May 9th - You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To (Knocked Loose)

5/5

Yes it's only been 45 minutes since this album dropped.

Somehow, Knocked Loose has taken a melodic take on their sound. That's partially a joke, but I do think there is something to be said here. While not every song hits this point, some are noticably more "dancable" compared to their previous work. This doesn't make it better objectively, but it is something I personally enjoy as the kind of guy who also likes metalcore more than classic metal.

One thing that Knocked Loose has always been good at is albums that flow, wether through seamless song changes or simply not giving you any break before the next one starts. This one is no different, though there are some slower rests in the openings of some songs. They are not relaxing. Each beat of quiet instrumentation had me tense, waiting for harsh guitar to take its place. I got genuinely jumpscared by the drop in Sit and Mourn.

I have to mention Slaughterhouse 2, since the original Slaughterhouse was what got me into both Knocked Loose and Motionless in White to begin with. Slaughterhouse 2 is an excellent successor to the original. Despite being less lyrically complex, what is there carries Slaughterhouse's original narrative and is an incredibly fun swap on the band and feature level. Let the roles reverse indeed.

All in all, this is easily my favorite album of Knocked Loose's so far. Bryan, the frontman, mentioned that this album had been in the works for 3 years, and god was it worth it to wait.

Favorite songs: Sit and Mourn, Slaughterhouse 2, Take Me Home, Don't Reach For Me, Suffocate