Sum 41
Screaming Bloody Murder
Island
March 29

By Marisa Volo

I remember listening to Sum 41 back in the day when All Killer No Filler was all the rage. I absolutely adored every song on the album, especially songs like “In Too Deep” and “Fat Lip.”

Those were also the days when Sum 41 was still a fun band to listen to. But I guess when a decade passes something has to change about the music they’re playing. And I know that every dog has his day, but I can’t honestly say that Screaming Bloody Murder is Sum 41’s day.

You could say that Sum 41 has matured as a band, but is their newest album still catching the interests of fans who have listened to them all those years ago? No. When I like a band, it’s for a certain reason. I craved Sum 41 when I feel like listening to a song about hating everything and everyone with the pop-punk instrumental talent to back it up. But that’s not what I get from Screaming Bloody Murder. Instead, I feel like I’m listening to a Green Day-like band living off of the name they’ve made for themselves in the past.

The first totally outrageous thing about Screaming Bloody Murder is the piano in the first track, “Reason to Believe.” Who would ever expect a piano in a Sum 41 song? With the album, it meshes perfectly, but you go into listening to a band like Sum 41 with a certain premonition and the very last thing you want is a piano ballad. “Reason to Believe” sets up the album’s mood: dreary and lackluster.

Unfortunately, only one of Sum 41’s “mature” songs caught my interest. In “Back Where I Belong” you can completely understand why you keep your faith in Sum 41. Lead singer Deryck Whibley lets it all out and you can hear it in his voice. It’s the yelling you wanted since track one, what you’ve heard since 2001 and exactly what you don’t get in most of Screaming Bloody Murder. Even this song has a boring little part in it that goes completely acoustic before getting good again.

For new listeners to Sum 41, this album might be an awesome listen. But as an avid Sum 41 fan, Screaming Bloody Murder is a huge letdown. I can’t even be mad, just disappointed.