Sum 41: Heaven :x: Hell Review

Ambitions ran high for the members of Sum 41 in the lead up to the release of their latest album—ambitions that threatened to create expectations that could never be met.

For starters, the band announced it would be a double album. A feat that many bands aspire to achieve but that often falls short and results in the inevitable disappointment of an album that is ok, but that could have been condensed into one with a quality over quantity mindset. Secondly, the declaration that the forthcoming album was to be the bands last. There’s something about such a statement that raises the stakes. That requires the artistic sendoff to be not only up to snuff with what has proceeded it, but something that transcends the band. That leaves no room for error, as there is no follow up to rectify mistakes. That embodies neither the notion of burning out or fading away but instead leaves eternal embers to seek out and remember the spark that first ignited them.

Heaven :x: Hell came together as not only a stellar collection of music to enhance the outgoing bands catalogue and legacy, but also the culmination of the nearly 30 year career of Sum 41. Though it may not have started out with that goal in mind. From the sounds of things, Deryck Whibley, decided to say this is the end after recording was complete. Isn’t it funny how the story sometimes writes itself?

Clocking in at just shy of an hour spread across 20 tracks, Heaven :x: Hell gives fans a time capsule trip through Sum 41’s various eras. There’s the wide plethora of punk—from straight forward pop punk like Landmines to a skate sound on I Can’t Wait and Johnny Libertine, and then the heavier edges that stretch the bounds of Waiting on a Twist of Fate, Future Primitive, and Not Quite Myself, but that leave the melodic centre in tact. Then comes the metal. Ranging from the closing segments of Does This Look Infected?, all through Chuck, to 13 Voices, and Order in Decline, the Hell side (ahem… da da da na na) may be the best uninterrupted display of the bands metal capabilities.

This is not a case of the band resting on its laurels and doing the same thing that has worked in the past leading to bland, uninspiring, and uncreative music. Rather, it shows a band that is tapping into all of its creative influences, playing to its strengths, reflecting on the path it has forged, and evolving in accordance to how far it has come.

Sum 41 at Ontario Place in 2019 on the Order in Decline tour

Throughout this musical journey are all the common trends and qualities you have come to expect from Sum 41. Pounding drums that drive the song into the next dimension. Whibley’s distinct rasp channeled in a heartfelt and somber way (Dopamine certainly draws parallels to Pieces) and then switching on a dime to exude frustration or project a point. The way Dave Brownsound cultivates his guitar tones, somehow achieving chilling and nostalgia inducing riffs (does anyone else get goosebumps at the beginning of Waiting on a Twist of Fate?) and heavy progressions within the same song. Not to mention his solos which could be described as anything from harrowing, to melodic, to shred fest, to precision picking.

All this is not to say Sum 41 did not branch out over the course of 20 songs. The band dipped its foot in the water of the modern pop punk, alternative rap style which has led to changes in the career trajectory of the likes of Yung Blood, Machine Gun Kelly, and Ian Dior. Though Dopamine integrates this style into the somber sound reminiscent of Pieces and With Me—creating a more accessible but still pop punk song of heartache—Time Won’t Wait may be a little to on the noise for long time fans.

On the other end of the spectrum are Over the Edge and It’s All Me. Bound to incite chaos if they are input into any setlist during the Tour of the Setting Sum Farewell Tour, these songs diverge from the well executed metal of the albums second side, and venture further into hardcore than the band has ever braved. With shrieking and distorted vocals both songs will be perfect for circle pits, while Over the Edge may have the most intentional breakdown in Sum 41’s career.

Opening with the punk-metal hybrid, Waiting on a Twist of Fate, the audience travels through a wide palette of pop punk. Then Heaven transitions to Hell with a seamless piano interlude that Rise Up blows the doors off of. With a barrage of metal and hardcore (with a stop at a well performed cover of Paint it Black) the audience is led to How the End Begins.

Waiting on a Twist of Fate and How the End Begins are exceptionally fitting bookends to an album with the task of being a finale. The first track immediately presents listeners with the idea that time is fleeting, nothing ever lasts, and that we should go after our dreams and desires instead of spending life waiting on a twist of fate. That is something that embodies not only frontman Derrick Whibley, but the ethos of Sum 41. A band that formed out of a dream inspired by a festival on the 41st day of summer. They poured their heart into it and directed their attention. And something stuck, not just for them, but for the millions of fans who their music has impacted. Weather that be shaping high school days, helping craft an identity of going against the status quo, a love for music, cherishing friends and summer (the embodiment of pop punk further solidified by the impact of such a significant band), and memories along the way. Of forging a path of determination and reckless desire. Pushing through obstacles, taking the hits, and coming back better, stronger, and ready for more.

And then we reach How the End Begins. An almost cynical response to the above. Did it all matter? Were things left unsaid, incomplete? Was this journey all I wanted it to be and more? Was it worth it? Oddly existential and philosophical questions for a band that started out writing songs about summer, letting go of the past, making time to make your girlie feel great, and trashing house parties. But yet, these are larger questions about growing up and becoming who you’re meant to be, something that is so very inherently pop punk.

Therein lies the progression of Sum 41. Sure, the music has evolved. But it’s still in the same vein. And it’s only gotten better. They’ve grown from a small underground band from suburban Ajax, Ontario to an internationally acclaimed outfit performing at packed festivals and capacity venues. The growth is in the maturity along the journey, a journey that is worth celebrating. But when it comes time for it to end such questions are inevitable. Though the answers, I hope, are also clear.

Officially adopting their moniker in the summer, now after roughly 30 years, it’s time for one last trip around the sun. But everyones waiting for their moment in the sun, or at least that’s how the saying goes. Sum 41 made the most of the time, made it theirs. It was never beyond their reach. And for those that were impacted by the band, well, Sum 41 certainly holds a place in time.

I Loved the New Album

• Yes
• No