Your 5 favorite "Comeback" albums

[faizoff]

Ugly Kid Joe - Uglier Than They Used Ta Be

First album after a long hiatus, they also had a rocking EP.  Doubt if anyone listens to them here.

I listen to them. America's Least Wanted and Menace To Sobriety are stellar records.

Their new records are solid but I was hoping for something more.

I agree with regards to the last album. Rad Wings of Destiny. It's fun but it's kinda just blah. The EP Stairway to Hell and album that followed while isn't as great as the initial era stuff, I have the same feeling that they could've brought more to the albums.

[ProfessorPeart]

Ugly Kid Joe - Uglier Than They Used Ta Be

First album after a long hiatus, they also had a rocking EP.  Doubt if anyone listens to them here.

I listen to them. America's Least Wanted and Menace To Sobriety are stellar records.

Their new records are solid but I was hoping for something more.

I agree with regards to the last album. Rad Wings of Destiny. It's fun but it's kinda just blah. The EP Stairway to Hell and album that followed while isn't as great as the initial era stuff, I have the same feeling that they could've brought more to the albums.

I loved Uglier Than They Used Ta Be, but Rad Wings was a HUGE disappointment. I borderline hate that record. Otherwise, I enjoy all of their stuff.

Saw Tool mentioned. Isn't every Tool album essentially a comeback album?

[TAC]

How would everyone define a "Comeback Album"?

[King Postwhore]

As a band that hasn't been around for a while or a band who had a few poor albums that bounced back with a well liked album. 

[twosuitsluke]

How would everyone define a "Comeback Album"?

My initial definition was either a comeback after a hiatus or extended period between albums (like 8 years or more), or an incredible album release coming off the back of two or more subpar albums. Seeing others definitions here though, I could define it other things.

[DragonAttack]

Something like Queen's 'Innuendo'

[Cool Chris]

How would everyone define a "Comeback Album"?

Been mulling this over a lot and am still not sure how I define it. I think the band needs to literally "come back" from something, like an extended break or significant turmoil. Though I appreciate a "return to form" type of definition often will suffice when people use the term "comeback." My initial thought when I saw the thread was DT's Scenes From a Memory, because at the time I thought FII was garbage. They brought me back as a fan, but I am not sure what they came back from, other than a lame album release.

[Trav86]

A successful album after  long time away, or major lineup change. 
An album that is critically and/or commercially successful after an album(s) that was critically panned and/or commercially unsuccessful.

[ProfessorPeart]

Galactic Cowboys - Long Way Back To The Moon

[ZirconBlue]

How would everyone define a "Comeback Album"?

Whatever it is, it's not what LL Cool J did.

[ProfessorPeart]

How would everyone define a "Comeback Album"?

Whatever it is, it's not what LL Cool J did.

Exactly. He's been here for years.

[Orbert]

"Comeback" can mean anything you want - back to an old sound, return of old singer, whatever.

[SoundscapeMN]

[Stadler]

I see what you did there....

[twosuitsluke]

[Orbert]

I was trying to think of a joke involving "cum" and "back", and this meets the minimum requirements.

[Pappy]

1.  Iron Maiden - Brave New World.  Still my favorite of the reunion records and Bruce sounds so strong and amazing.  Every song is killer.

2.  Iced Earth - Dystopia.  Furious album following two dull concept albums about the Something Wicked story.  Matt Barlow's departure is softened by introducing Stu Block wailing away and singing his ass off.

3.  Savatage - Poets and Madmen.  I love Zak, but get bored with DWD and Wake of Magellan's plodding rock operas.  Poets features Jon Oliva returning to the main vocalist slot and some heavy, rocking songs. 

4.  Anthrax - We've Come For You All.   Monster album after the clunker that is Volume 8.

5.  Testament - The Gathering.  Low is a great record, Demonic starts strong but fades quickly.  The Gathering is full-on awesome from start to finish.  Amazing songs, amazing lineup with Digiorgio and Lombardo, and unrelenting heaviness.

I'd argue Formation is more of a comeback record and a brilliant one at that. Chuck beat cancer, Alex back with the band. That being said The Gathering is the most underrated Metal record ever. It should be in top 10 all time metal lists. I'll go to my grave arguing for that album. F me the production. Chuck sounding so brutal. Lombardo on the kit.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

That being said The Gathering is the most underrated Metal record ever. It should be in top 10 all time metal lists.

That's a really strong claim.  I rarely run across people who don't like it to some extent, and pretty much any rating site you go to will have fairly strong ratings for it.  Metal-Archives is probably one of the annoyingly weaker ones for it.  But there are so many incredible albums that most people have never even heard of that would be much stronger contenders for "most underrated ever", at least the vast majority of metalheads will at least know what The Gathering is. 

[Grappler]

1.  Iron Maiden - Brave New World.  Still my favorite of the reunion records and Bruce sounds so strong and amazing.  Every song is killer.

2.  Iced Earth - Dystopia.  Furious album following two dull concept albums about the Something Wicked story.  Matt Barlow's departure is softened by introducing Stu Block wailing away and singing his ass off.

3.  Savatage - Poets and Madmen.  I love Zak, but get bored with DWD and Wake of Magellan's plodding rock operas.  Poets features Jon Oliva returning to the main vocalist slot and some heavy, rocking songs. 

4.  Anthrax - We've Come For You All.   Monster album after the clunker that is Volume 8.

5.  Testament - The Gathering.  Low is a great record, Demonic starts strong but fades quickly.  The Gathering is full-on awesome from start to finish.  Amazing songs, amazing lineup with Digiorgio and Lombardo, and unrelenting heaviness.

I'd argue Formation is more of a comeback record and a brilliant one at that. Chuck beat cancer, Alex back with the band. That being said The Gathering is the most underrated Metal record ever. It should be in top 10 all time metal lists. I'll go to my grave arguing for that album. F me the production. Chuck sounding so brutal. Lombardo on the kit.

I can definitely agree with Formation as well and that definitely fits the definition of comeback record better.  But for me, it's The Gathering, especially being a metalhead during the late 90's.  Metallica and Megadeth went Load/Risk, nu-metal was huge, Slayer was experimenting with groove, we were waiting for another Pantera record.  The summer of 1999 was ruled by The Gathering, especially after they were coming off of Demonic.