Comeback Kid - Broadcasting... Review
by Jeff Krause
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Hardcore nowadays isn't what it used to be. Too easily are bands nowadays thrown into the metal/nu-metal/metalcore label, as the lines between what is hardcore and what is metal have become increasingly blurred over the past few years. This is not the case, however, with Victory Records' Comeback Kid. There is no doubt where their allegiance lies. CBK is hardcore through and through. What remained to be seen was if they could turn out a solid hardcore album. The answer is a little yes, but mostly no."Broadcasting" starts out insanely good. Opening track "Defeated" comes out of the gate like a fire. Complete with sing-along parts and blistering guitar riffs, the song is probably the best way CBK could have started out this release, featuring new vocalist and former Figure Four screamer Andrew Neufeld. There was fear that Andrew's vocals wouldn't fit as easily with CBK as former vocalist Scott Wade's did, and in parts Andrew sounds as if he's trying to replicate Scott's vocals, but it's not overbearing, and isn't the case throughout. Musically, CBK runs into a problem. They start out strong…..real strong, in fact. Title track "Broadcasting" is one of the strongest hardcore songs this reviewer has heard in some time. This release, as has been the case in the past with some Victory releases, gets a bit weaker as the album goes on. Purely coincidental in the occurrence and its tie to Victory, but a truth nonetheless. Where "Broadcasting" falls short is in the songwriting. Good bands write good songs. Decent bands write good riffs. The difference there is that "Broadcasting is full of some good riffs, but you cannot successfully piece together good riffs and make a good song out of it. There has to be flow between the riffs for a good song to work. That is definitely where this third full length release falls short. When CBK learns to better structure solid riffs into solid songs, they will make an even bigger impact on the hardcore scene. While they have done good things in the past, they need a little more honing in order to be a hardcore band that can stand side-by-side with the likes of Judge, Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, and Sick Of It All.
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