In the last few years, I’ve watched the metal and hardcore scene I adore balloon in popularity. Knocked Loose went from a small band with a fun gimmick of barking in their songs to a Grammy nominee almost overnight. Seeing a band I’ve loved for years upset the general population on Jimmy Kimmel felt like putting my cold, dead heart in a microwave for a few minutes.
Knocked Loose is inarguably one of the greatest hardcore bands of our generation. I thank the universe daily that I’ve been blessed with the honor of not only existing at the same time as them, but also being lucky enough to be within 10 feet of Bryan Garris at their show.
Despite their rocketing popularity in the last few years– catapulted exponentially by their groundbreaking release of Blinding Faith– this beloved band left the Grammys of 2025 empty-handed. And who did they give this award to? A 1996-formed band hailing from Bayonne– Gojira, for their performance of the song Mea Culpa with Marina Viotti and Victor Le Masne at the Paris Olympics.
Those that may recognize the band's name wouldn’t be surprised to learn that they started off under the name Godzilla, but changed to their current iteration very early in their career. In their almost 30 years of performing, this is the fourth time the band has been nominated for a Grammy – yet somehow the first time they’ve won.
In 2017, they were nominated in two different categories, including for their performance of Silvera, but the award was instead given to Megadeth. Despite the odds they faced being pitted against some of the most prolific bands within the genre, Gojira still managed to come out victorious– as well as save us from Metallica’s 11th Grammy.
Throughout the course of their history, Gojira proclaimed themselves ecological warriors and have done a spectacular job of leading the metal community by example to embody the ideals that the genre was based on. The lead singer was quoted in an interview in 2021 for the Guardian as proclaiming their album Fortitude as a call to “civil disobedience” and I believe the success of musicians who uphold these ideals is vital for the direction we’re following as a society. The last song on the album From Sirius to Mars is called Global Warming, and the last three stanzas are a declaration – nearly a plea that “we will see our children growing.”Plenty of modern musicians make genre-spanning albums and have different sounds within their lexicon. Gojira brings these skills to a different level. Just one of their spectacular creations, the 2005 release of From Sirius to Mars not only blew the metal world away but even those outside of it.
The album not only excels within the metal genre itself, but the lyrical writing and messages behind the songs go above and beyond. From The Heaviest Matter In the Universe to Unicorn, the album spans heavy metal to beautifully artistic piano and guitar pieces, creating almost more of an experience than an album. Their mastery of poetic lyricism, their usage of nearly archaic language like “open thy eyes” gives some of their music an almost scripture-esque feeling. Knocked Loose will have another chance, I’m sure, but as for this year, a band that has been sorely overlooked has finally gotten their due.
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