Underclass Hero: Smooth Album For Sum 41

Sum 41 have released their first album since 2004's 'Chuck' and after numerous past multi platinum record sales, the band feels their latest release 'Underclass Hero' was their smoothest album to make yet. Sum 41 even went through a few changes during the writing phase of the album as their former guitarist quit the band unexpectedly. The band also parted ways with their long time manager and producer and decided lead vocalist and guitarist Deryck Whibley would produce their latest release.

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We caught up with Cone and Deryck during a break on the road to talk about 'Underclass Hero' being a smooth album to make, even with all the changes.

Underclass Hero Smooth Album For Sum 41

"Deryck started doing demos in early 2006 and sending them up to me in Toronto and we would practice when I would come down every once in a while. Then we started actually recording in November of last year. I don't know Dave quit our band last year, which was different for us so we did it as a three piece. It was actually one of the smoothest experiences in the studio we've ever had. Deryck produced it and we all were on the same page which we a little scattered on the last album I guess. We fired our manager and the producer who produced the last album. It was a tough experience to do 'Chuck' because we weren't all on the same page with our producer and everything so this album was a lot more smooth."

Sum 41's 'Underclass Hero' debuted on the US Billboard Chart at #7, which was the bands highest charting album to date. It also peaked at #1 in the bands home country of Canada. Sum 41 has also released the video for their second single for the song 'Walking Disaster.' After a run of much talked performances on this years Warped Tour, the group has hit the road in support of 'Underclass Hero' with dates in North America and the U.K. extending until November 29th in London, England.

Comments

[DeXTeR_19]

Cant wait to see em again when they hit Manchester!

Checked.

[yawn]

It's disheartening that their poorest effort to date is doing so well, while their past two efforts - both top-notch albums - sold poorly.

Guess this isn't going to motivate them to improve their songwriting anytime soon. >

[rock_4_life]

I like the new album its better than chuck!

[edibledevilboy]

agreed with yawn - it's good. but chuck and all killer no filler were amazing (havent heard much of DTLI so can't comment)

[break-me-in]

Walking Disaster is my favourite song on the album (with The Jester) so I'm pleased it's been released as a single.

[Lee41]

yawn wrote:

It's disheartening that their poorest effort to date is doing so well, while their past two efforts - both top-notch albums - sold poorly.

Guess this isn't going to motivate them to improve their songwriting anytime soon. >

your so right!!

I cant belive my favorite band has reduced themselves to this. I think since he married avril they have become more famous and now they have a following of
three chord lovers

Best album = does this look infected followed closley by all killer no filler

[Captain Cool]

Although I dont really want to because I love them so much, I gotta say Underclass Hero is far from their best album. However, fans do not despair, because after having seen Sum 41 at the Astoria a month or so ago, I can safely say that Sum 41 are better than ever when it comes to playing live.

[yawn]

Lee41 wrote:your so right!!

I cant belive my favorite band has reduced themselves to this. I think since he married avril they have become more famous and now they have a following of
three chord lovers

Yeah, but for me, it's not so much that they decreased the quality of their songwriting, so much as the nauseating fact that it's actually getting rewarded. That's just f*cked up, yo.

[Meths]

Haven't got around to buying this yet. Hope it's good. Be interesting to see the effect of Dave leaving.

[JesusLives]

Bring Dave back, is really poppy and emo. Blah.

[FadetoBlackened]

Chuck and DTLI are great albums and far better musically. Underclass Hero is definitely a step backward for them. I want Dave to come back.

[UndeadPirate]

Lee41 wrote:your so right!!

I cant belive my favorite band has reduced themselves to this. I think since he married avril they have become more famous and now they have a following of
three chord lovers

yepp so right. i only like 1 song on that album...and i dont even like it much. its not only their songwriting thats been affected, like every song on there ssounds the same. who there trying be like i dunno...some cr*p wannbe emo/punky band

[guitaroo_rocker]

bring brownsound back!! he made them the sum 41 we all love and now that he's gone there just another crappy emo punk band. Dave at least gave them some metal to make them unique, but now they just sound like a pop-punk band. Angry face at u!!!! :grr

[Dallen_007]

Though this album from what I have heard is not nearly up to standards, the band has an excellent live show from what I saw at warped. Very crowd involved.

Checked.

[AnAzNGuitarist]

I agree with some others who've posted, and I think Chuck and Does This Look Infected were better albums by far musically. There are still some nice tunes on Underclass Hero, but Chuck and DTLI had a kind of crunch that made their sound stand out.

[stumaster18]

I like the first 6 or 7 songs, but after one listen, I never gave the other songs a chance. All I heard was one big slab of acoustic. gay.

[RockMusicFan]

I was dissapointed with the new album as it is not nearly as good as the last two. But it still has some good songs on it. I think self-producing was a bad move on this one but whatever. I'll still see them live.

[sumguitar41]

i think their old albums are by far better than the new one.. however i think they were bound to change musically when dave left.. but im not sure they changed for the better

[Ivory_Soul]

Sum 41's a sorry excuse for music. I'm sorry but these guys are horrible. It seems only the bad bands sell so much because people are society driven drones.

[Statement!]

The problem is, as Deryck said, he's a songwriter, not a guitarist. In the past he had to push himself to write stuff Dave would enjoy playing. Now it seems he's got lazy and so isnt bothering to push himself.

Still going to see them live though.

[Jau_Peacecraft]

Chuck was a definitive album. Without their original guitarist, they are simply a facade of what they could've accomplished post-Chuck. Sadly, if the RIAA / major record companies weren't around, a shitty band like this wouldn't get undeserved attention and sales. Sometimes it takes one really good musician to help make a band stand out and be more creative; Sum41 lost this with the departure of Dave Baksh.

[godisasniper]

I just saw them the other day in Boston, and one thing I noticed was that the old songs were played with a lot more enthusiam than the new ones...and the opening band, Monty Are I, completely blew them away...actually they blew everyone away, check them out if you like Sum 41's old stuff especially Does this Look Infected?

Checked.

[CullenT]

i never really liked sum 41 anyways. blink 182 is better.

and if you want a good punk band thats new go get +44's "when your heart stops beating"

[rockpunkzer0]

chuck sucks. at least this one has some creative thought and not every song is a ripoff from other metal bands

[redsoxxplayer]

summer is the best song by sum 41

[backtobasic]

I didn't like them a few years ago, but I've grown to like them the more I familiarize myself with the band. I think I might see them at the end of the month.

[diddly14]

I personally like the metally/punk stuff more of theres, this new album sounds like green day, blink 182 and some of there old stuff...

[pyritmann]

chuck and all killer were absolutly amazing and put this band up in my top five favs, this album sucks so bad, i went out and bought it with high expectations but i was truly dissapointed by how much it sucked. whats worse how the band is being such snobs towards dave now it disgusts me, dave was Sum 41 and they are nothing without him.

[the boogieman]

considering most of this album was pretty much recycled from previous releases its not hard to understand how much smoother writing this album must have gone. then again its also pretty bad

[MasterofOrion]

Good band, But I miss Dave.. He brought Alot to this band.

[SumFan98]

Three words:

I MISS DAVE!

[GrungePb]

i dont think this should be the top story

[sumfan747]

personaly i love underclass hero. been upsessed since i got it. tho all killer no filler is my fav. sum 41 has undergone many changes and there music has been changing over the years as the band has under gone different stages in there life. no band ever sounds the same from 1 cd to the next. u just have to accept the change no matter how much u dont like it and see the new music as a different expirence. like chuck after does this look infected, huge difference but still awsome cds. if u listen to underclass hero youll see its still the same sum41 just refurbished. and they still rock wuth there new more mature songs. any one who doesnt like sum 41 sucks!!

[diaspora]

I honestly belive that they peaked with Chuck, but underclass isn't really that bad, a step back but you can still listen to it...Speak of the devil is also the stand out on the album, although it would have been interesting to hear it had dave had some influence on it. interesting!

[Inkvizitor]

this album actually suck ass ...

[noviznamclaw]

this album is definitely not the best. now they don't even use much in distortion in most of the songs.
they sound like some pop-punk band and not like the sum41 that we all liked. i think deryck's becoming influenced a lot by avril.

[Fambi]

I personally don't like Underclass Hero as much as the other albums, however I do feel that the standout track on the album was "So Long Goodbye" - it shows how Sum 41 have matured as a band and that they are able to write moving, meaningful songs.

[andrewofhackney]

You gotta admit Sum 41 cant really top Does This Look Infected. Its one of my fav albums of all time, and i was let down a bit by chuck, but i think underclass hero is a good, solid album. The acoustic songs piss me right off, but u get what u paid for in songs like Walking Disaster, March of the Dogs, The Jester, Count Your Last Blessings and above all Confusion and Frustration in Modern Times (BESTEST!). But **** a duck those acoustic songs are irritating sometimes.
Still, Astoria, November 29th! 2nd time to see them in 6 months!

Checked/De-Spam'd