Comeback Kid![](https://lollipopmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/comebackkid-outsider.jpg)
Outsider (Nuclear Blast)
By Mike Delano
Manitoba hardcore punkers Comeback Kid sound razor sharp on Outsider, their first album since 2014âs Die Knowing and debut for Nuclear Blast. Itâs more diverse than Die Knowing, which was satisfyingly relentless with its aggression but didnât tap into the range of the bandâs strengths like this album does. Vocalist Andrew Neufeldâs piercing bark can still peel the paint, sounding like the unholy halfway point between Snapcaseâs Daryl Taberski and Municipal Wasteâs Tony Foresta, and on Outsider he gets to play more with melody, to great effect, like on the choruses of âSurrender Controlâ and âHell Of A Scene.â He goes roar for roar with Devin Townsend, who guests on âAbsolute,â and quickly adjusts as the band strips away some of its metal influences for a more street punk style on âConsumed The Vision,â which features The Flatlinersâ Chris Cresswell. Guitarists Jeremy Hiebert and Stu Ross knock out plenty of fresh meat for the pit (the best of which is the ferociously groove-based âIâll Be Thatâ) but also get a chance to stretch out on the hopeful âRecover.â And for a band already famous for fist-pumping sing-a-long-worthy anthems, Comeback Kid manages to outdo their previous work yet again with immediately catchy stuff like the title track and the instant classic âSomewhere, Somehow.â
(nuclearblast.com)