Cast your mind back to the year 2001, remember Canadian rock band Sum 41, they were the four piece responsible for storming the charts with hits such as 'In Too Deep' and 'Fat Lip' from their album 'All killer, No filler'. Okay, you may have still been recovering from the Millennium. Try 2002 and the track 'Still Waiting' from 'Does This Look Infected?' Still no recollection of who these guys are? Then how about the album 'Chuck'? If none of this rings a bell I wouldn't be surprised. For the last few years you may have been thinking the lads had been laying dormant – but they haven't and have now released their fifth album, so here is the low down.
The band consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitar, keys/piano), Cone (bass and backing vocals) and Stevo (drums and backing vocals). When the guys first started playing together they released their first album 'Half Hour Of Power'. The first single, 'Makes No Difference', was about getting over the tough and depressing parts of your life, letting go of the past and being completely apathetic to everyone's comments and opinions. Main lyricalist Deryck looks into his own life as inspiration for the tracks his writes.
The band's second album 'All Killer No Filler' is their best selling album to date. The album features lyrics with various subjects such as society, laziness, self-indulgence and relationships, and spawned three singles. The first, 'Fat Lip' became a huge hit during the summer. The high-tempo song includes elements of nu-metal, hip-hop, and punk-rock. It's lyrics depict a person who wants to rebuff every attempt by society to conform, with the chorus beginning with the line, "I don't wanna waste my time / Become another casualty of society". The follow-ups 'In Too Deep', which is about trying to break up with someone who's just always complaining before you can't get out, and 'Motivation' about being self-cantered, de-motivated and lazy, too lazy to look for motivation to do anything. The album also features a track, 'Pain For Pleasure', which features the alter ego of the band that plays classic heavy metal music.
The follow-up to this album, 'Does This Look Infected?', came in the form of a heavier style whilst keeping the smooth harmonies they had become known for. The video for the first single 'Still Waiting' had them mocking new-garage retro-rock under the name of "The Sums". The band followed up the release with 'The Hell Song', a song about a friend of the band who contracted HIV. 'Over My Head (Better Off Dead)' is the last single of the record; it was the least popular single off the album. After this album didn't so as well as 'All Killer', the lads opted for a more serious nature for album four.
Their next album was inspired by UN peacekeeper Chuck Pelletier, who was in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the band was filming a documentary. Fighting broke out during the filming and Chuck helped the band evacuate from their hotel. This album had a much more serious mood, without the humour of the band's previous releases. The first single from the album 'We're All To Blame' switches from a fast pace to a slow one represented the band's trip in the Congo, how one minute it was peaceful and the next there were gunshots being fired. The song is one of the most critically acclaimed Sum 41 singles. 'Pieces' was the second single and received massive airplay upon release in the US and went on to become one of the band's most successful hits. The song is about someone who acts like someone else for acceptance and later realises they are not happy in the way they are living.
In spring of 2006, guitarist Dave Baksh announced he was leaving Sum 41 to work with his new band, 'Brown Brigade'. Baksh's departure from the band was said to have been due to artistic differences, and his desire to play music with a more classical metal sound. Since this point each of the boys began work on various other projects. During the band's discussion over what to do next, Cone started a side project with Todd Morse of 'H2O' and 'Juliette and the Licks.' The two-person band 'The Operation M.D', and has already begun recording demos on which Cone lends his vocal talents as well as playing bass and keyboards to the band; which is a pleasant surprise. In July of last year Deryck married Avril Lavigne, and he began to be involved in writing and producing some of the more rock/punk-rock oriented songs on her next album.
Even though each of the lads has been working on their own individual projects over the last year, the have come together once again to release their fifth 'Underclass Hero.' This album brings their music back to the days of 'All Killer No Filler.' When writing, Deryck was forced to look deep inside and make the songs his most personal yet. 'Dear Father' deals with his absent father, 'So Long Goodbye' about Dave quitting the band, and 'Speak of the Devil' and 'Count Your Last Blessings' deal with his inner demons. So far the alum has spawned one single, 'Underclass Hero' which was written through Deryck's point of view, as a thought of "us against them", something similar to their previous lyrics, although this track is written in a different angle, as the song refers prominently to society and the struggle of "high-class versus the underclass" instead of "the young against the adults" as in 'All Killer No Filler.'
Another song called 'March of the Dogs' has also been released as an album preview. It is an up-tempo song that shows off very political lyrics ("I don't believe in the politics/Of chosen fools and hypocrites.") One of the strangest of tracks to be on any Sum 41 album is 'Ma Poubelle', a song written in French by Stevo, and sung in French by Dave.
The lads of Sum 41 have been through some good times and some bad. They have gone their own separate ways to deal with marriage or solo projects, yet realise that their dedication lies with each other in Sum 41. This is not the last you will be hearing of this band. They have a lot more energy and experiences to write about.