REVIEW: Comeback Kid - Chosen Hell
With over 25 years behind them, Canadian hardcore legends COMEBACK KID are back with their seventh LP, Chosen Hell. COMEBACK KID's iconic backlog has massed them a dedicated fanbase over the years, and this album keeps within their renowned sound while adding experimental layers that show exactly why they’ve been a household name in hardcore punk for so long.
The album starts off strong with Target On My Back. High speed and riff heavy it’s exactly what one would expect from COMEBACK KID. Adding in booming vocals, it’s an almighty start. Vindication is next lacing melodious fury with potent energy in exactly the way you would expect from COMEBACK KID. Another dead ringer of a song that gives the dynamism you experience fully at one of their live shows.
Going into a standout song on the album, not only because it features legendary Courtney LaPlante from SPIRITBOX, but Shedding Season is also full of rage and bravado and delivered impeccably. Once that breakdown hits, you can completely feel it. Not losing any momentum, we go into a much more hardcore punk feel with Lost and Found, an absolute instant add to playlist song that you’ll want to listen to repeatedly. It encompasses COMEBACK KID versatility perfectly and makes it hard to forget why they are such an iconic band.
Underneath The Pressure is up and the album goes back into full throttle mode with some amazing vocals that really does just prove that vocalist Andrew Neufield can make anything sound great. The instrumentals in the song carry the entire track perfectly. Into the title track of the album at the halfway mark, Chosen Hell is full of rage, covering the moral and virtuous battle between good and evil. Chosen Hell has already been released to give you a taste of just how incredible this record is.
Without a breath we go into Yesterday’s Gone, featuring Brendan Garrone of INCENDIARY, another perfect example of how versatile vocals and flawless instrumentals blend so well. Tunnel Vision keeps this reputation up without fault. Another solid breakdown that you come to know and love from COMEBACK KID, and yet it still hits like a hammer every time. Becoming goes back to full ferocity and unwavering, fast paced playing. Noteworthy vocals, gripping choruses and unrelenting drums, all amalgamated into the perfect concoction.
Then onto the catchiest song you've heard in a long time. The more you listen to Heartland Elegy, the more you find that you just can't stop. The singalong chorus is the perfect earworm to begin wrapping this album up, because you’re going to want to go back and listen to it over and over again. This song feels like it would be a live show core memory. Too Late wraps the album up perfectly. Slowing down slightly but not losing momentum for a second, by the time you reach this song, if you weren’t a COMEBACK KID fan you will be by now. Full of feeling and before picking up the pace again, this song is the perfect end to a perfect album.
COMEBACK KID have managed to produce an album that just gets better song after song, listen after listen. The versatility, unexpected shifts, hooking choruses, COMEBACK KID have come back with a force. If you haven’t ever given this band a chance, this one is going to convert you into a loyal fan after one listen. Bringing the energy that COMEBACK KID are known for without faltering for a second, injecting both the nostalgia of their back catalogue with a newer feeling hardcore element. COMEBACK KID have managed to not only keep their momentum after all these years but elevate it, communicating struggles and destitutions in an unforfeiting way.
Score: 9/10
Chosen Hell will be released on 6th November 2026 via SharpTone Records.
Words: Shay Decay
Photos: Keith Thompson
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