Piece by Piece”. Save for some brief moments of tranquility, such as the old-school blues sample at the end of “Take Me Home”. You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To does not let up for its entire duration.

This anxiety-inducing aura is carried on throughout Bryan Garris’ delivery. His voice captures nothing but sheer terror and makes his passages on songs like “Don’t Reach For Me” all the more grim. This applies to the album’s two vocal contributions from Poppy and Chris Motionless. Both are standouts on “Suffocate” and “Slaughterhouse 2” respectively, yet they don’t steal the thunder from Garris. There’s a solid back-and-forth between Garris and the guests, particularly on “Slaughterhouse 2” where the two vocalists trade blows with each other.

Lyrically, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To feature the same tried and true cynicism and bouts of grief from the band’s previous offerings. Yet thanks to the album’s calculated approach, everything hits harder and sticks with you a lot more. “The Calm That Keeps You Awake” is a menacing outlook on overcoming loss with lines like (“Sink heavy into the abyss. You’re alone with yourself, forced only to reminisce.”). Lead single “Blinding Faith” tackles the spiritual-heavy reliance of some religious groups, with Garris rejecting faith and choosing to suffer in his turmoil.

The album’s final track “Sit & Mourn” caps the album off with a haunting reminder that all that’s gone is gone. All you can do is sit and contemplate. paired with the song’s colossal production, it's an amazing finisher that ends the album on an extremely high note.

If it wasn’t obvious by now, I have nothing but praise for Knocked Loose’s latest album. Clocking in at a lean 28 minutes, the quintet’s approach to delivering a more concentrated album with song structures listeners are familiar with, along with their own eccentricities paid off quite well. The choice to not water down their sound, but rather continue doing what they’re best at was a solid move from the band. the result is a soul-crushing album from start to finish.

I’m giving You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To a very solid 9.5 out of 10. I can’t quite remember the last metal album I listened to that left me feeling the way Knocked Loose did on this new project, but I can assure you it's a feeling that can’t be replicated. Hopefully, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To will serve as a reminder to other up-and-coming bands in a similar vein to stick to their roots instead of attempting to gain mass appeal for a record label’s sake.

Final Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Favourite Tracks: Thirst, Piece by Piece, Suffocate, Don’t Reach For Me, Slaughterhouse 2, The Calm That Keeps You Awake, Blinding Faith, Sit & Mourn.