POP PUNK LEGENDS SUM 41 RETURN WITH EIGHTH – AND FINAL -DOUBLE ALBUM

Sum 41 – Heaven :x: Hell

After 27 years, Sum 41 have decided to call it a day. Currently embarking on an epic final world tour – The Setting Of The Sum, the Canadian pop punk veterans have one final album left in the tank, and it’s a perfect distillation of the hybrid pop punk and metal sound they’ve cultivated over the past near-3 decades. Split over two halves into a double album – the pop punk Heaven and the very metal Hell.

Heaven has a strong emphasis on nostalgia, with songs such as lead single ‘Landmines‘, ‘Not Quite Myself’ and ‘Time Won’t Wait‘ evoking hazy memories of pop punk summers past and capturing the early 2000s sound that launched Sum 41 into the punk rock scene. At the same time, there’s a focus on not letting the past hold you back and learning from your mistakes (‘Waiting On A Twist Of Fate’, ‘Bad Mistake‘). Elsewhere, for those who’ve been with Sum 41 since the beginning, ‘I Can’t Wait’ and ‘Johnny Libertine‘ will scratch that Half Hour Of Power itch (think ‘THT’ or ‘Never Wake Up‘), ‘Future Primitive‘ sounds like it could’ve walked straight off an Offspring album (including plenty of ‘woah’s’!) and for those looking for a pop punk ballad akin to ‘Handle This‘ or ‘Pieces‘, closer ‘Radio Silence‘ has you covered!

Hell leans into the heavier Sum 41 sound, along the lines of Chuck, Screaming Bloody Murder and comeback albums 13 Voices and Order In Decline. Huge hooks, thrashy guitars and face-melting solos is the order of the day here. It hits the ground running with second single ‘Rise Up‘ and from there it doesn’t let up. Incorporating different sounds from across the metal spectrum, whether on the grungy industrial sound of ‘I Don’t Need Anyone’, the very metalcore ‘Over The Edge‘ or ‘It’s All Me‘ and the classic metal sounding ‘You Wanted War‘ (which has an excellent guitar solo that seems to go on forever), they even find time to do a metal-infused cover of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint It Black‘.

Overall, Heaven x Hell is a perfect storm of what Sum 41 are all about and there’s something here to please fans new and old. It’s a shame they’re coming to end as there’s clearly plenty of creative juice left in them. All Killer, No Filler indeed!

The Setting Of The Sum tour is still raging across the world with the final show set to take place in Toronto at the end of January 2025 but be sure to catch Sum 41 on the soon to be announced UK dates.

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Craig Harston

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