Sum 41's sixth album is due out Friday (October 7).
Admittedly, Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley probably hates this title. After all, the band’s first tour in three years is called the Don’t Call It A Sum-Back Tour for a reason. Well, with apologies to Whibley and the rest of the band, a spade must be called a spade, and 13 Voices is most definitely a comeback record of epic proportions.
Here are 5 reasons the new Sum 41 record is the best display of modern punk in recent years.
It’s the Resurrection of an Era
Sum 41 became a monumental band in the early 2000s by being part of the now highly nostalgic pop punk era. However, this band was unique amongst its peers for a couple of reasons.
For one, they gave a heavier edge to their music by incorporating hardcore sounds, gruff vocals and metal-influenced guitar riffing to their always melodic brand of punk. Sum 41 possessed a heaviness and a versatility that other bands of the pop punk movement lacked.
Maybe more importantly, they were able to remain equally popular and respected in the underground that they gained extreme success in the mainstream. To put it simply: no matter how big they got, they never sold out. With the release of their new record, the band brings all of this into 2016, managing to hold on to an identity that remains very distinctly Sum 41 but advances their musicianship in a way that makes the record nothing short of triumphant.
It Documents a Road to Personal Recovery
It was big news when frontman Deryck Whibley checked in to a Los Angeles hospital in 2014 for life-threatening health issues brought on by his excessive drinking and dangerous lifestyle. His body deteriorated to the point where he lost basic motor control and had to relearn how to walk and talk, and most notably, play guitar.
After spending most of his life up until this point making music, his body had forgotten what had once come so naturally, and Whibley had to start from scratch. 13 Voices is an impressive album regardless, but knowing the intense personal comeback behind the musical comeback makes the record that much more powerful.
It Explores Cinematic Inspirations
During the writing process, Whibley turned heavily to film as a means of stimulating his creativity. Citing references like filmmakers Tim Burton and Quentin Tarantino, tracks like “There Will Be Blood” and “Twisted By Design” definitely carry a theatrical quality that is new for the band.
The cinematic feel these songs provide fill out the sound of the record and give it a larger than life presence. 13 Voices isn’t just brazen and in your face; it’s also quirky and full of character.
It is Unexpected
Other pop punk enthusiasts may argue that the recent Blink-182 record, California, was bigger than the Sum 41 return.
While Blink-182 may have garnered more attention, Sum 41’s new record is more important for two reasons: Firstly, because nobody thought it would happen, and secondly, because Blink-182 has all but turned into a pop star. True, they still produce great pop punk music, but Blink is treated by the media and the entertainment industry as, say, a Drake or a Taylor Swift, while Sum 41 very much cling to their heavier, punk roots and the semi-outcast status that comes with it.
It Feels Like It is Necessary
Whibley has said that without a record to write, he isn’t sure whether or not he could have recovered to the extent that he did. When listening to 13 Voices, that feeling of sheer necessity comes across.
This isn’t a record made for the sake of retaking the spotlight or filling needy pockets — it has an immediately recognizable genuineness and artistic integrity. It’s a record with soul and purpose, embodying the very essence of punk. The record sounds like a life is at stake, and according to Whibley, one was. Now that’s punk rock.
