Pure Noise Records

To take a step away from the over-analysis of games, I want to look at one of the most infamous albums of 2024. Hardcore band Knocked Loose You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To, the band’s junior album and Grammy-nominated outing. I want to review each song and give my review of 1 cross to 5 crosses, which is the highest.

Thirst: 3 crosses

Thirst is a great intro and perfectly encapsulates the album perfectly, with the constant dissonance throughout the song and the background nat sound of metal working. Throughout the song, there is also a switch between directional speakers within the vocal, which adds to stridency, a theme throughout this album.

Piece By Piece: 4 crosses

Piece by Piece is a more groove metal song with hooks akin to Hatebreed. The mix of this song experiments with vocals and drums, while guitars hold most of the ceaseless charge within the mix. Throughout the vocal hooks, lower gutturals with what seems to be an over-encumbered amount of reverb filling the back part of the mix. During the more groovier riffs, they lay into the hi-hat and bells during the pockets of riffs. I love this song and the bridge between 2000’s thrash metal and a more doom-oriented mix.

Suffocate (feat. Poppy): 3 crosses

Suffocate is a very enigmatic song due to its popularity and the effect it had on me. You see there isn’t a thematic statement here. The only dissonance we get is the opening riffs and when Poppy starts their vocals. Now I understand that song probably hits differently in the pit, But what about anywhere else? Obviously, I highly respect this song and there are some standout points to this song, but in comparison to the other songs in this first half of the record, it just doesn’t do its job and sounds like insubstantial hardcore, like Laugh Tracks (their sophomore outing).

Don’t Reach For Me: 5 Crosses

Don’t Reach For Me is one of the standout songs, singles out of the group and singles in 2024, period. First, the vocals have so much emotion that the lyrics show the theme of this album in an oddly beautiful way. The guitars in this song show this oddly dissonant harmony which shows the masterful work of Knocked Loose, between the chugs that reach to lows that have so much groove applied and during the choruses hold these otherworldly power chords. I cannot explain just how well this song is produced and is a perfect rebound to the somewhat mediocre performance of Suffocate.

Moss covers all: 2 crosses

Moss Covers All is a 45-second interlude which is an intro to the next track, overall it is okay. The only thing that stands out is the low vocals towards the end of the track.

Take Me Home: 3 Crosses

This is the peak of all the dissonance and there are just so many horror influences within this song. There is a sample of repetition in the very beginning of the song which is some sort of clean-tone guitar. Then it leads with a poem that has a pitcher-shifter vocal effect. Then you have all of this with groovy snare drums during the breakdown. All I have to say is, I expect this song to be on a horror movie score in the foreseeable future.

Slaughterhouse 2 (feat. Chris Motionless):4 Crosses

This is probably the least likely follow-up to a song, but honestly, it is unique. Again this song masters this dissonant style while also supporting the turn for the deathcore style Motionless In White had taken before. I also like how in comparison to the Poppy single, The balance between Brian’s and Chris’ vocal styles mesh well and encapsulate the lower tempo approach to politically-charged Hardcore

The Calm That Keeps You Awake: 4 Crosses

The Calm is such a creative song that revolves around the somewhat mediocre breakdown at the end. In the verses, the drums present these very primal and foreign-sounding drum accents with higher tempo pockets in between. The chorus holds a more slower but precious tempo of the verses which fits well with Garris’ vocals.

Blinding Faith:2 Crosses

It’s fine, again it comes down to the practicality of listening to the music. The only thing really commented on is the gutturals planted throughout the song and the more early generation of thrash influences.

Sit & Mourn: 5 Crosses

Sit & Mourn is the highlight of this album with its very emotional lyrics and the incredibly beautiful clean tones during the interludes. However when the song truly kicks in there is just such a groove-oriented approach with this song that only exalts the song,

Overall this album is so great, and it was the one that was presented on their Jimmy Fallon appearance on November 27th was so great and well deserved. Even though the regular watchers weren’t as happy between the wrathful lyrics and the “Jaunt, Jaunts” from the guitars. But their performance with Poppy is overall a great win for the core community and this album is just a reaffirmation.