Disco de Sum 41: “Underclass Hero”

After taking the pop-punk formula to the politcal/hardcore style that they saw on their last two records and then, suddenly losing a guitarist, you already know when you buy this CD, before you open it up or play any of the tracks, that it's not gonna sound like "Chuck." It's not gonna sound like "Does This Look Infected?" Chances, are, it won't even sound like "Half Hour of Power" or "All Killer," this is a new band.

Well, it is a new band. It's definitely not as good as the old Sum we used to love, whether that had before or after the dividing line that was "Fat Lip" This is the bands worst CD, even if it was their most valiant effort.

The first thing that comes to mind is that without Dave, all the metal/hardcore/whatever influence is gone, it's back to the poppy-punk and it's more on the poppy side. The first couple tracks almost sounds like a return to form, except after that it regresses into ballads and we realize that this is not the case.

The CD has it's moments. There are catchy guitar lines here and there from Deryck and Cone stepped it up to make up for the lack of a second guitarist (even though some of the songs are still recorded with 2 guitars). Cone's backup vocals are a new twist to the CD and I actually like them a lot. They should have utilized him earlier.

Biggest problem, too many ballads, too many slow songs, makes this CD relatively boring. This CD would have been a great EP if it had consisted only of "Underclass Hero" "Count Your Last Blessings" "March of the Dogs" "The Jester" "King of Contradiction" and "Confusion and Frustration in Modern Times" Everything else is skipable but those songs are truly amazing. We can tell that Sum 41 is still here, burried in the rubble of all the drama and bull. I wouldn't be surprised if they rose to the occasion a few years from now and put out a truly outstanding CD, but for now they're still trying to construct that old fasion Sum sound without Dave, they'll get there, but they're not there yet.

All the die hard Sum 41 fans will find this touching, anybody else, stick with any of the other 4 CDs.

"All Killer No Filler" was, without question, one of the most energetic and driving releases in all of 2001. A rarety in that it was way more "punk" than it was "pop," the only issue with that album, and its predecessor "Half Hour of Power," was that the sound they were going for was being attepted by hundreds of other bands at the time. In 2002, while most of the bands similar to Sum 41 were going screamo or eyeliner or whatever, they released the metal-influenced "Does This Look Infected," which started out with a HUGE bang but ended with quite a few weak songs. By 2004, when "Chuck" was released, it appeared that the band had adopted the punk-metal sound permanently, which wasn't a bad thing, since the songs "No Reason" and the vastly underrated ballad "Pieces" were among Sum 41's best tracks. Problem was, other than three somgs or so, the album didn't develop a consistent hook or vibe, and began to sound strikingly similar to Metallica's new stuff, which is not good for anyone. So a change was in order, and change they did, taking two plus years to release "Underclass Hero," not to be confused with Green Day's "Working Class Hero." What sets "Undeclass Hero" apart from the rest is the band's raw ability to write energetic, absolutely blasting melodies and short riffs. Throw in Deryk Whibley's sing/shout/rap style, and POW! you've got a punk rock record. The album gets a little political on occasion on the track "March of the Dogs" where you can hear the phrases like "The President's Dead" over and over. On the single Underclass Hero, it is just pure melodic energy, "Dookie" times ten. No band has ever cooked up this much energy on a mainstream release, as many of the tracks reverberate with a freshness that inspires those who have become so tired of whiny emo trash and the redundancy and arrogance of hip-hop. Want a good album to blast in your car this summer with the windows down, and tired of all of the bands out there who follow the scene and come up short, then purchase this album today, it may be what the doctor ordered. It is plainly evident throughout this album that Sum 41 is back, and back to making the type of records that their fans love best.

I have been a Sum 41 fan since Half Hour Of Power, and I have loved every single CD they have made. Through the years of listening to them I liked their progression they made with their CDs, until this CD came out. Don't get me wrong, this is a very good CD. But when you compare it to Does This Look Infected? or Chuck, it doesn't even compare. The fast songs on this are great, but almost half the CD is slow songs. Songs like Underclass Hero, King Of Contradiction, Confusion and Frustration in Modern Times, March of the Dogs, and Pull The Curtain are great, energetic, fast, melodic punk songs. I think that King Of Contradiction is the best song on the CD, it sounds a lot like Welcome To Hell from Chuck. Then there are other slow songs like Speak of the Devil, Dear Father, Best Of Me, With Me, Look At Me, Count Your Last Blessings (sort of), and So Long Goodbye are all slow and bring the CD down. It's not that they are bad songs, I actually like them, but they aren't as good as the others. I am a punk fan, so I think that Does This Look Infected? is their best CD, followed by Chuck. They said that this CD would be more punk rock and I don't why they would say that because it is their least punk CD yet. I really hope that their next CD has more punk and rock influences than this CD which is watered down by so many slow songs.

This is the most diverse album they have put out so far. I am a fan of the band, so I may be jaded, but I enjoyed the album. I also enjoyed "Chuck". I can see how fans of the original stuff may be put off. This album goes beyond the guitar, bass and drums of the past. Many different instruments grace several songs, along with some synthesizers. There is an acoustic track and even a...ballad. There are enough old school blazing paced songs to keep you happy if that is what you want, but they are evolving. You can hear it in the lyrics and the music. I wasn't crazy about the political opinions they hammered you with in a lot of the songs. I like political songs as long as they are well written or very thoughtful. If you are a Sum 41 fan you will already have this, but if you are new, this might be the album you want to try.

Sum 41 are one of those bands that you can kind of call a one-album wonder, because their second album All Killer No Filler was really the only time a lot of people were talking about them. And I think I was the only person that picked up their fourth album Chuck, but they still decided to come back with Underclass Hero.

Although the lead guitarist has left the band, the music doesn't sound a whole lot different from previous material. This is especially evidenced by the title track, which, as another reviewer said, sounds just like "Fat Lip". And one surprising thing is that Deryck and the boys are actually better now at mellow songs than the regular material, like "With Me", "So Long Goodbye" and "Best of Me".

With that said, the faster songs that Sum 41 are more known for really don't impress. "The Jester" just zooms by, "Speak of the Devil" makes no sense, and "Walking Disaster" proves that trying to be a deep storyteller doesn't work for everyone. And although I'm normally a fan of anti-Bush songs, even I'LL say that "March of the Dogs" is going a little too far. Underclass Hero is really the kind of album that makes you wonder if the band is running out of ideas, so only buy it if you have all their other albums.

Anthony Rupert