Heavy Song of the Week is a feature on Heavy Consequence breaking down the top metal, punk, and hard rock tracks you need to hear every Friday. This week, we highlight Knocked Loose’s collab with Denzel Curry, “Hive Mind.”
Knocked Loose wanted to make a track like “Hive Mind” for some time, and there was only one rapper fit for the job: Denzel Curry.
Put this one on the shortlist for collab of the year — or heavy collab of the year, at least. Starting like one of their typical hardcore workouts, Knocked Loose open at breakneck speeds as vocalist Bryan Garris keeps up with his ear-piercing chirps. After a breakdown, Curry drops in, sending the song into straight Anthrax/Public Enemy-style rap metal. Curry’s a natural in this mode and dishes out a verse that instigates: “Fuck your band and favorite rapper.” It’s fun to see Garris playing hype man during this part, too, contributing obligatory shouts of “What the fuck!?”
That’s just the middle portion. Wait until the final 30 seconds, signaled by a trap beat that drops into a crushing breakdown as Curry commands listeners to “motherfucking jump.” Both artists totally showed up for this collaboration and it shows. Crank it and slam.
Honorable Mentions:
Corrosion of Conformity – “Gimme Some Moore”
Corrosion of Conformity are best known for their post-1990 Pepper Keenan-led incarnation — more of a stoner metal, southern metal sound. But during the ’80s, the band was an underground American hardcore institution, and Keenan and company pay homage to those days on “Gimme Some Moore.” Featuring backing vox by Ministry’s Al Jourgensen, the track barrels forward with the untamed energy of those early CoC records.
Laibach – “Allgorhythm”
At a glance, we were a bit suspicious of Laibach‘s new album, billed as their “most pop.” And coupled with that press photo. Then we listened to the single and realized the Slovenian industrial pioneers were, for lack of a better term, taking the piss. “Allgorhythm” is a hilarious takedown of mindless internet scrolling culture, the band turning modern pop on its head as a means of social commentary.
Pro-Pain – “Oceans of Blood”
New York hardcore vets Pro-Pain aren’t the first group we’d think to turn to for global politics, but then again, they did pen the political hardcore anthem “Foul Taste of Freedom.” Frontman Gary Meskil had some poignant things to say about the band’s first song since 2015, “Oceans of Blood,” which channels “the frustration among people worldwide regarding the rampant corruption and criminality of their governments.” Did we mention, the song sounds badass? Double W for Pro-Pain.
