Live Review: Knocked Loose / Terror - KK's Steel Mill, Wolverhampton
11th February 2022
Support: Grief Ritual, Static Dress
Words: Cat Finch
Photos: Tim Finch
With January being a complete wash out in terms of live music, it was great to see them return of live music at KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton last week. The sight of a queue stretching as far as the eye can see a joy to behold!
The reason for said queue, the killer hardcore tour of Knocked Loose and Terror who made it to the UK despite their mainland Europe dates being cancelled. With thousands of fans cramming into the venue early on, we are in for a night of carnage.
Kicking off the evening were the blackened misery of Grief Ritual. More metal than hardcore although drawing on influences from many aggressive genre’s, the band provide the opening salvo of tonight’s battle. It didn’t take long for a huge pit to open up and flaying arms and legs to kick off the first round of good friendly violent fun.
British hardcore merchants Static Dress are on this whole run of dates with the headliners and after Grief Ritual had warmed up those bodies in the crowd it was time for round two. The band have their own take on the hardcore genre, the face melting riffs of their masked guitarist, drawing flashbacks to Squid Games, whilst the unique vocal style of Olli Appleyard deliver a furious angst that pummels the listeners.
The real show starts when Terror take to the stage and despite not closing out the show the legendary outfit are the band many are here to see. Whilst the crowd had been boisterous before, they are outright raging by the time terror open up with ‘Spit My Rage’. Throughout the night Scott Vogel repeatedly asks the crowd to get involved “come over keep these guys [security] busy!” he calls. The hardcore legends have forty five minutes and they maximise the carnage well. ‘Mental Demolition’ and ‘Always The Hard Way’ standing out and getting massive fan involvement. Whilst the set is short, by the time ‘Keepers of the Faith’ closes out the set the crowd is drained having fully invested in this ultimate hardcore set. No disrespect to Knocked Loose, but they never stood a chance following that.
With a crowd well worn out by this point, when Knocked Loose take to the stage there is the feeling of a second wind in the room. The band are the next generation of hardcore outfits and they mix the traditional styles of the likes of Terror with crushing riffs that wouldn’t be out of place on a Slayer record. The result is a battering ram of aural pleasures and in the sweat pit that is KK’s Steel Mill tonight, it is an almost perfect concoction.
From the opening ‘Where Light Divides the Holler’ the pit opens up again and from the stage above Bryan Garris conducts the massacre. Another forty five minutes of power laden hardcore ensues; ‘Billy No Mates’, ‘…And Still I Wander South; and ‘God Knows’ all get an airing to an appreciative crowd. All wrapped up with closing salvo ‘Mistakes Like Fractures’ and ‘Counting Worms’.
The show was a great start to the live music year, and kudos to both Terror and Knocked Loose for still coming to the UK despite the rest of their European plans getting cancelled. This was a night the fans will remember for a long time to come.
All photo credits: Tim Finch Photography
