Customer Reviews

Underclass Hero

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I remember reading an article where Sum 41 claimed their band was more like All Killer No Filler than their previous two albums. Then I heard "Underclass Hero" which albeit is a catchy song it sound way too similar to "Fat Lip" from their first album.

So today I bought the album with some apprehension. I feared that with their last album, Chuck, receiving poor sales and reviews (even though I loved that album) and Dave leaving the band they would revert to their old sound in an all or nothing attempt to be MTV friendly and gain some mainstream appeal.

I am glad I was oh so wrong about my assumptions for this album.

Normally I would never review an album without giving it four or five listens, but I was lucky enough to have to make a six hour round trip with this album playing about 5 times before I finally switched CDs.

Its as if the track "Underclass Hero" is a joke track to fool us all into believing they are trying to make All Killer No Filler 2. Then "Walking Disaster" pops up and hits you like a punch in the gut, and the rest of the album grabs and doesn't let go.

What makes this album so great is that there is a confidence and maturity to this album. Lyrically they have never been better, and their music has never been this varied, while also remaining somewhat simplistic. They do this by using a more varied and diverse take on their old pop-punk sound, a sound that many bands use currently to pollute the airwaves (I'm looking at you Paramore).

Will this albums skyrocket their fame? Maybe. I think there will be a lot of petty complaints against it. For one their will be people who will be angry that this ISN'T All Killer and No Filler 2 (even if it is something much, much better), there will be people who despise them simply for the fact that *GASP* they have a handful of politically charged songs, or the really ignorant idiots will complain that ballad style songs like "Best of Me" and "So Long Goodbye" will like TOTALLY mean they sold out, even if those songs are incredibly well done.

But I think "Underclass Hero", along with Yellowcard's "Paper Walls" will prove to many people that pop-punk didn't die with Blink-182's break up, it CAN be mature AND keep the uplifting energy of punk music generally displays, all while being more diverse musically than the punk sub-culture allows.

To sum this review up (no pun intended) "Underclass Hero" is a truly wonderful surprise of this year music-wise for me and I highly recommend this album. It's easily their best.

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.

While it's no All Killer No Filler, nor is it a Does This Look Infected?, Underclass Hero, upon the third or fourth listen, definately holds its own. At first you'll be completely unsatisfied, as it holds a lot of songs that are quite unlike sum41 (imo)... but after a few listens, you'll be amazed at how you thought poorly of it before. A strong 4/5.

"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 read way too many negative reviews on this cd. I read a review earlier today saying that the album is 5 parts Blink and 1 part Green Day and that the band is becoming more and more unoriginal. I almost died laughing. Underclass Hero is Sum 41. It's almost like an amazing mix of all the sounds they have come up with in the past decade all rolled into one. From Pop, to Punk, to Punk-pop, to Heavy, to Emo. I honestly have never heard such a great collaboration from any band. Unorginal, no, more original than ever. It's a great album and truthfully one of the only ones I can actually listen to straight through without skipping a song. I'm a musician. That's very hard for me to do. 5 Star tracks include: The Jester, Best Of Me (written to Avril), Speak of the Devil, and Count Your Last Blessings.

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.

Once I got through half the album it dawned on me! this album resembles Green Day's American Idiot, which is not a bad thing at all! Catchy! Poignant! and an album with a purpose! A nice blend of pop and punk... this song is def. a great addition for this summer's rock albums! about time they released a cd that delivers like their old ones did. Kudos

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.

You will most likely agree with this review if:

a) You consider All Killer No Filler to be their best album (even though I don't)
b) You hate bands like Fall Out Boy and Dragonforce
c) You think Chuck is their worst album
d) you hate almost every mainstream band out there

Sure the cover of the album is bowling-shoe ugly, but die hard fans of S41 will undoubtably LOVE this album. Unless you've been living under a rock for the last bit of time, you'd realize that they lost a member.

UCH is the fifth Sum 41 studio album. As I was expecting it to be better than Chuck, it was, but that's not saying much. This album was pretty interesting, but nothing to get hyped up over. The verdict on the songs:

UNDERCLASS HERO: 10/10: A song that really sounds like their AKNF stuff. Good work guys.

WALKING DISASTER: 8/10: Good, catchy song.

SPEAK OF THE DEVIL: 5/10: Killer musicianship, filler lyrics.

DEAF FATHER (COMPLETE UNKNOWN): 4/10: A whiny song by Deryck about his dad...

COUNT YOUR LAST BLESSINGS: 2/10: The chorus is 90% of the reason why people call Sum 41 "emo" nowadays. Really, just some lame and depressing song about some kid not having friends.

MA POUBELLE: 0/10: Deryck attempts to sing in French in this song... what else needs to be said.

MARCH OF THE DOGS: 8/10: Despite being an Anti-Flag and Green Day ripoff, still is a great song.

THE JESTER: 10/10: The best song on the album, and the only song that manages to score a 10/10.

WITH ME: 7/10: Good song, great lyrics.

PULL THE CURTAIN: 6/10: Gah. They're doing something wierd with this one. Good first half, the second half comes around and rapes what could have been an otherwise decent song.

KING OF CONTRADICTION: 8/10: Good song, just as I was falling asleep this woke me up. Nice, catchy tune.

BEST OF ME: 1/10: Now I'm really starting to get annoyed here. This is ANOTHER ballad. Perhaps emo kids or your depressed girlfriend would like this. I've tried liking this song so much, I just can't. It makes me cry thinking about it...

CONFUSION AND FRUSTRATION IN MODERN TIMES: 5/10: I really agree with "A Reviewer". This could have been left off the album, and really should have been left off the album.

SO LONG GOODBYE: 0/10: *snooze*...

LOOK AT ME (HIDDEN TRACK): 0/10: An extra slow song about nothing. NOTHING!!!!!!!! Had a hard time keeping awake while listening to this song, I just couldn't wait for it to be over. Not interested. NEXT!!!!!

I saw them on the Strength in Numbers 2007 tour (0ct. 15th at the Shaw Confrence Centre in Edmonton, AB, Canada), and there are a lot of weak songs that sounded AMAZING live. As usual, S41 always deliver the goods live. I still have my T-shirt from the concert, and still wear it with pride. But amazing live sound aside, this is an overall decent-at-best CD. Yes, it's worth buying, just be prepared to skip a lot of tracks.

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