Since their formation twenty years ago Sum 41 have seen it all, from the highs of platinum selling All Killer, No Filler to the desperate lows of the much publicised hospitalisation of front-man Deryck Whibley. Written during his recovery their new album 13 Voices sees the return of Dave ‘Brownsound’ Baksh and a return to their heavier, more metal inspired sound.
13 Voices is most comparable to Sum 41’s 2004 release ‘Chuck’ which, at the time, saw the band take a new direction. It was well documented that Baksh originally left the band due to ‘creative differences’ and his return sees his influence shine through more than ever. Chugging, powerful guitars bookend hard-hitting palm-muted verses reminiscent of the classic metal sound Baksh prefers. That’s not to say they’ve forgotten their pop punk roots, songs like ‘Breaking the Chain’ and ‘War’ wouldn’t sound out of place on 2007’s ‘Underclass Hero’. However they do seem to have dialled back this sound and probably rightly so. Whibley’s lyrics, once drenched in political metaphor, now tell a tale of recovery; morbid & uplifting in equal measure, it’s hard not to sympathise with his struggle.
13 Voices can almost be split into two halves, the first documenting Whibley’s fall from grace. Self-depreciating lyrics like ‘Take a look around you really blew it all to hell, What’s the point of trying unless you’re going to do it well, So get off my back if I’m a god damn misery,’ from ‘Goddamn I’m Dead Again’ are mirrored by heavier guitars and blazing guitar solos which paint a picture of Whibley’s hard & fast life pre-hospitalisation. The latter half of the album is more positive, focusing on his recovery, there’s still some melancholic tracks in the second half but the bands more jovial nature shines through more obviously here.
This is a ten track album (UK iTunes edition) and when you consider that introductory track ‘A Murder of Crows (You’re All Dead to me)’ is largely filler and ‘God Save Us All (Death to POP)’ is pretty weak you’re left with eight tracks of Sum 41 at their finest and I’m okay with that. I’ve never liked every track on any Sum 41 album but you can rely on the good songs being good enough to get you through, and it’s much the same here.
Oh, for some reason the album artwork is atrocious… who even approved that?
Stand out track: Breaking The Chain
PPD Score: 7.5/10
https://youtu.be/XWEV034LH5U
