Underclass Hero

Sum 41

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 24, 2007)
• Original Release Date: July 24, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island
• ASIN: B000RIHBIE
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,756 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Rise up, pop-punk fans, and salute Sum 41: With Blink-182 broken up and Good Charlotte going for a rock vibe, the boys from Ontario stand a chance at reinvigorating the entire stalled subgenre. Not just because the competition has thinned, but because Underclass Hero is just that great. Though nobody would accuse lead singer Deryck Whibley of sounding like Green Day's Billy Joe Armstrong, he bites into the politically charged lyrics that course through this 14-track set as hard: "March of the Dogs," "The Jester," and "Confusion and Frustration in Modern Times" are served up with a spasmodic sneer (and, in the case of the latter, a lyric that will resonate with legions of the exasperated: "Confusion's all I see/Frustration surrounds me/Solution's bid farewell/Sedation? What the hell"), and the title track comes bounding out of stereo speakers with both outrage and lit-up energy. On the lighter side, the ballad "With Me" is sweet and simple enough to recall Plain White Ts, and "Ma Poubelle," a French ditty, strikes a weird Beatle-y chord before rapidly dissolving. Does Sum 41 add up to the hottest pop-punk band going, then? For sure. Do the math. --Tammy La Gorce

Product Description
Underclass Hero marks a step in a bold new direction for the group, whose three full length album's, 2001's All Killer, No Filler, 2002's, Does this Look Infected and 2004 Chuck have sold over 7 million units worldwide. 'You Can't help buy grow a little', says Whibley about the band's musical and lyrical maturity. 'We now see the artistic side of music. We wanted to make this the most artistic punk-rock record we could. We approach music differently now. Things now have a purpose. We care about the craft of it now.' The is Sum 41, better than ever...and this time no regrets.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm glad I misread this album, July 24, 2007

By	B. Forrester "RandomDude" (Maryland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sum 41 Returns to Their Roots....Sort Of, July 23, 2007

By	Cory T. Shaeffer "HockeyFanatic" (Pittsburgh) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First Time Disappointing, Third Time SWEET, September 26, 2007

By	Kelli S. Arendt - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.