Almost four years after the release of the critically acclaimed ‘Outsider‘, the beloved Canadian hardcore veterans Comeback Kid are back! ‘Heavy Steps’ is in the mean time their 7th full-length and promises to be a straight kick in the teeth of classic melodic hardcore. Back is producer John Paul Peters, who also did their debut full-length ‘Turn It Around‘ and the mixing is done by increasingly popular Will Putney, resulting in an incredibly amazing sound, going on the singles that were released before the album hit the shelves. I’m ready for this, let’s go!

As soon as they kick off with ‘Heavy Steps’, you get met with damn crunchy riffs that’ll make you bob your head along in no time. And those riffs get perfectly enhanced through some incredibly engaging melodies. Add to that vocals that range from the typical hardcore shouting and clean vocals that harmonize at many moments. And of course closer to the end of the track we get the signature breakdown that absolutely kills! Next track ‘No Easy Way Out’ is even more catchy and riling up, with a chorus that I found myself shouting along to before I realized it. If I ever need to get pumped up in the nearby future to get something done, I think I found myself the perfect track.

The track that actually pulled me into getting properly excited about Comeback Kids‘ new album, was ‘Crossed’ with a guest appearance of Gojira‘s Joe Duplantier. The old school hardcore (punk) vibe, those damn tasty metallic riffs, vocals that range from frantic screaming to rap-like bits that remind me of the heydays of rap rock and a breakdown that is absolutely crushing and pounding… ‘Crossed‘ is easily one of the top tracks on the album. Though ‘Everything Relates’ with guest vocals from Deez Nuts‘ JJ is actually a strong contender as well, it being a straight-up melodic hardcore rager with its classic sound and catchiness that quickly carves out a spot in my brain.

We’re only halfway the record by now, but they show now sign of slowing down! ‘Dead On The Fence’ chugs along in what I can see already as an absolute beast of a track live for some steady moshing. Or what about ‘In Between’ with an absolute mastodon of a breakdown… From start to finish this is a banging album with the perfect production/mix for this kind of music, the kind of release that gets me going whenever I put it up and ready for whatever the world is going to throw at me. The guys have written some highly contagious music that will make anyone easily at least nod their head to and vocalist Andrew Neufeld has managed to provide an impressive amount of anthemic lyrics that I found myself screaming along to at regular occasions.

‘Heavy Steps’ by Comeback Kid is a record that sucks me right back into listening to more hardcore and punk, especially if it’s this engaging and damn catchy. The melodies are enormous, the choruses are straight-up anthems, the riffs are crunchy and breakdowns absolutely crushing. Add to that the simply stunning production and mixing by some of the most talented people around in the scene and you get what is probably one of the best hardcore entries for a while.

Release date: January 21, 2022
Label: Nuclear Blast
Tracklist:

1. Heavy Steps
2. No Easy Way Out
3. Face The Fire
4. Crossed (feat. Joe Duplantier)
5. Everything Relates (feat. JJ)
6. Dead On The Fence
7. Shadow Of Doubt
8. True To Form
9. In Between
10. Standstill
11. Menacing Weight

Links:
https://www.comeback-kid.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Comeback.Kid
https://twitter.com/cbktweets
https://www.instagram.com/comebackkid_hc/