Knocked Loose have announced their hotly anticipated new album, A Different Shade of Blue — a mammoth of a sophomore release and massive step forward for the band and for hardcore and metal as we know it. Recorded by producer Will Putney, the new LP was approached slower and more methodically. Abandoning the previous ‘live in studio’ recording approach for something more deliberate, the band cranked out twelve new tracks that deal with all manner of anger, especially loss in lieu of absence. Vocalist and lyricist Bryan Garris found catharsis as well as some of his most intensely personal lyrics to date.
Lead single “…And Still I Wander South” was revealed today which Garris explains, “is about wanting to move on, or better yourself for whatever reason, but you keep going back to the same old thing. Whether that be depression or whatever you may be going through. You always wander back to the same mindset.”
Knocked Loose, comprised of the young Cole Crutchfield (rhythm guitar), Bryan Garris (vocals), Isaac Hale (lead guitar), Kevin Otten (bass) and Kevin Kaine (drums), have taken a huge leap, moving from upstart hardcore-influenced favourites to bonafide key figures of the genre. Their 2016 debut, Laugh Trackswas a revelation, taking the world by storm and establishing the band as a major force spanning genres and generations.
Forged on musical bonds built at an early age, Knocked Loose came together in the small yet relatively formidable hardcore / punk scene of the greater Louisville, KY area. Though the scene was relatively strong, a lack of available bands, touring parties and scarcity of gigs forced diversity- mixing genres and challenging young ears with new ideas, approaches and styles. That diversity – death metal bands mingling with youth crew, screamo on the same bill as Am-Rep-style bands and on and on- created the basis of Knocked Loose musically and the genesis for their approach, an amalgam of heavy influences that never commits to any singular style but maintains a loyalty to the hardcore tradition.
Knocked Loose is the obvious evolution to decades of bands like Integrity, Disembodied, Botch and others- total and complete integration between metal and hardcore into a singular, seamless entity. Since its inception, hardcore has evolved from the germ of “Slayer actually has punk parts” to crossover to the addition of everything from death metal to rap to shoegaze. Knocked Loose is the proverbial fish walking on land- the end of the evolution, and possibly the apex of the metallic hardcore punk movement thus far. Ably combining the teeth-clenching hatred of a hardcore band with the unmitigated technicality and ferocity of metal, Knocked Loose have conceived state of the art hatred- a true melting pot of ideas that combines pit-ready riffs, memorable songwriting and deviously clandestine melody into a boiling-over pot of vitriol.
While some musical influences are easily identified – Pantera, Hatebreed, Obituary and more - the band’s palette and canvas has expanded by leaps and bounds, incorporating Gothenburg-style death metal (At the Gates, early In Flames), slam metal (Devourment, Dying Fetus), blood-thirsty thrash (Sodom, Kreator), black metal (Craft) and the mind-boggling complexity of latter noisy hardcore like Snapcase and Bloodlet. Clocking in at a lean and mean 37 minutes and featuring guest vocals from Emma Boster of Dying Wish and Keith Buckley of Every Time I Die, A Different Shade of Blue grabs the listener by the throat from the jump and slowly tightening that grip for the duration.
A Different Shade of Blue is due on TKTKTK via Pure Noise Records / Sony Music Australia this August 23. Pre-order HERE.
A DIFFERENT SHADE OF BLUE TRACK LISTING:
01. Belleville
02. Trapped In The Grasp Of A Memory
03. A Serpent’s Touch (Ft. Emma Boster)
04. By The Grave
05. In The Walls
06. Guided By The Moon
07. Mistakes Like Fractures
08. Forget Your Name (Ft. Keith Buckley)
09. Road 23
10. …And Still I Wander South
11. Denied By Fate
12. Misguided Son
