With a plethora of bands inking deals with Victory in the last 12 months, it would take a very knowledgeable (or sad, depending how you look at it) individual to be able to reel off the names of every single band newly signed to the label. I personally wouldn’t know where to start – the success of every release last year (Taking Back Sunday, Straylight Run and Hawthorne Heights have all done around 200,000+ I’m led to believe) has led to a signing explosion, with many of the bands relatively unknown. For me, June are arguably the best acquisition, although in terms of releases, Comeback Kid‘s newie could well take some beating. This is a record that will quite rightly gain plaudits across the world – it’s a brutally cathartic hardcore album that stands out a mile from many other bands in the pack.
For me, what stands out on ‘Wake The Dead’ is the band’s reluctance to follow the trendsetters down the more ‘metal’ route. Hardcore, especially among the more mainstream acts in the genre, has suddenly seen more and more bands busting out Iron Maiden-esque riffs like they’re back in fashion. However, Comeback Kid have bucked the trend and gone back to what the genre has always been about. There’s more of a punk attitude; it’s a little more in-yer-face than other records by bands that you’d probably associate to be peers. There aren’t too many breakdowns, but they’re not badly missed. The guitars drive and the vocals ram down your throat – helped no end by Bill Stevenson’s perfect production. ‘Wake The Dead’ is short and sweet – it doesn’t outstay its welcome, rattling through tracks like a machine gun. Its rapid fire approach make it even more enjoyable and should be a certainty if you’re looking for something refreshingly aggressive.
Victory
paul