Comeback Kid - Die Knowing

It's crazy that a hardcore record would be categorized as negative and the reason being that it's too aggressive. But that's what I said about Comeback Kid's previous outing, Symptoms & Cures. It was a raw hardcore record. From production and mix, to lyrics and music, it was an aggressive and intense record. Comeback Kid had always been a band that made hardcore that managed to be fun. Symptoms & Cures didn't feel fun.

Obviously the Comeback Kid that I first listened to it gone. And that's fine. I loved it when Andrew Neufeld took over on vocals. Broadcasting was the best record I had heard from CBK. But even Broadcasting, for as intense as it was, had an element of enjoyment.

Die Knowing feels more like Broadcasting. It's more aggressive and hat element of fun isn't quite there, but whatever it was about Symptoms & Cures that I didn't get, is missing from Die Knowing. Which is great!

The title track kicks off the record. Sludgy guitar riffs throughout create the feeling of pushing forward. It's a good theme to go into the record with. That Die Knowing is Comeback Kid continuing to push forward and not just recreate the past. Lower The Line will get the circle pit moving. Wasted Arrows has that classic Comeback Kid sound. A mix of circle pit intensity, sing-alongs, and breakdowns. Should Know Better was the perfect choice for the album's lead single. It has the same feel as Wake The Dead. A great song for the crowd to mosh to and sing-a-long with and enjoy. It's one of those songs that will be a Comeback Kid signature. I Depend, I Control and Somewhere In This Miserable have the same aggression as Symptoms & Cures. Unconditional is about as much of a ballad as we're likely to get from CBK. A great melodic guitar riff with half-timed drums create something I haven't heard from the band before, and I like it.

The old Comeback Kid is gone. And that's ok. Die Knowing combines where the band has been with where the band is headed. It's a nice mix and CBK fans will find something enjoyable and great about this record. It's hardcore. Good old fashioned hardcore.