Knocked Loose frontman Bryan Garris is a regular guy who sings all his lyrics. “I just can't sing,” Garris tells me matter-of-factly. “I wish all the time I could, but I probably wouldn't use it for Knocked Loose. We just want to be an intense band. There was never, ever any talk of softening up.”
Even without reducing the chaos, Garris et al. have scored one of the most commercially successful new rock albums of 2024 from one of the more traditionally non-commercial corners of the genre. At Knocked Loose you play hardcore, hard-core metal—the kind of stuff hammered out in basements and DIY venues, optimized for moshing and fan hooking.
You won't go before you're supposed to it's 28 minutes of pure carnage, free of commercial concessions. After dropping May 10 via Pure Noise Records, the band's third studio album debuted at No. 1 on three Billboard charts: Independent Albums, Hard Rock Albums and Indie Store album Sales. The album earned nearly 24,000 units (including an impressive 18,000 in net sales) in its first week, good for a No. 23 debut on the May 25 Billboard 200. Some context: it debuted before a new studio album from Kings of Leon , a major label group with far more influence in the industry. (And among fast-rising newcomers, Knocked Loose came in five places above Chappell Roan's THE Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess during that particular chart week.)
“People were excited to buy this record,” says James Vitalo, Knocked Loose's manager for Gold Theory Artists. “They do so well and are so intentional with everything they do. People want to see them win.”
Historically, heavy rock bands have tended to forge commercial inroads by making their sound more palatable: think Metallica serving up ballads The Black albumor Bring Me the Horizon ditching their MySpace deathcore roots and singing big, bright choruses in 2013 Eternal. Instead, Knocked Loose dug their heels into the sound it made.
The five-piece (which also includes guitarists Isaac Hale and Nicko Calderon, bassist Kevin Otten and drummer Kevin “Pacsun” Kaine) formed in 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky. “They threw us into the deep end of the DIY tour,” Garris recalls of the early days. “You're trapped in a basement, you're either fighting or getting beaten up. Louisville was never very violent. Then [we were] going to bigger cities, seeing how tough people are.”
Knocked Loose became one of hardcore's hottest names thanks to their 2014 EP. Pop Culture. They signed with Pure Noise Records, a young indie label best known for breaking up pop-punk bands like State Champs and The Story So Far. The pairing was an immediate win for both sides: Pure Noise bolstered their credibility with a buzzy band outside their typical sphere, and Knocked Loose gained a label with strong independent distribution (Orchard distributed You won't go).
Their debut album in 2016 Laughter boosted their national fans, particularly with the delicate tune “Counting Worms”. Its seismic collapse — punctuated by Garris barking, “ARF ARF» — it was memed opposite the alt-kid internet, and gave Knocked Loose a signature song. Three years later, they had built such a strong following that their 2019 sophomore album A different shade of blue debuted at No. 26 on the Billboard 200, over 100 spots higher than Laughterwhich started at #163 in 2016.
As Knocked Loose planned their third LP, 2023 brought them an unexpected invitation: Coachella. “We immediately said yes,” says Garris. Then the anxious wait began:What will this be? It could be bad, and that would be good. It's Coachella. It's not our normal stage.”
April 16, as their time neared 8:10 p.m., the scenery looked surprisingly… familiar. “We pull up, go to our tent and there's no roadblock. This must be wrong, it's probably still a setup. Then our stage manager comes in, wearing a punk shirt, and immediately introduces himself: “We're so excited to have you guys, we know what you're doing, blah, blah, blah.” I was like, “Are you holding the barricade down?” He says yes. think of, This is crazy.”
it was. Seriously, look at this. This was in Coachella:
New eyes were on Garris. “Someone said Tom DeLonge [was sidestage]someone said Ethel Cain, which was big for me, personally. Then the video came out of Billie Eilish watching us play. I was like, This doesn't seem real.”
As Knocked Loose gathered new fans (including some celebrities), Vitalo felt renewed interest in the Knocked Loose scene from various factions of the music industry. “I've been working with metal and hardcore bands for 10 years, and in the last two, a lot of people have come into a space that's been neglected,” he says. “A lot of labels, booking agents and managers are paying attention to something they didn't pay attention to before. I'm not saying it's good or bad, but it's noticeable. Not letting it go to their heads shows the character of Knocked Loose.”
Knocked Loose capitalized on the Coachella momentum. Three weeks later, they launched On Loss Singlesa two-song compilation featuring their first work with Grammy-nominated producer Drew Fulk (Lil Peep, A Day to Remember). This new variety of Knocked Loose — widescreen and hi-fi, if somewhat even more brutal — will be fully realized on You won't go before you're supposed to. Take the ominous little coda of “Moss Covers All” that segues seamlessly into the beatdown opener of “Take Me Home,” or the guest appearance by goth-pop artist Poppy, who screams with Garris while Kaine hits a beat reggaeton on “Suffocate”. ” The last piece hit it top 10 on Spotify's Viral 50 chart in May alongside the album's drop and became Knocked Loose's first entry on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, peaking at No.46 in May.
Knocked Loose debuted the new album at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium in May with more than 6,000 fans, their biggest show to date. Bands that get bigger by getting heavier are rare – but since August, Knocked Loose have been touring with one of them.
“Knocked Loose hit so hard, they're going to have bone problems later in life,” says Shawn “Clown” Crahan, Slipknot's percussionist, recounting a conversation from the previous night's concert. “When people say these things out loud, you know they mean it.”
Strong words, coming from the guy who's been pounding barrels and custom drum kits with metal bats in a clown mask for the last three decades. Slipknot have been touring since the 25th anniversary of their self-titled debut in 1999, and Knocked Loose have been tapped to open for the entire trip. “A tour of this scale comes with its own new benefits for a band like us,” says Garris. “This is all uncharted territory.”
On August 12, the tour came to New York's Madison Square Garden. The place was sold out, and that was clearly the headliner crowd: parents rocking decades-old Slipknot gear, kids in youth-sized t-shirts and replica tracksuits. However, the seats were nearly full in time for Knocked Loose's opening set, and as Knocked Loose raged, the crowd responded. Fans with nosebleeds looked up from their nachos. The mosh pit didn't get as big as it did for Slipknot, but it was livelier.
“You see people who get there early and go straight to the barricade, saving their spot for Slipknot,” Garris tells me. “At the start of our set, they couldn't care less. Slowly but surely, they start shaking their heads, raising their hands. To witness it first hand is extremely rewarding.”
Knocked Loose has a way of winning over the unconverted. Maybe it's in Garris' voice. The stereotypical hardcore frontman is a big dude with a deep growl that sounds like he's looking for an excuse to hit you. When Garris screams, it's high-pitched and somewhat laid-back. Sounds like he's been through some real st, not just here to play the punisher.
“I just finished telling Brian and these guys to know you're in the zone,” says Clowney. “You need a good team. A family around you, checking for isolation, substance abuse, depression, selfishness. You can't just walk out. Sharon Osbourne checked me in. I had Deftones bass player Chi [Cheng]that passed He was controlling me, because we were both family men. I'm checking in [Knocked Loose] because I understand reality.”
This natural music is not easy to play night after night. The stiffness of the road affects any popular artist, but the Knocked Loose are regularly at risk of hockey-type injuries – and the kind of ailments you can't see. “I'm definitely not a teenager anymore,” says Garris, who turns 31 on Sept. 6. “I listen to myself and take care of myself. I can't do that if I'm not mentally healthy.”
There is much more to come. Following the conclusion of Slipknot's tour on September 21st, Knocked Loose will embark on a 22-date US tour on October 4th. It is a combination of large theaters, amphitheatres, and even arenas. There will be a good chance of breaking that attendance record they set four months ago.
The success of Knocked Loose is extremely unique, almost impossible to duplicate. They've been fighting the good fight for over a decade, a top class band in a genre known for loyal, highly dedicated fans. Many probably see a bit of themselves in Garris. The band's support team is well connected. Can Knocked Loose get any bigger?
If another legendary metal band toured them, that wouldn't hurt. The Grammys have nominated fresh blood like Turnstile, Code Orange and Deafheaven in the Best Metal Performance category in recent years, if that's one thing Knocked Loose want to cross off their list. But really, the core of it all is pushing the envelope with every release, then going out and killing shows. It's not that complicated.
“Every time we hit headlines,” says Garris, “it's like Where can we take it now? What is the next step?“
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/knocked-loose-hardcore-slipknot-new-album-feature-1235763555/
