“You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To” – Knocked Loose

Album: You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To

Artist: Knocked Loose

Year: 2024

Genre: Metalcore

Grade: B+

After two high-intensity hardcore albums (Laugh Tracks in 2016 and A Different Shade of Blue in 2019) and an ambitious EP that blended metalcore and death metal (A Tear in the Fabric of Life in 2021), Kentucky band Knocked Loose have released their angriest album yet. Of course, such discordant and punishing music isn’t for everyone. You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To is an acquired taste, and the taste is of bitterness and battery acid.

Likewise, lead singer Bryan Garris’ vocals are also an acquired taste: a piercing, high-pitched shriek that assaults the listener with visceral fury. Then again, his equally irate lyrics are easier to decipher since he technically isn’t growling — the rare extreme metal album that doesn’t even require a lyric sheet. As a result, his songs are authentic and relatable to anyone who has ever felt such violent rage against the machine.

The rest of the band delivers a noisy beatdown barrage that pummels the listener into submission. This is music that breeds disgust, but it’s done in such a technically accomplished manner — drummer Kevin “Pacsun” Kaine is the precise mechanic who keeps everything from falling apart — that the listener craves more and more. When it comes to an album as loud and abrasive as You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To, the uglier, the better.

The über-heavy guitar riffs are unmelodic, with nary a solo in sight. In fact, the sound is almost electronic in its industrial brutality. There’s no denying that this is one of the most aggressive metalcore albums in recent years, which is exactly what good metalcore should be. However, the short runtime (10 tracks, 28 minutes) is both a blessing and a curse — the listener can only take so much, but the lack of variance is more noticeable on repeat listens.

If you’re looking for an unrelenting album that’ll blast out your ear drums, look no further than You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To. It’s heavy as Hell, or maybe even heavier than that, but is best taken in small doses.

NOTES & CHORDS

• Quite fitting that after the first few seconds of ambient buzzing noise (a recurring theme throughout the album), the entire band jump scares everyone into submission with an extreme blast of noise to open the album. “Thirst” is a great, all-encompassing opening song.

• Despite every song sounding somewhat the same, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To benefits from a great flow, with every song segueing perfectly into the next. It’s all one singular ceaseless exhausting murderous punch to the gut.

• Credit to producer Drew Fulk, who has worked with Lil Peep, As I Lay Dying and Kevin Gates, for harnessing such a powerfully brusque yet mechanically controlled sound. The dynamics on the album are never overblown despite the acerbic levels of vitriol and manic energy that Garris and Knocked Loose perform at.

• Nevertheless, I wouldn’t be surprised if the band’s fans prefer their previous releases to this one, as they showcased a rawer and less polished production value. I firmly believe that the A Tear in the Fabric of Life EP is still the best Knocked Loose release. By contrast, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To is more premeditated and therefore artificial in its evilness, with Fulk just as responsible for the album’s sound as the band itself.

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