Review Summary: Whibley and the gang return with their most complete, mature album to date…but is that a good thing?
Let me say right off the bat that the Ajax punk rockers’ 5th studio release is by no means their best album. That accolade still belongs to their 2002 pop/punk masterpiece Does This Look Infected. Now that’s not to say that Murder doesn’t have its moments of brilliance, but it also has its share of lackluster moments that really do drag what should have been their best album down significantly.
Screaming Bloody Murder marks the second time that frontman Deryck Whibley has taken complete control of the production aspect and surprise, surprise, he’s pretty damn good at it. The vocal overdubs, the guitar effects and the layering of the instrumental tracks are used very effectively. While the song arrangement that one has come to expect from Sum 41 is as good, if not better than it has been on any of their previous efforts. Screaming Bloody Murder also marks the beginning of the Brown Tom era, the first album to feature Gob frontman Tom Thacker as the band’s lead guitarist. Thacker makes his impact almost immediately and is the x-factor on this record. I won’t compare him to the great Dave Baksh, because both are excellent guitarists, but Thacker is definitely different. He seems to get Whibley’s vision and his voice compliments Deryck’s much better as a backing vocalist than Baksh’s did...and although Brown Tom has done an admiral job filling in for Brownsound, what impact did this have on the music?
The album’s opener “Reason to Believe” sets the mood very quickly and lets the listener know that they are in for a more aggressive, much darker Sum 41 album than one would be accustomed to. Oh how far they’ve come from robbing pizza places with super soakers. The album’s two lead singles “Screaming Bloody Murder” and “Skumf*k” both play to the band’s strengths which are of course, well thought out song arrangement and their excellent musicianship led by Whibley’s strong, charismatic vocals. These are two very complete tracks that can each hold a candle to any other Sum 41 single. This is Screaming Bloody Murder at its best.
The band then takes some time to stray outside their comfort zone for possibly the first time in their career with some mixed results. They trade in their palm muted power chords for the stereotypical rock n’ roll sounds of “Time For You To Go” and “Baby You Don’t Wanna Know”. The infectious riffs and solos carry the song while letting Cone McCaslin show off his chops and rock that bass. Neither track will blow the listener away or make them want to contemplate any major life changes but they are a lot of fun, and even though they probably should leave these kinds of songs to The Trews, I give them credit for trying something new. However, they don’t take long to return to something that they’re very familiar with, flawless transitions. The 12 minute medley entitled Dark Road Out Of Hell including the tracks: “Holy Image Of Lies”, “Sick Of Everyone” and “Happiness Machine” sounds more like one big composition rather than three separate ones. There are no shortage of interesting time changes and breakdowns throughout this experiment, but while some work, some just sound awkward and forced. “Sick Of Everyone” could have been the best song on this album if that unnecessary Avril Lavigne sing-along in the middle didn’t ruin it.
The appearance of many different instruments (raise your hand if you thought you’d ever hear a xylophone on a Sum 41 record) and genres keep Screaming Bloody Murder fresh and unpredictable. While Whibley’s lyrics are usually quite simple and at times repetitive upon first listen, a second look will reveal that there often is a much deeper meaning behind those simple lines and catchy hooks. His recent divorce with ex-wife Avril Lavigne is obviously still on his mind and is a popular topic on several songs including the Underclass Hero reject “What Am I To Say”, the soft piano ballad “Crash” and its contradicting heavy metal successor “Blood In My Eyes” where Whibley shouts: “…and I’m over you! Congratulations!” Well, so much for their happy ending.
The mixture of eerie piano ballads and aggressive metal tracks with a sprinkle of just enough fun rock n’ roll tunes is sure to satisfy any fan even if it won’t floor them. Will this album make you scream bloody murder? Sum fans will say yes, while Sum haters will say no, but I dare you to put this CD on without cranking it up and singing along whether you want to or not. Screaming Bloody Murder provides us with the evidence that the boys from Ajax are still more than capable of writing appealing, catchy songs using the typical Sum 41 formula that has sold them millions of records and won over millions of music fans all across the world.
and I totally 100% agree with you there.
