Review Summary: The band takes two steps forward to make up for the step back they took on Broadcasting. The release isn't perfect but is the "comeback" that Comeback Kid needed.
Comeback Kid is a Canadian Hardcore band known for their energetic, live-friendly sound. The band was originally intended to be a side project but found that their popularity spread fast throughout the hardcore community by word-of-mouth.
In 2003, Comeback Kid released "Turn It Around" and immediately started turning heads. The bands sophomore release "Wake The Dead" only picked up on the ground breaking sound achieved on the bands first release, with the addition of more melody. It brought the band popularity not only in North America, but around the world as well. In 2007 we saw the release of "Broadcasting" which featured guitarist Andrew Neufeld on vocals. The album received a lot of criticism as fans felt that the band had failed to re-capture the energy of their first two albums. Now the bands name "Comeback Kid" really applies to the band as they try to redeem themselves with their fourth full length, "Symptoms + Cures."
What many felt was the bands downfall on the last album was the departure of vocalist "Scott Wade." Many said that he was the bands personality and Andrew couldn't recapture that. What I felt the problem was is that their new vocalist tried to sound the same as Scott Wade when in reality, he couldn't pull off the same vocal style very well. This time around, he chose a more full on "scream" instead of the spoken word/yelled vocals that Comeback Kid was known for. There are still some occasional "clean vocals" that really sound like a half scream/half sing similar to that of Linkin Park. This is in no way a negative as it seems to give the songs more depth and separate them from one another. The crunchy riffs return that we would all expect from a CBK album and the drumming is top notch. As usual, the title track is one of the best on the album. Other tracks like "Crooked Floors" and "The Concept Says" are worth mentioning as they are sure to inspire a lot of crowd participation at a live show.
The band took what many saw as a step back on their last release but find their own sound again this time around. It's still a change from the Scott Wade era but re-captures the raw emotion and intensity that Comeback Kid is known for. The album would rate high in comparison with other modern hardcore releases but would still rate somewhat low to Comeback Kid standards. What it does show is that the band has figured out their new direction and has a tremendous potential to capitalize on it in the future.
