Knocked Loose - A Different Shade of Blue Album Review

Review by Brittany Swigert

I finally got the chance to sit down and listen to the latest album release by Kentucky metal band, Knocked Loose. I first heard thier music at the recommendation of my brother and checked out Laugh Tracks. The album was pretty solid overall and I was interested to hear A Different Shade of Blue that was slotted to release in the coming weeks. Sadly, life goes on and I got caught up on project after project, leaving thier new album by the wayside. Soon after it's release they were all over my social media. Fans were reacting to the album and I had to hear it for myself. I knew going in to this review to expect instrumentals that would more than deliver but I was most interested to check out the vocalists performance. I remembered the unique quality it had, and I remembered enjoying it.

I pulled A Different Shade of Blue up on Spotify ready for anything. As "Belleville" began to blast through my headphones I was met with the familiar vocals that had garnered so much chatter amongst it's listeners. Bryan Garris's voice has been an enigma to me since day one. His higher pitched screams are so raw and to attempt to recreate them, I know I'd only succeed in hurting myself. For him to be able to pull it off over and over impresses me. When you combine them with his gutteral growls, Garris is clearly capable of great things. His voice has continued to grow over the years and it shows.

As the album progresses through, it is apparent that Garris isn't the only member that has refined thier skills. Kevin Kaine shows that his drumming is critical to the success of the album. "A Serpent's Touch" and "Trapped in the Grasp of a Memory" have several moments where his performance really shines. Meanwhile, Guitarists, Issac Hale and Cole Crutchfield aren't pulling any punches either. With some really gnarly drop tuned riffs they are stealing the show. "Guided by the Moon" has a phenomenal bit where they play an almost dreamy arrangement. Interesting rhythms and sick riffs saturate each track. It is easy to see why so many fans can't stop talking about what they have done on the album. Bass player, Kevin Otten rounds out thier sound by providing the bottom line that carries every note through to the next. He keeps everything moving and lends his talents to the overall sound and momentum of the album.

After sitting with A Different Shade of Blue, I can honestly say my first listen through was favorable. As I listened to it again I picked up on little nuances and the familiarity of hearing it as second, third, and forth time only served to increase my opinion of it. If you are on the fence about checking it out, it's time to jump off it. It's a fantastic collection of songs that I'm happy to have taken the time to listen to. Thier tour kicks off October 1 and runs through the end of November. I know when they are in my area I'm going to be jumping at the chance to check them out. How about you?