Heavyweight Hardcore
Good hardcore music should sound like a fight; confrontational, a sense of no surrender, an impenetrable wall of noise and a voice which encapsulates all the rage and fury that you, yourself feel against society.
As the crowd swells with anticipation, Comeback Kid step into the ring. Scouring their roped stage, they set eyes on their opposition. Steely eyed and determined they clench their bare knuckles into a fist and close their eyes for the briefest of seconds. A bell rings, eyes open; round one of eleven.....
From the breathtaking opener 'Defeated', a track which immediately and incessantly sucker punches you in the gut, they leave you in breathless anticipation for what awaits you next. Each track hits you again and again, from the relentless jabs of 'Hailing on Me' to the flailing fists of 'Give'r' to the total knockout of 'In/tuition'. It's an album where you can literally feel the sweat and blood pour from your stereo in equal measure. It would be easy to compare this to singer Andrew Neufield's previous incarnation of Figure Four, a band still prominent and revered in equal measures since their demise in 2002, but it would be a comparison which would be unfair and would take away from the achievement that Comeback Kid have made with this album.
With a title like 'Broadcasting'... you would think that this album would be an all out call to arms, but instead of railing against the ills of society, the lyrics remain, at times, relatively introverted. The only exceptions being capitalism and consumer society critique 'Market Demands' where Neufield rages 'The Sharks came out to play/ told us how much to pay' and the self explanatory 'Industry Standards' where 'There's other agendas coming in to play/ Distractions, keeping us away'. There are no ultra fast breakdowns here or incoherent, screaming vocals, instead a more melodic and tuneful sense of musicality with an acute awareness of morality. This is a band who are aware of the often conflicting nature of morality in an amoral society and who are intelligently using these contradictions in their music to an almost profound effect.
Comeback Kid is accessible hardcore in its best sense; a sound progressive, positive, and brimming with a sense of musical integrity that many lesser bands lack. After thirty-three minutes, a knockout. The bell rings; a bloodied but victorious Comeback Kid are crowned the Heavyweight hardcore Kings of 2007.