2021 and 2022 brought about the rise of several major modern metal bands including Sleep Token, Spiritbox, and Bad Omens, but none have been as impactful or consistently boundary-pushing as Knocked Loose.
Upon their 2021 release “A Tear In The Fabric Of Life,” Knocked Loose propelled themselves from an already big and essential name in the hardcore scene to a boundary pushing, genre defining modern metal and hardcore act. The EP and its accompanying animated short film brought the band some heightened attention from the scene as a whole, simply for how heavy and crushing yet enjoyable the entire project is.
I had already been hoping to see Knocked Loose live before their 2021 release, but now I was dying for them to come to Chicago. Following the release of their incredible “Upon Loss” singles, Knocked Loose came to Chicago supporting Motionless In White on their “Scoring the End of the World” tour, and I received tickets for my birthday.
The concert took place on Oct. 21 at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, which I expected to be a strange venue for the type of music that was being played. Due to its high ceiling and walls meant for more operatic music, I expected the sound of ferociously heavy guitars and fast drums to be garbled and distorted, but each band sounded incredibly clear and high quality.
Australian metalcore band Alpha Wolf, known for their horrible name yet excellent music, opened up the show with an incredibly energetic and enjoyable performance that got every single person in the venue moving and having a good time. I expected this from Alpha Wolf, yet I was still blown away by just how much energy this band truly has in a live setting. The mosh pits were violent, and I was already drenched in sweat by the time the next band came on.
After the Burial followed Alpha Wolf, and while not as energetic as the latter, they still brought an incredibly impressive and enjoyable performance that had me and the rest of the crowd engaged and enjoying our time.
Following After the Burial finally came Knocked Loose, the band that I had attended for in the first place. Despite my incredibly high expectations and overwhelming hype for this performance, the band managed to surpass any notions I had about their energy and abilities. They opened with the first of their two singles released this year, “Deep in the Willow,” which changed the mood of the entire crowd immediately and brought a new primal and incredibly fun energy to everyone in the audience.
This energy kept up throughout the entire show, with my personal favorites being the 2021 hit “God Knows,” “Where Light Divides the Holler” from the same project, “Forget Your Name,” “Belleville,” and “Denied By Fate” off their 2019 album “A Different Shade of Blue,” “Billy No Mates” from their debut album, and finally the closing track “Everything Is Quiet Now.”
Every single performance was perfect from each musician, yet the entire show was full of indescribable energy and life. Each song was enjoyable to a great degree both in and out of the mosh pits, and everything simply sounded great.
Knocked Loose have captured lightning in a bottle with their current sound and performances, and will continue to push boundaries while still bringing new fans into hardcore and metalcore. I will easily be seeing them again as soon as they return to Chicago or anywhere near it.
My name is Austin Lamb and I am a senior at Oswego High School. This is my third year with 42Fifty, and I can't wait to get back into writing and reviewing. I greatly enjoy playing and listening to music, as well as writing. I've always been interested in writing, especially about things that can be critiqued and looked at subjectively. I play the guitar in a band with my friends and primarily listen to metal music but enjoy and appreciate all genres. I hope that my editing abilities, writing knowledge, and leadership skills will pay off for the publications.
So amazing! I love the passion about music in your writing.