Comeback Kid

Comeback Kid: Broadcasting...Broadcasting... (2007)
Victory Records

Reviewer Rating: 4

User Rating:

Contributed by: BryneBryne
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on February 20th 2007Upon losing a vocalist, most bands either break up or start playing under a new name. If a band dares to continue on with a new vocalist, they could potentially tarnish their past and alienate most of their fanbase. Or, as a giant middle finger to all the doubters, they could breathe new life into t.

Upon losing a vocalist, most bands either break up or start playing under a new name. If a band dares to continue on with a new vocalist, they could potentially tarnish their past and alienate most of their fanbase. Or, as a giant middle finger to all the doubters, they could breathe new life into the band by recording what is far and away their best album. With Broadcasting..., Comeback Kid accomplish the latter in spades.

Broadcasting... opens with "Defeated," which starts with a lone guitar riff before exploding into an abrasive, almost confrontational tone. The chorus of this song is absolutely HUGE and the gang vocals contained therein sound as if they were recorded by approximately fifty screaming hardcore kids. Devastatingly heavy breakdowns are highlights in the next two tracks, "Broadcasting..." and "Hailing on Me." Breakdowns are so overused nowadays when a band can utilize one correctly and not overdo it it's almost startling. Comeback Kid keep them relatively short, which adds to the ferocity and keeps from stunting the momentum of the songs around which they're built. "The Blackstone" is one of, if the not the best song Comeback Kid have ever put to tape. The heavy intro and yelled vocals remind this reviewer of a certain Victory hardcore band of years gone by. However, if that weren't awesome enough, one blast beat later the song morphs into a bonafide thrash beast, complete with blindingly quick riffing and drumming before reversing course again. And although much less pronounced than on 2005's Wake the Dead, melodic hardcore influences are still present, especially in "Industry Standards" and "Give'r (Reprise)," the latter barely breaking the one-minute mark. These rapid style changes continue throughout the remainder of the album, and while some bands who attempt this end up releasing disheveled, inconsistent material, the songs on Broadcasting... are so strong nothing sounds stale here.

As for new vocalist Andrew Neufeld, his voice works well in the confines of these songs. His delivery is slightly closer to a scream than Scott Wade's, but fortunately he's decipherable most of the time. Alluded to earlier, it's the backing music that makes Broadcasting... the behemoth it is. Even though they could have easily wrote another competent melodic hardcore album like Wake the Dead, the band really stepped up to the plate and challenged themselves for this recording and their efforts will be vindicated.

With Broadcasting..., Comeback Kid dip into several subgenres of punk and metal (doing it in the course of one song a lot of the time) yet produce their strongest and most cohesive record to date. And speaking of production, is there anyone better than Bill Stevenson right now? The production on Broadcasting... is perfect, making the band sound huge when the song calls for it and scaling it back ever so slightly when needed. Even though their sound has evolved into something new and exciting, and there's a new guy yelling the words, it's still Comeback Kid and there's really no reason for fans to not embrace this new incarnation with open arms and clenched fists in the air.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

PMAtill_ImDOA (December 8, 2008)

this album is crushing. its so wicked
someone oughta review their dvd that just came out

thomas7155 (September 3, 2007)

me too! this is a great record!

jimmyjjackamoose (August 17, 2007)

picked this up last night at Rise Against.

jt (April 5, 2007)

in a previous comment that i had stated, i said that this album was kinda boring. now that i own it (not borrowing from friends anymore), i dig it. I think that in some songs the breakdowns can get kinda boring, but the album is great

eastern_waste (March 15, 2007)

rad record, can't wait to see them next week

xFreezyx (March 4, 2007)

Still like Wake the Dead better, but all in all, this is a great disc. It's a shame that Victory has so many shitty bands.

Anonymous (February 26, 2007)

would rather figure 4 over this any day

Anonymous (February 24, 2007)

No aspects of Wake the Dead are present at all, which was a disappointment, but at least kind of resembled Turn It Around, but this is so far gone from what they used to be.

in short, it's like taking a sip from a glass of what you expect to be orange juice and getting lemonade. not bad but not what i was hoping for.

Ignitedude (February 24, 2007)

I didn't think they could beat 'Wake The Dead'. I was wrong.

Anonymous (February 24, 2007)

All the "Linkin Park" people sound like they are just trying to find a reason not to like this. I still like Wake The Dead better, but this is a damn good album. It sounds to me like they wanted to make a very "modern-sounding" hardcore-with-metal-elements record because the punk/hardcore sound from WTD is not really here. At certain points, this sounds like a much heavier The Illusion Of Safety-era Thrice to me, but then again maybe I'm not the best at musical comparison.

Allular (February 22, 2007)

I am pretty impressed. I wasn't planning on buying this but I did and I'm happy I did.

"The Blackstone" is Snapcase-ish to me musically. I can understand the nu-metal deal but it's not THAT bad.

They do some pretty interesting things rhythmically that I haven't really heard in hardcore. They're pushing it and I respect that alot.

Also, the new vocalist is actually really, really, really good. It makes me want to check out Figure Four.

fox82 (February 22, 2007)

The first thing that got me with this record is how different the band is now with the line-up change and all. My first fears about hearing of them recording a new record was that it was going to sound just like the last one, which this one thanfully doesn't. It's less of a conventional revival youth-crew hardcore and a bit more scene and 'metalcore'.

It's good they are doing something different, but this just didn't grow on me like the last two records did, albeit in different ways.

cdog (February 22, 2007)

I don't get this review at all.. theres no blastbeats on here, thats for sure. well anyway, i loved waked the dead and turn it around, but this i just can't get into. The singing at times is so much like linkin park and no warning that its unbearable. The drums and guitars sound incredibly stiff, almost mechanical. The warm guitar tone from wake the dead now has a fuzzy discordent norma jean/ underoath type sound. The blackstone is a just plain annoying song. And every time i start enjoying a song, the chester mcsuckington voice from linkin park chimes in. The cd is very overproduced.. Theres just to much to try and look past on this album..
I can't wait till the new go it alone cd comes out so i can forget about this.

fallingupwards84 (February 21, 2007)

this is a wonderful surprise; i was afraid when their vocalist left that it wouldnt be the same.. now i'd go as far as saying that the new vocalist is better.

and everyone keeps saying "its no Wake The Dead blah blah blah", but when WTD came out, people were saying "its no Turn It Around".
its cool to NOT like the new shit and stick to the old material. give it a couple years and Broadcasting will be considered their best work

score is for the album

punkengineer (February 21, 2007)

Amazing album.
New CBK vocals >>>>>> Old CBK vocals
Bill Stevenson >>>>>>>> Any other producer out there

punkengineer (February 21, 2007)

Amazing album.
New CBK vocals >>>>>> Old CBK vocals
Bill Stevenson >>>>>>>> Any other producer out there

Anonymous (February 21, 2007)

wii > xbox 360 >ps3

Anonymous (February 21, 2007)

No reason nu metal fans shouldn't enjoy this. Splipknot fans are going to start wearing CK shirts.

moneenerd (February 21, 2007)

CBK sounds a lot like Figure Four.... hmmm

Anonymous (February 21, 2007)

This album has really grown on me. Ive listened to it about 5 times now and i must say, im really enjoying it. i think that "defeated" is one of cbk's best songs. everytime those gang vocals come i get so pumped up. definatley very agressive and fast. the new vocals sound awesome imo and really flow well with the newer music style (hardcore punk meets metalish hardcore). whatever u want to call it, this album is a must buy. 8 bucks at best buy. i still put wake the dead above this, but man, this cd is goooood. a good kick to the face to wake u up.

Anonymous (February 21, 2007)

" You can tell this was written in hopes of reaching a "broader audience". MTV kids are gonna love this"

No way.

GlassPipeMurder (February 21, 2007)

i agree, the songs are a bit long. would be much better if they cut them down to less than 3 minutes.

moneenerd (February 21, 2007)

correlation*
woops!

moneenerd (February 21, 2007)

hardcore isnt my bag to begin with, but if a hardcore band has songs as long as this band, i cant stand it. nobody wants to hear 3 minutes of chugga-chugga-gang-vocal, i dont anyways.

I agree. The songs are way too long, like they drag out all the good parts for way too long. And the gang vocals... way too many words! haha

As for the Linkin Park shit, i do agree that this album sounds a lot like the last No Warning record, which was produced and released by some of the LP guys, but other than that, I dont see a direct coallation.

Ianw (February 21, 2007)

Weeeeeaaak

cadooFUCKYOU (February 21, 2007)

smoke or fires is better...

sickboi (February 21, 2007)

Everyone harping on "Blackstone", that opening riff sounds more like Snapcase than anything...

D00M3D (February 21, 2007)

i don't know about this album just yet. i think i still need time to think it over

Anonymous (February 21, 2007)

trying to get into this, not feelin' it though-oldpunker-

usversusthem (February 21, 2007)

"Also, both Attempted Suicide and the mere notion of Modern Life Is War recording with J. Robbins affirms this will not be hardcore album of the year."

Not to mention, Paint It Black is dropping new material.

LeightonESmith (February 21, 2007)

I'm fucking amped to hear this. Love this band but reading how people are divided makes me a bit uneasy.....

branden (February 20, 2007)

hardcore isnt my bag to begin with, but if a hardcore band has songs as long as this band, i cant stand it. nobody wants to hear 3 minutes of chugga-chugga-gang-vocal, i dont anyways.

newfoundmichael (February 20, 2007)

I was amazed at how spot on and clean cut the new vocals were.

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

Straight up nu metal riffs on the first track.

inagreendase (February 20, 2007)

People always talk about Wake the Dead lacking lasting value, but spin it any day of the week and I'm huge into it. This is good, but I'm not exactly sure it'll have too much lasting value.

Agreed about the nü-metal-esque intro to "The Blackstone"...eh.

Neufeld has this weird gravelly tone that reminds me of the No Trigger album somehow. I think Andrew got Stevensoned™.

Also, both Attempted Suicide and the mere notion of Modern Life Is War recording with J. Robbins affirms this will not be hardcore album of the year.

jt (February 20, 2007)

pretty good. kinda boring at times but that is probably just my opinion. I don't get how people are relating their songs to Linkin Park? thats kinda weird

moneenerd (February 20, 2007)

Yeah I can only listen to a few tracks on this, unliek the past 2 where I could listen to it front to back without wanting to skip a song. You can tell this was written in hopes of reaching a "broader audience". MTV kids are gonna love this.

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

score is for the challenger explosion. (CBK!!dfsa!)

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

Any word on the Hot Cross.

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

bad cover art, bad band, bad label. right on!

Trauma16 (February 20, 2007)

Got my copy at lunch today, so far nothing is jumping out (like title track from WTD) but its a consistently tight cd. Every song leads well into the next.
A few more listens and i'll probably be addicted.

usversusthem (February 20, 2007)

I've only listened to a few of the songs, and while I grant that the title track is solid and One Left Satisfied is pretty good, it's looking like it might be a disappointment next to the amazingness that was Wake the Dead.

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

man why are some critics raving about this band, they are pretty boring, do you get much money for it??

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

Breakdowns fuckin suck! Especially the retards who dance to them, scene fucks.

tenwestchaser (February 20, 2007)

Just picked it up (and 8 bux at best buy - $5 rewardzone coupone = fuckin sweet) but I dont know about it. From what I'm hearing its much slower and... "massive breakdowns"? Where? I haven't heard any, granted Ive only made it a few songs in as I listened to it on the way back from KFC and just took a nap. But seriously, it's def. slower and different. Andrew sounds great though, so its something with the music. One things for sure, I highly doubt any breakdown on here is going to be as massive as "Talk Is Cheap" That shit is a fucking giant and makes me want to break things. Mature I know, but you feel it deep down every time too....

thefineprint (February 20, 2007)

This is a terrific album, I've been listening to it a lot. BUT I CANNOT FUCKING STAND THE BLACKSTONE. Every time I hear that riff in the beginning I can't help thinking of listening to Trapt or Drowning Pool or some other shitty nu-metal band. Maybe it's just me... I just can't subject myself to that.

vocalyouth (February 20, 2007)

this sounds like linkin park at times. that said, it's probably better than wake the dead. this band is pretty much dead to me now, the title track from wake the dead and a couple others on that album were sweet, but other than that it was a forgettable album. Turn it Around is still far and away the best. Broadcasting is alright if you think of it as a different band, I guess.

dangerass (February 20, 2007)

I think this is their best album so far. It's more intense and more diverse than anything they have done as a whole.

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

The album is average, nothing spectacular. Turn it Around was their best work overall. Wake the Dead was good, and this isn't as good as either of those. And it's still February, so saying best hardcore album of 07 so far is pretty, well, meaningless.

wentz_equals_death (February 20, 2007)

yes but what does it all mean

crazytoledo (February 20, 2007)

Wake the Dead is better, but I'm still liking this.

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

Defeated does sound like something off of "O God the Aftermath", much to the hardcore kids dismay. Still a decent album.

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

Is it just me, or does the riff on the first song sound like Norma Jean?

treos (February 20, 2007)

Definitely their best to date

jbigwig (February 20, 2007)

This really is a damn fine record. I loved WTD and was really hoping the lineup change wouldn't dramatically change their sound. They have progressed, but haven't missed a beat, best HC album of 07 so far.

moneenerd (February 20, 2007)

this is good, but their best album? thats really stretching it.

all the heavier aspects that i liked about CBK are totally non-existant on this record. it almost sounds like a With Honor record (not that there's anything wrong with that).

and they over-do the whole "we play passionate hardcore" thing, so it all comes off a bit cheesy for me, and most of the chants are long-winded. oh well!

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

I bought this album yesterday, and I absolutely love it. I agree that the whole album sounds absolutely huge, and I think that's what makes it so great.

The new lead vocals really seem to work with the sound of the album, and the gang vocals are absolutely amazing. Plus, all the instruments sound pretty damn good as well.

All in all, a pretty great hardcore album!

-Mental Decay

sickboi (February 20, 2007)

Scott-

I think the track "Broadcasting" is pretty fucking catchy. It uses that similar riff and chord progression that's pretty much become the band's sound. I keep going back to listening to the same 3-4 songs, but this thing is growing on me fast. The gang vox are brutal on here.

-chris

givemeamuseumandillfillit (February 20, 2007)

Bill Stevenson's a stapler?

givemeamuseumandillfillit (February 20, 2007)

Will: It's not exactly a refined record, there's some snapcase/helmet stuff in there and some stuff in the vein of their first record. Not heavy, no blastbeats and very little d-beat.

Jonnyrawker (February 20, 2007)

I'm a massive fan of this band after hearing Wake The Dead. One of my top 3 albums of 2006. But this album may be the best album ive ever heard. Seriously... Its fuckin sick! Less melodic then WTD but way more complex, talented, heavy, and badass.
Also, I heart Bill Stevenson. The man is a genius. He can do no wrong.

BrandonSideleau (February 20, 2007)

OT- Am I the only one who has been searching the past week for the new Stooges record on Soulseek and mIRC with no luck? I mean I'm buying it when it's released but I'd like to hear it first....they sure are keeping it well away from being leaked. I mean, hell, both the new Dinosaur Jr and Blonde Redhead albums have leaked and they aren't out until May....yet the Stooges is out in 2 weeks and there still is nothing.

pasha (February 20, 2007)

great record.

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

Keep up the great work CBK, one of the finer hardcore albums put out in awhile. Its absolute bullshit that the title track was being compared to Linkin Park. This is just an all around fun album. Cant wait to see them live again. they put on a hella of a show.

punk_rawk_show (February 20, 2007)

fuck i just tried to listen to this cd 4 the first time and it wont work

punk_rawk_show (February 20, 2007)

as someone said below i cant wait for comeback kid in aus with sick of it all

maverick (February 20, 2007)

It's no Wake The Dead (nor is there a song on here as instaneously incredible as "Wake The Dead") but it's solid. And am I crazy, or is there a bit of a Helmet/NYC groove-metal vibe in some of these tracks?

-Scott

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

i kinda sounds youth crew-y, like the shoutalongs of youth of today/better than a thousand/early 7 seconds, but the production is what makes it most "metal" ish. it teeters on overproduced shine, but never really goes overboard. the songs are hardcore/melodic, and honestly, i couldn't tell that it was a new vocalist at all, the screams are still gruff but distinguished enough for the words to be understood, ala kid dynamite. really it's got elements of all the stuff on victory that was worth listening to before the label started signing douchebags with trust funds.

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

What does this album actually sound like? Is it more melodic and complex (Snapcase comparison) or faster and heavier (one blastbeat later?)? I have dial up so streaming it is out of the question.

-Will

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

No way did this album deserve four stars.

I still like Comeback Kid and I think the new vocalist is okay, but this was boring as shit.

Score is for the title track.

almostpunkenough (February 20, 2007)

gotta check this out.

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

so pumped for their tour with sick of it all to aus in may... gonna be HUGE! gotta go buy this tommorrow, from what i heard , it seems that they have really improved their songwriting ability, from their last works, especially in terms of structure. broadcasting (the song) is not your average hardcore structure (fast, slow, fast , slow breakdown, outro) it actually seems to have some depth. looking 4ward to hearin the album as a whole

GlassPipeMurder (February 20, 2007)

This is pretty awesome. I hope Victory doesn't take this band for granted.

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

I once read that Comeback Kid was "hardcore for people who don't really like hardcore" and maybe thats true because with the new singer this sounds alot more like a traditional hardcore album although I've heard only 1 or 2 songs off it.

I'll listen to it eventually but I'm pretty sure I'll still consider Turn It Around their best album.

Anonymous (February 20, 2007)

Bill Stevenson's the new Rob Scheider. He does fucking everything.