Review Summary: This is a showcase of pop-punk riffs and metal influences and is an enjoyable and fun listen.
Sum 41 is (for this album):
Deryck Wibley - Guitar, Lead Vocals
Jason McCaslin - Bass
Dave Baksh - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Stevo Jocz - Drums
This is the first full length from Sum 41. While it is kind of short, it's still a pretty enjoyable listen with the usual punk themes. It has several short instrumentals in it, and it makes for a pretty interesting album. Here is a track by track of the album.
Grab The Devil By The Horns:
This song actually has a pretty obscene title on the back of the CD, but when you load on a computer, it just comes out as "Grab the Devil by the Horns". Anyways, this song is one of the many instrumentals and starts off with a fast guitar lead, and drums and a harmony guitar and a bass come in. Then there is a high pitched wail from Deryck (I think). This song is pretty short, but it is a cool way to start off the album, its kick-***, and it represents the metal influences in the band.
4/5
Machine Gun:
This song is about getting drunk or something. There is a pretty fast bass part in the intro from Jason. This is just a pretty good pop punk song. They also include a quick solo which isn't anything crazy, but it compliments the song well. The bridge could probably get on some peoples nerves, but its not anything that bad. This isn't the best song in the world, but it has a pretty good overall sound and is solid.
3.5/5
What I Believe:
This song starts off with a really "punk" intro, with a fitting lead in the beginning. Derycks vocals are pretty good. This song can get kind of repetitive, with the same power chords and all. But like "Machine gun" it's has a good overall sound. I honestly think this song has a lot of room for improvement. Maybe a guitar solo. It blends in with the album a bit to much, and is kind of like a downgraded version of "Machine Gun".
2.5/5
T.H.T.:
This is a short, but really fast song. It starts off with just a guitar playing a fast riff. Then the drums come in. Then there is a long scream from someone. Then Deryck lays down a few cool lyrics that fit the song well. This is one of the more angry songs on the album, and the drums are pretty wild. This song seems to be lacking a cool guitar lead/solo though. This song could have been longer, but some people might find it's shortness effective, and plus it could have gotten kind of repetitive had it been longer. Overall, its a pretty unique and awesome fast song.
3.5/5
Makes no Difference:
This song is probably the most Pop-Punk song on the album, and it's also the only single I believe. The intro shows off a pretty enjoyable riff, and then everything kicks in, and the two guitars play different rhythms in the intro, but fit together perfectly. This song could have used some really fast bass parts from Jason, like "Machine Gun" though. The guitars are not repetitive, and the song is unique. This song just works and is probably one of the best tracks. It has a good length, Derycks vocals are good, and it even has a bridge type thing where there is an okay guitar lead. This song is well written and can keep the listeners attention.
4/5
Summer:
This is another Pop-Punk song, it has a pretty well-written intro. The lead guitar in this song is pretty good and fits well. The lyrics in this song are good. In my opinion, this song should have been that Pop-Punk single instead of Makes no Difference. This song features an interesting song structure, instead of the usual repetitive verse-chorus-verse-chorus. The only downfall is this song is kind of short, but it flows perfectly into the next song.
4.5/5
32 Ways to Die:
This is another one of the album's instrumental tracks. This song starts off with a good drum solo from Stevo, this song is mainly based around him, and he does a good job of keeping everyone’s attention with drum fills once all the instruments come in. There is some cool effects mid-way through the song, which isn’t heard much throughout the album. The guitars are more interesting here and play better sounding riffs then in T.H.T. This song makes for an interesting and unique instrumental, it's nice and simple. I honestly think they should have expanded on the idea and made it a full length track though, including solos from each of the members or something.
3.5/5
Second Chance for Max Headroom:
This intro is pretty interesting and unique in this song. This is another "Pop Punk song". The guitars in this song aren't very interesting in the first half of the song, but then there are some Guitar "Fills". Then there is a really melodic dual guitar solo. The bridge is pretty cool, with a drum roll slowly getting louder and louder. Then it somehow turns into a ska song when trumpets come in, the trumpets leave, there is a quick guitar lead. Then the song kicks back into its usual style. The band probably had a fun time with this song. You have to listen to the whole thing to fully appreciate, as it shows off a plethora of different genres and styles. A Standout track.
4.5/5
Dave's Possessed Hair/What we are all about
:
This song starts off as a fast punk song. With a fast power chord riff that fits the song well. The verse is okay, nothing special. The pre-chorus builds up well into the chorus, and the chorus is pretty awesome, driven by some good vocals and lyrics from Deryck. Stevo does some pretty fast drumming in this song. The bridge is nothing that interesting, just being a slightly different variation of the chorus. Then there is a quick instrumental section in the song which the bridge flows into well. They really just jammed out at that part. Then whoa, what? the song turns into a rap song. I think all of the members lay down some lines in this song; I think they had fun with this rap part. The chorus is pretty headbangable (lol). This song is pretty energetic. Like the previous track, this song shows off a plethora of different genres. But it is not as good as "Second Chance for Max Headroom" though, because the two parts (The "Punk" part and the “Rap” part seem kind of mashed together.
3.5/5
Ride The Chariot to the Devil:
This is another short instrumental that seems very Iron-Maiden influenced. It starts with some simple power chords. Then a faster palm muted part. Then there is a very well done harmony solo from the guitars. This song is a pretty awesome metal song, and is good for head bangers. It is short and to the point, and is another good interlude.
4/5
Another Time Around:
At the start, you aren't sure what’s coming. But once everything kicks in, it's just another punk song. There are overused power chords, and Derycks vocals seem kind of sloppy at points of the song, and the song can get really repetitive, with the bridge just being the intro again. This song has nothing very unique about it and is probably the low point of the album.
2.5/5
Conclusion
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In the end, this is a pretty interesting album (save a few kind of repetitive songs/riffs), and the band seemed to have fun with it. They toyed around with different genres, and this album makes itself unique from most pop-punk albums with its many short, to the point, heavy interludes, with most of them being pretty good. Deryck's voice is also very enjoyable being mid-pitched and different from most of his contemporaries, who try to hard to be good singers.
While "All Killer No Filler" and "Underclass Hero" are both mainly Pop-punk albums, and "Does this look infected" and "Chuck" are both mainly rock/metal albums. This album makes as a good showcase of all of their genres. And I recommend it to anyone who has a heart for rock in general.
