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At the turn of the century, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Figure Four members, Andrew Neufeld and Jeremy Hiebert formed melodic hardcore group Comeback Kid<\/strong>. With their name based on a headline about hockey player Mario Lamieux coming back to the NHL, the band initially formed with Scott Wade on vocals, Neufeld on rhythm guitar, Hiebert on lead guitar, Kyle Profeta on drums, and Cliff Heide on bass (he would be replaced by Kevin Call in 2003, who would be replaced by Matt Keil in 2008).\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite initially being a side project, word of mouth and underground success with debut album ‘Turn It Around’<\/em>, released on Facedown Records<\/strong>, led to the outfit being on a full time serious basis. Signing with Victory Records\u00a0<\/strong>led to their anthemic hardcore punk to be heard further, and also the release of their influential breakthrough LP, ‘Wake the Dead’ <\/em>in 2005.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite their continuing rise, the line up would be shook up as vocalist Scott Wade left, being replaced by guitarist Andrew Neufeld, whose position would be taken by Casey Hjelmberg (2007-2012), and since 2012, Stu Ross of Misery Signals\/Living with Lions fame. Such a shake up didn\u2019t stop the band from releasing critically acclaimed efforts in the form of ‘Broadcasting\u2026’<\/em> in 2007 and ‘Symptoms + Cures’<\/em> in 2010.<\/p>\n Last year saw the quintet embark on a 10th Anniversary tour of ‘Turn It Around’<\/em> in Europe and North America. This tour exclusively featured former vocalist Wade back in position, with Neufeld reverting back to rhythm guitar. To the delight of fans, the band played material from their first two full lengths.<\/p>\n In celebration of their brilliant AH 5\/5 rated fifth LP<\/a>, \u2018Die Knowing\u2019<\/em>, the team have decided to place Comeback Kid<\/strong> under the \u201cVersus\u201d microscope. In one corner, recently returned AH veteran Mikey Brown speaks from a third person narrative as to why their latest album is the band\u2019s best. Meanwhile, at the opposite end, Chris Mackie from Norwich hardcore boys Free Will<\/strong>, has elected himself to explain why second album, ‘Wake the Dead’<\/i> is the bands best work.<\/p>\n What do you consider to be Comeback Kid<\/strong>‘s\u00a0best album and why? Let us know on our\u00a0Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a> pages.<\/em><\/p>\n Die Knowing<\/strong> (by Mikey Brown<\/a>) It came as a shock to the 23 year amateur \u201cjournalist\u201d when listening to the melodic hardcore band\u2019s new album; \u201cWhen that palm muted intro began I knew that I was onto something much heavier. It was just what I wanted from Comeback Kid<\/strong> and luckily the rest of \u2018Die Knowing\u2019<\/em> followed suit\u201d. After one listen he knew that it was the band\u2019s best work. Controversial it may be, especially when considering the old phrase \u2018their older stuff was better\u2019 was sure to be heard amongst the infamous \u2018internet\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n However, Mikey is sticking to his word. He went on record to say that \u201cdespite \u2018Symptoms + Cures\u2019<\/em> being a brilliant album, there\u2019s something about \u2018Die Knowing\u2019<\/em> that feels more like a Comeback Kid<\/strong> album. It is heavier, but specifically it\u2019s more hardcore. It\u2019s an album that showcases the band back at their roots with plenty of breakdowns, octave lead choruses and gang vocals. Oh, and not to mention the riffs, riffs and more riffs\u201d.<\/p>\n When looking at songs like \u2018Should Know Better\u2019,<\/em>it\u2019s clear to see that he has a point. The song could easily be regarded as some of the band\u2019s older work as it\u2019s a showcase of what Comeback Kid<\/strong> are best known for and could be used as a prime example in showing a potential fan exactly what they are to expect from the band.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n “So whilst being a new album, it\u2019s more like their older stuff\u2026 get it?” And he has a point. Whilst many will come to the early conclusion that the Scott Wade-era of Comeback Kid<\/strong> is the promised era, it\u2019s hard not to agree that \u2018Die Knowing\u2019<\/em> only further cements the band as still being strong contenders within the hardcore scene and worthy icons. And let\u2019s not forget to mention that Wade himself features on the song \u2018Full Swing\u2019<\/em>, showing that the band are fully acknowledging their roots.<\/p>\n It may have been 4 years in the waiting, but Comeback Kid are still as strong as ever, if not stronger. Whilst they may be older than a lot of bands within their scene, they\u2019ve got experience. Knocking out an album such as \u2018Die Knowing\u2019<\/em> is evidence enough that the band are still relevant. And if that wasn\u2019t enough, the final track \u2018Sink In\u2019<\/em> will surely knock you back. Comeback Kid<\/strong> are still here and will be for a good while.<\/p>\n Wake the Dead<\/strong> (by Chris Mackie, Free Will) In my opinion, \u2018Wake The Dead\u2019<\/em> is a near perfect hardcore record. Bill Stevenson\u2019s (Descendents, Black Flag) excellent production work helped shape the band\u2019s sound, evolving from their debut, \u2018Turn It Around\u2019,<\/em> into what many consider to be a modern classic of the genre. To this day i\u2019m still impressed by how well their more melodic\u00a0 \u2018Champion-esque\u2019 sound is combined with a heavy guitar tone, and riffs which would put a smile on the face of any fan of alternative music. There is a fine line when it comes to melodic hardcore, and striking that perfect balance is something Comeback Kid<\/strong> have locked down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n ‘Wake The Dead’<\/em> was the final release with founding member, Scott Wade on vocals. Wade\u2019s vocal style and lyrics are one of the main things that draws me to this record over any of their other releases. The subjects raised by Wade on this record, non-conformity, rebellion and self belief, are something I find entirely relatable and is what draws me to it. The idea of being relatable to your audience is something I find lacking in many more recent hardcore bands and records. \u2018Wake The Dead\u2019<\/em> is positive hardcore you can mosh to.<\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t dislike Comeback Kid<\/strong>\u2019s more recent releases as such. I just find I haven\u2019t connected with them the same way I did and still do with \u2018Wake The Dead\u2019<\/em>. All things considered, I think \u2018Wake The Dead\u2019<\/em> is not only the best Comeback Kid<\/strong> record to date but one of the best modern hardcore records. I find myself listening to it nearly everyday and I can honestly say I never get bored. If Comeback Kid<\/strong> is a band you\u2019ve slept on, make sure you listen to their stuff, both old and new.<\/span><\/p>\n ‘Die Knowing’<\/em> by Comeback Kid<\/strong> is out now on Victory Records<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Comeback Kid<\/strong> links: Website<\/a>|Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At the turn of the century, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Figure Four members, Andrew Neufeld and Jeremy Hiebert formed melodic hardcore group Comeback Kid. With their name based on a headline about hockey player Mario Lamieux coming back to the NHL, the band initially formed with Scott Wade on vocals, Neufeld on rhythm guitar, Hiebert […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8181,2123],"tags":[62,934,6383,10555,122,8581,10557,5966,1459,10556],"class_list":["post-24024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-post","category-versus","tag-already-heard","tag-comeback-kid","tag-die-knowing","tag-distort-entertainment","tag-feature","tag-free-will","tag-smallman-records","tag-versus","tag-victory-records","tag-wake-the-dead"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
In a shock revelation to fans everywhere, \u201cmusic journalist\u201d Mikey Brown (is that even his real name?) states that \u2018Die Knowing\u2019<\/em> is Comeback Kid<\/strong>\u2019s greatest album to date, ignoring all of their previous releases and acknowledging that their newest album is their best work, despite only being a few weeks old.<\/span><\/p>\n
Comeback Kid<\/strong>\u2019s 2005 record \u2018Wake The Dead\u2019<\/em> has shaped me into the person I am today. From the day I first heard the iconic title track, I was hooked on hardcore punk. Hardcore is a big part of my life, and for me, Comeback Kid<\/strong> and \u2018Wake The Dead\u2019<\/em> was where it all started.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n