On October 8, Kentucky hardcore legends, Knocked Loose took the stage at the illustrious Brooklyn Paramount. Alongside them was South Florida’s, Denzel Curry, the co-headliner who had collaborated with the band on their most recent single “Hive Mind.”

On paper their genres would clash but Denzel’s appreciation for heavier rap aesthetics showcased on his breakout album, TABOO, show there is quite a bit of overlap between the artists.

Opening the night was Connecticut metal core band, Boundaries. Their intense, panic inducing music set the table perfectly for the intense music to follow.

Continuing with the trend of East Coast artists came the second opener from Pennsylvania, Superheaven. While way less intense than the other artists on the bill, Superheaven offered crushing riffs that had the whole crowd banging their heads in sync.

Denzel Curry quickly followed Superheaven up. He built suspense for his appearance by coming out with a black mask and walking in like a batman villain. The tension was soon broken by the beginning of “HIT THE FLOOR.” The infectiously deep bass contrasted with Denzel’s rhythmically capable flows in a way that proves he is one of the best at putting on a show.

His set spanned nearly his entire discography, weaving between tracks from collaborative projects like DIET_ and MUTT THAT BIH to classic hits like “SUMO” and especially “Ultimate.” Denzel ended his set by setting the tone for Knocked Loose by covering Rage Against the Machine’s classic track “Bulls on Parade.”

At around 9:45 PM, Knocked Loose in their usual dramatic fashion. While everyone was patiently waiting for the set to start, the venue suddenly was plunged into darkness. The only source of light was the pulsing, LED cross that the band has been using for their backdrop for years at this point. After the band took their places, they came in with the subtlety of a car crash.

If Knocked Loose is good at anything, it is inspiring a crowd to completely haywire. The band is incredible at crafting dense walls of noise that are pierced by their incredibly divisive vocalist Bryan Garris. His vocals are intense and hard to stomach at times but it’s hard to understand the appeal until you see Knocked Loose live. In the heat of the moment, Bryan’s voice scratches a part of the brain that not many vocalists can reach. The result is one of the craziest live shows you can see in the current day with a crowd emboldened by the amazing music on display.

Much like Denzel Curry, Knocked Loose put on a discography spanning show, featuring music from all over their decade plus long career. The band touched on fan favorites like “Billy No Mates” and “God Knows” while providing a long run of tracks from their most recent LP. One they hyped up was the intense 46 second long “Moss Covers All” which Bryan demanded the whole room to participate in a circle pit for. As the night began to reach its end, Denzel Curry returned to the stage to perform the song “Hive Mind.” To close the night, the band performed what is considered their first hit “Counting Worms” kicking off a wall of death that cemented the final act of beautiful crowd violence at Brooklyn Paramount.