Upon my first few listens to "Broadcasting…", the latest from Canada's Comeback Kid (again on Victory Records), I couldn't quite decide what I thought of it. I liked it just fine, that was never an issue, I just couldn't really make up my mind about much of anything beyond that. As the tone of the killer layout would suggest, it's a little darker than the band's past efforts – musically and lyrically – which brings with it a more aggressive approach. Don't get me wrong, it's still super melodic and bursting with fast-paced riffing and energetic arrangements complete with loads of octave chords and huge gang vocals – hell, there are even some hints at "singing" here and there (it's really more of a "yelled singing", to be honest) – but there's definitely a slightly heavier bent happening in there this time around, though it may escape cursory listens. As with other hardcore acts that have taken this more artistic and developed approach in recent years, some of the catchiness of the band's prior work is lost, but Comeback Kid have definitely retained more of those characteristics than many of their contemporaries – so their foray towards more creative avenues (which I always respect in full regardless) has actually been among the more successful of such pursuits within the genre. There are some totally raging basslines present, and I love the more discordant and technical riffing with lots of dual guitar interaction that's starting to present itself. I think that from a listener's perspective some of the "uncertainties" of the album are probably stemming from the fact that it seems to be the first step towards something even grander… and that's what I'm really looking forward to experiencing. This is good stuff, though.

Comeback Kid "In Case of Fire"
Comeback Kid "Defeated"

This one's definitely growing on me with time. The more I listen to it the more the little badass intricacies start to jump out. Certainly recommended:

@ Victory Records
@ RevHQ

When I first popped this CD in I was fully expecting it to suck – and I know that plenty of the people who read this site will find that to be the case regardless – because something about the look of it just didn't seem like it would be my thing. I had completely forgotten that I reviewed the band's debut a couple of years ago and pretty much trashed it – which is just as well, 'cause had I recalled that fact I might not have bothered to listen to this record at all. But if nothing else Victory Records is still good for handing bands enough money to get a nice sounding recording – granted A Day to Remember has vastly improved their songwriting on their first outing for the label, "For Those Who Have Heart", so they deserve most of the credit there. As with their debut the framework takes fast, melodic hardcore rhythms and emo-ish levels of blatant catchiness in the singing combined with chunkier metalcore riffing and harsher vocals, so there's still somewhat of a disjointed range of influences happening, but the recording is perfectly solid and I really like the bulk of the material quite a bit. Everything is far more energetic and memorable, so when held against the improved production values that makes a huge difference. Sure, it's not exactly original, but at the same time it does take a little bit of a different approach. Now that they've nailed down the way that they handle all of their influences they're heavier than most of their emo-leaning contemporaries and catchier than most of those more in the metalcore vein, so… while there's still room for improvement, this is a massive step forward, and I really dig the result.

A Day to Remember "Fast Forward to 2012"
A Day to Remember "The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle"

Come on, you know you kinda like it, so pick one up:

@ Victory Records
@ RevHQ