This has been one of the hardest reviews I have ever written simply because I do not like this album whatsoever, yet I still feel compelled to review it. Instead of writing a wordy explanation let me draw out a Comeback Kid timeline for you.
2003: Turn It Around is released on Christian label Facedown Records. Record is embraced by hardcore community and band gains huge following.
2004: Hardcore kids realize Facedown is a Christian label and assume that Comeback Kid are a band of bible humping maniacs. They proceed to throw their "Turn It Around" CD's into the nearest garbage can. Metalcore kids (who tend to be a tad slower by comparison) start hearing about Comeback Kid due to the horrible roster of Facedown Records. Said metalcore kids start attending Comeback Kid shows in large numbers and spinkick each other while wearing bracelets and their sister's jeans, sans back pockets. This angers hardcore kids who are in attendance to see bands such as Champion and Terror.
2005: Comeback Kid releases their follow up on Victory Records, titled Wake the Dead.
Before we get into this record I will let you know I was pretty much opinion-less on Turn It Around. It was catchy and well done, but there is something about the sound that I can't get into. To me it seems like hardcore specifically made for kids who don't like hardcore. Sure on the outside it seems to have all the ingredients of a great hardcore band, and by no means am I judging the sencerity or integrity of the band members, but the record definitely lacked something I look for in a hardcore band.
I was actually pleased when I recieved Wake the Dead in the mail. I had heard the title track on the internet and it was easily the most interesting song they had done. I thought perhaps I had tired to take Comeback Kid too seriously in the past, as the title track would fit perfectly in the next blockbuster zombie movie. Well I was wrong. Very, very wrong.
I don't care what anyone says, the title track is awesome, the problem is that the eleven other songs are just piss poor versions of it. Throughout the album there are a few bright moments, but the problem is they last about 10 seconds. Most notably is the clean singing on the track "Our Distance" and the breakdown in "Falling Apart."
Whether this band gets a thousand horrible reviews or not they are going to remain one of the biggest hardcore bands around, and for that I give them a lot of credit. In a scene where bands are unlucky enough to be brutally judged on their religious beliefs and by their fanbase, Comeback Kid are doing pretty well for themselves. Unfortunately all I see is an extremely watered down record from a band that I am pretty sure could do a lot better.
