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Sum 41

Heaven :x: Hell

Written by: PP on 04/05/2024 16:25:04

Sum 41 has always been a band in stylistic conflict. Throughout their entire career, they've had difficulty in appeasing a fan base essentially split in two: those that like the heavier, more metallic edge of "Chuck", "Screaming Bloody Murder", and "13 Voices", and those who prefer the simplistic, straight-up college pop punk of "All Killer No Filler" era. They've tried to address this through alternating releases of bubblegum pop punk and heavier records, where records like "Underclass Hero" and their previous album "Order In Decline" fell flat on their faces. Perhaps tired of the constant negativity regardless of what they choose to do, they've decided to solve the problem once and for all: call it quits and deliver both on the same record as their final release. "Heaven :x: Hell" is thus two albums packaged into the same release, featuring twenty tracks across 55 minutes. In other words, pop punk meets "Chuck", once and for all.

As its juxtaposing title suggests, the release is split into two distinct styles. The "Heaven" segment is ten tracks of lighter, straightforward pop punk, which is what most people associate as the core Sum 41 sound thanks to their gigantic early success on "All Killer No Filler" and "Does This Look Infected?".

"Landmines", for instance, features big woo-hoo backing vocals and an irresistibly catchy, high-energy pop punk chorus. "I Can't Wait" presents Green Day-style chord-based guitars, delivered in quintessentially "Fat Lip"-era style Sum 41. It's upbeat, summery, and contains a big-ass sing-along. Together with the breakneck speed of "Johnny Libertine", it sounds like Sum 41 are having as much fun on record as on their debut album. I also quite like both "Future Primitive" and "Bad Mistake", even though these could essentially be The Offspring songs as seen through a Sum 41 lens.

"Hell", in contrast, is where the band delves deep into the metallic foundation behind "Chuck". We're talking heavier distortion, scratchier and more yell-laden vocals, and a considerably darker ambiance overall. "You Wanted War" features heavy riffs and an arena rock/metal platform in the vein of Papa Roach and the like. "Over The Edge" is anthemic and memorable despite having a metallic vibe. "Stranger In These Times" is extremely catchy despite carrying heavier elements to it, thanks to its energetic vibe. "House Of Liars" is a giant power ballad that feels like a metal version of "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams".

What the band was thinking when including an unnecessary cover of The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" on an album that's already way too long, remains a mystery.

So in summary: record one features energetic pop punk with catchy hooks and signature-style Sum 41 sound. It leans towards the better records they've released in this style. Record two is when fatigue hits both for the listener and for the band. The heavier expression has always been the best version of Sum 41, but here it feels forced and cliché for some reason. It's of course also a side-effect of having twenty tracks of Sum 41 in a row. Perhaps these should have been released as individual records instead with a year's interval in between? Either way, double albums are rarely (if ever) consistently good, and that is also the case on "Heaven :x: Hell".

Download: Dopamine, Landmines, I Can't Wait, Johnny Libertine, You Wanted War
For the fans of: Blink 182, The Offspring, Green Day, Papa Roach
Listen: Facebook

Release date 29.03.2024
Rise Records