Album Review - Sum 41 Screaming Bloody Murder

I'm just going to come out and explain my conclusion after listening to this album for this review: 'Screaming Bloody Murder', Sum 41's belated follow up to 2007's incredibly lacklustre 'Underclass Hero' is one of the most unsettling, difficult to listen to but somehow utterly brilliant records I have come across for some time. To explain my logic behind this further the lyrics for the album were written in the middle of what was apparently (I don't know first hand obviously) an incredibly messy and painful divorce between vocalist Deryck Whibley and Pop Rock star Avril Lavinge and this gave rise to some different musical directions that this massive album lurches around towards taking the listener on an uncomfortable, bumpy and extremely emotional 15 of some of the most well crafted songs I've heard in a very long time. The humour and light hearted nature of some of the early work, which was only somewhat present in the previous album has completely gone and this changes Sum 41 into a totally different, more mature beast as a band.

While it can be seen to be a similar musical deviancy Green Day went on with '21st Century Breakdown' and MCR went on with 'The Black Parade' it is not only more honest but also more interesting. While two aforementioned bands went on about concepts bigger than (in my view) could really handle with songs which seemed to be strained and false, Sum 41 stay with song lyrics they know, problems of the heart with an added bite of post divorce bitterness and somehow this makes the songs on the whole all the better. There really is a stunning mix of theatrical pop punk in songs like 'Holy Images of Lies', beautifully crafted ballad's like 'What Am I To Say' to the simpler yet equally spectacular Rockier tracks like 'Sick Of Everyone'.

Whibley is, in my mind at the very least, the best of the pop punk vocalists and with this album he shows off his talent to blending to many different song types. His powerful yet emotionally strained high notes in the chorus to the title track and the wonderful melodies in piano led track 'Crash' really does show how he can put above his peers in bands like Green Day and even the reuniting Blink 182. That said I would not consider this band a pop punk band after this record because o the style. The closest band I can find in terms of a record like this is actually a band like Biffy Clyro or the smaller but still fairly epic Twin Atlantic.

This album is the first to feature new lead guitar player Tom Thacker but his influence on the album is not felt as surprisingly Whibley, who does not have a reputation as the best guitar player that there is recorded all the guitar parts and some of, while not especially inventive of ground breaking do take a lot of good technique and that makes his lead guitar work, not only better than his lead work on 'Underclass Hero', but also one of the highlights of the record as a whole.

Album opener 'Reason To Believe' starts like it's falling down into a nightmare. It's a good precursor to the rest of the album and it helps that the track really is as simple as simple can get. The simple riff in the opening minute or so of the song sets the mood of the album but cleverly does not set up for what the rest of the album is going to deliver at all. It is the perfect opener for this album especially with the juxtaposition of the heavy riffs in the beginning and the piano and acoustic guitar in the last minute of the song.

Title track 'Screaming Bloody Murder' is perhaps the first sense of theater as it starts and ends with piano and clean-ish guitar tones but neither end gives you any evidence of the massive song that explodes in the middle. From the very heavy guitars to the spectacular vocals and the utterly fabulous break down and a very commendable guitar solo the song is a fantastic choice as a single and one of highlights of the album.

'Skumf*k' is one of the more surprising songs on the album. The title would give the impression of a fast angry punk number but it is actually more of a complete emotional powder-keg of a song which ends as the faster punk track. It's a track with multiple personality disorder but it works with that sense of epic theater within a bigger work.

'Time For You To Go' is a more traditional Sum 41 song in construction but don't be fooled into think that it is a happy go lucky song as the relatively cheerful sounding song hides a dark lyrical underbelly much like Biffy Clyro managed to do on their album 'Puzzle'.

'Jessica Kill' is a simple song, perhaps the simplest of the album. It is actually fairly similar to Chuck's 'Angels With Dirty Faces' in terms of construction and the fact the song in it's instrumental passages is actually rather heavy. It's an absolute mosh-pit number with particularly commendable drum parts.

'What Am I To Say' is a beautiful ballad. The uses of effects in this song do not cloud the overall effect but add to it really effectively. Although musically there is nothing to individually be excited about it is a case of a song that is greater than the sum of it's parts.

Now the next 3 songs are actually part of a greater work which was the first material played live from the album called 'A Dark Road Out of Hell'. To review this properly it does have to be seen as one whole work. Part 1 is 'Holy Images Of Lies', a disjointed, slightly mental song featuring fast piano parts and a fantastic set of modulations in the final 4 seconds or so and about as bleak as a band can get in terms of personal lyrics. The best bit about this song is the seamless segue into Part 2 'Sick Of Everyone' which is a much more simple and riff based number with a particularly strange verse and strong vocal performance. However the highlight is the final part 'Happiness Machine' which uses a massive grunge based verse to a largely acoustic verse which builds into a spectacular D minor guitar based harmony before it reaches a rather bombastic conclusion with the heavy guitars followed by the radio effect piano and vocal harmonies over the lyrics 'So here I stand at the end of a dark road out of hell'.

'Crash' is another well constructed, beautiful ballad. This one in a way is the most positive of the album as it seems to show some good memories of Whilbey's marriages but the in the end the song ends with the line 'But It ain't gonna happen' which proves the song was another obviously emotionally draining lyric writing session.

'Blood In My Eyes' is structured like a traditional song in terms of it's building blocks but in terms of tempo changes and even vocal styles it is rather disjointed. From the really heavy main riff to soft guitar based vocals and the stadium sized chorus it's a song that can very easily easy catch a listener not paying proper attention off guard. I like that about the song.

'Baby Don't You Wanna' is a weird one. It could almost sound like a track by Avril Lavinge with the simple, rather happy chord structures and vocal melodies but this song a bitter song which seems to be about the process of the divorce. I must say this is not my favorite song on the album but in way it is actually the most intelligent on the album.

'Back To Where I Belong' is a song which is really all about it's chorus. It's a heavy, triumphant song that recognizes the dark place where the rest of the album has been and shows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A very appropriate album closer drawing to a close this roller coaster of ride by a band that has challenged any notions of music they've written in the past and even more so with the short ending track 'Exit Song' keeping the musical idea of the previous track and showing a resignation of the situation described in the rest of the album and the effect of the major chord is a sign of hope possibly, but I could be reading into that too much.

You already know that I love this album. There is not one best song but I have to say the 3 part epic 'Dark Road Out Of Hell' is absolutely amazing and the best thing the band has ever produced. It might be very difficult to listen to throughout and it might a massive departure from the fun loving band they used to be but it has changed Sum 41 from just another Pop Punk band into a band finally realizing their potential as a band that have gone on to bigger and better things. The only words I can think of to properly describe this album are Unhinged but Bewitching.

Wow an album review - Sum 41's Chuck

Before I get into this I must say sorry for not having any reviews on my blog recently. For this one I am not going for a new release but with an album that holds a special place in my heart, not because it's the best album I've ever heard but oddly it is what inspired me to write some of the music I have written over my time as a musician. The album is Sum 41's 2004 album 'Chuck'.

When a friend of mine lent me Chuck I was very skeptical of the album after he'd said that give a few of the songs some tweaks it would make a basic (in terms of technical skill) but good Metal album.

When I actually took the time to listen to it I understood as while (apart from some of the drumming and the lead guitar work) there is not much in terms of blistering technical skill he was absolutely right. Yes there are more 'traditional' pop punk songs but this, as a work on the whole, is actually fairly unique to the genre to this day. The closest any artist has come to making a pop punk/metal record is Madina Lake with 'The Dresden Codex EP' with crucial difference being this (in my view) is better in almost every department.

Lyrically a lot of it is typically 'pop punk' so really quite dull in some aspects. But some of the songs. Looking particularly at two of the singles here 'We're All To Blame' and 'Pieces' there is actually some deeper, more meaningful lyrical skill on display. I'm not saying it's the most genius lyrical work ever but it definitely shows some long term thought has gone into it.

Generally the lyrical themes displayed in the songs fits in with the music quite well. For example 'The Bitter End' and '88' fit perfectly and it makes the songs, in my opinion at least, flow exactly the way I think the band intended it to.

The singer is neither amazing nor terrible. But this album proved he could be versatile. In various songs he could turn his hand to delicate singing, shouting, screaming and even euphoric spoken word whenever the need takes him. It's a well crafted, mature and diverse record vocally.

Quick note: Now unfortunately I will go on to do what I always do, and meticulously (perhaps dully for some of you) go through each track and attempt to relate it to what I have said earlier

1) Intro - Does what it says on the tin but has the strange ability to fit in perfectly with more than one song on the album. 7.5/10

2) No Reason - Euphoric, partially apocalyptic and with some really good simple riffs. A very appropriate opening song to the album. Shows a maturity that runs through the record and is missing on the whole from everything else the band has written before or since. 8/10

3) We're All To Blame - Reversed stereotypical dynamics much like Metallica's 'Unforgiven' with the very heavy (almost Metal-like) verses and quieter choruses (until the third one) and very good lyrics. Almost like a follow on from 'No Reason' lyrically. 8/10

4) Angels With Dirty Faces - The first genuine surprise of the album. The Drop tuned guitars could have been an indication this song was going to be slightly different but the heaviness after the soft vocal intro and the proper thrash metal drumming in the chorus make this one of the albums stand out tracks. 9.5/10

5) Some Say - The best thing about the are the vocals. It's not my kind of song generally and seems a bit to much like generic 'pop punk' ballad in my view. 5/10

6) The Bitter End - I've heard many things said about this song: It's a rip-off of Metallica's 'Battery', it's a fake Metal song and it's just plain wrong. I'll admit it is structured basically identically and includes some similar phrasing but it stands out as it's own song. First of all it is a very convincing Thrash song as all the elements are there and it's put together in a very convincing and logical manner. Oh and the main guitar solo is absolutely incredible in my opinion. Yes it's not the fastest or the most melodic but it strikes a very fine balance which is important in my opinion. This is best song on the album in my view. 10/10 (yes i know it's frowned upon to give anything 10 but I've done it now)

7) Open Your Eyes - I must admit I haven't listened to this song as much as the others but it is a good song musically. Works really well with seeming maturity that has been hinted at with the music. Just a shame it's the worst track lyrically and it comes quite close to ruining the song as a whole. That said the Middle 8 is actually quite fantastic. 7/10

8) Slipping Away - The True Acoustic number of the album. This song takes pride of place on my chillout playlist on my computer. It's quite a beautiful song which is also structured not like a traditional song in the sense that it only has the one verse. Vocals shine out really well on this one. 8/10

9) I'm Not The One - Another very heavy song. When I first heard this song the intro reminded me very heavily of Linkin Park tracks like 'One Step Closer' or 'Crawling'. The actual proper screaming vocals in the middle section of the song are pretty remarkable and show a complete diversity from most of the rest of the album in terms of vibe and texture. 9/10

10) Welcome To Hell - Very much more like a traditional punk song from decades previous. It's a very short, shouty, fun song basically telling us to jump around like morons and it would be a very good song in the mosh pit. The Bass stands out on this track as being fast, spikey and, much like the rest of the track on the whole, just damned good fun. 8.5/10

11) Pieces - The rating for this song would be so much lower if it did not have really good lyrical content. I find the song incredibly dull if i'm not paying particular attention to the words as there is really not very much to the music that I haven't heard from 'Some Say' or 'Slipping Away' earlier in the record. 6/10

12) There's No Solution - Another song which I have not spent a lot of time listening to. There can be no doubt that this song actually has one of the best choruses on the album. It's almost like a big stadium rock track scaled down a bit. Just missed a bit of lead guitar would be my one problem with it. 7.5/10

13) 88 - The Schizophrenic song as I like to call it now. It contains all the styles present in the album. From a very punk rock-ish intro. To an acoustic verse, a massive chorus and the massive Metal breakdown towards the end. Had it ended on that big Eb chord at the end of the breakdown it would have been another 10/10 song in my view but there is simply the fact that the ending sounds strained and rather bizzare. Did not seem neccesary. 9.5/10

From the US the album ends here but the version I have houses 3 other songs, which I shall also take a look at.

14) Noots - Incorporation of keyboards is very interesting. It in keeps with the theme of the album musically and has a humongous chorus to go with it. Lyrically however it is a bit of a disappointment but not terrible. 7.5/10

15) Moron - What else could be said about this song other than it is, much like 'Welcome To Hell' is a very good laugh. It is almost as simple as music gets and it shows. What else draws me is actually a very good vocal performance which suits the song perfectly.

16) Subject To Change - This song has foundations in both the title track from the next album (the chorus) and in 'No Reason' (the middle 8). It manages to be the angriest song on the disc but while it is a very good song it doesn't quite flow as a lyrical concept and it is quite easy to understand why it was not included on either this album or the next. Pity really. 8/10

Overall rating for the album I would say has to be 8/10. I love the majority of it as it is a massive departure from the general direction of Pop Punk around the time and to this day. The Stand-Out songs are the heavier ones, not just as a fan of Metal but as a musician they are better musically in my view and it shows that this band. Even in it's new guise can pull off a largely convincing live cover of the classic Metallica song 'Master Of Puppets'.

Fever - A record with split personality

I have been putting this entry off not because I don't want to post it but because other things, including the end of my first year of uni and not being with my laptop for several days at a time. So in this entry is the long awaited entry reviewing 'Fever': The third Album of Welsh Hard Rock titans Bullet For My Valentine.

The important thing about this album is that it does not bear any resemblance to their previous record 'Scream, Aim, Fire' and has a little bit more in common with 'The Poison'. However it is a much more mature effort as I will go on and explain throughout the songs on the album. It features Matt Tuck showing why he is one of the most popular vocalists in this style of music and a band who are comfortable in their own skin, writing what they want.

First up there is 'Your Betrayal', the lead single in America. This is a relatively simple song in it's concept, with the march drum intro creating a mood almost similar to that of their first album 'The Poison'. The song stays simple, drop tune guitars, little bits of screaming and the haunting Whisper's of Matt Tuck in the verse. The second huge chorus gives way to the middle section which is different to most Bullet For My Valentine as it is not a traditional Guitar solo but the almost siren like vocal line over the top of the very heavy guitar shows a maturity in song writing which is not previously present.

'Fever' is more traditional Bullet For My Valentine, a raucous drop C tuned metal number about a night in a club. It's not the fastest song on the album but in the way it is the one with possibly the most raw attitude. The highlight of this song is the vocal harmonies which sort of add to the almost sleezy element.

'The Last Fight' was the first glimpse the UK got of this album as it was the lead single. It's a driving number featuring the album's first guitar solo from Padge. It's also my personal favourite vocal performance as it features good singing as well as the shouting elements in the chorus. This is another very mature song. On an aside note about this song, the video is simple but very cool.

'A Place Where You Belong' is a similar sort of song to 'All These Things I Hate' off their first album. A softer song with heavier bits and pieces, a stereotypical sort of Metal ballad. It's almost quite a boring song until the guitar solo happens when the song picks up.

'Pleasure And Pain' is much more like it. The opening lyric of 'Come take the sacrifice' allied to a powerful opening riff make the song's opening full of impact. The rest of the song continues in a similar vein, making it one of the most intense songs on the record. Although my favourite bit happens just before the last chorus with the quiet yet tortured sounding line "You don't want, to know the truth".

'Alone' starts with the massive tapped guitar pattern and chord sequence which is almost similar to the way 'Your Betrayal' began. The synths in the verse and the string parts in the chorus give this song a real sense of occasion. It's also a catchy number with the guitar solos being at first based on simple melodies and modulating back into the D minor of the chorus. However the occasion is brought to a crashing finale with the slowing down of the intro to crawling pace almost like the epic ending to a film or (as this song possibly should have been) a massive closing track of an album.

'Breaking Out, Breaking Down' has quite a lot to live up to consider what preceded it on the record. It is one ofthe least heavy songs on the album as a whole but it features very good harmonised vocals in the pre-chours and chorus in particular. However the rest of it is quite nice but nothing else really standing out until the 2nd half of the bridge, which is almost painfully simple but effective.

'Bittersweet Memories' is a track that is simple in method and execution. It's a ballad about love gone wrong. This song isn't about one particular bit, rather the overall effect, which is profound for the type of song it is. If this isn't a single I will chop of my middle toe on my left foot and eat it.

'Dignity' is a true hark back to the musical styles utilised more on the first record. The totally harmonised opening riff brings back memories of songs like 'Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow'. It is a bit of a middle finger this song, perhaps not the most mature of lyrics either but what makes this song truly majestic is the tightness of the music allied with the melodies in the voice, particularly in the chorus. Another good thing is well sorted mixture of the Screaming and Singing. This is really by far the best song on the album.

'Begging For Mercy' is quite the beast. The heaviest song on the album after the opener. It is a song which features massive riffs and a very, very clever final chorus. However the chorus could be seen as a bit similar to 'Fever' and 'Pleasure and Pain' but I disagree and see this track as being almost monstrously heavy.

'Pretty On The Outside' is a grooving 6/8 animal featuring the least amount of cleanly sung vocals on the whole album. This song also features (in my view) the best lyrics as I believe everyone knows at least one person somewhat like this and they want to know the person better, to see if a person is quite what they seem, so this song really connected to me personally.

This album I would give around an 8/10. It is a good record, very mature musically with some very nice playing by all concerned and some mostly very good singing. However what the album falls down on is perhaps the more ballad type songs being no-where near as strong as songs like Dignity, The Last Fight, Your Betrayal and Alone which are the 4 best tracks. As mature and un-emo as it is, it is not a good a record overall as The Poison, their first album.

Immersion - My honest to god new favourite album ever.

In this Blog I will be reviewing the new Pendulum record 'Immersion'. But before I do must pay respects to two totally different but very popular people in the Metal scene who have been taken from us. They are of course the Vocal Tower of Power Ronnie James Dio and Slipknot's left handed bassist Paul Gray. Wherever you may be, get a band together up there with The Rev and Dimebag and bring the rock and see you again one day, rest in peace.

Being a big Pendulum fan I already fell in love with Hold Your Colour and In Silico. Immersion's list of collaborations and the quality of the previous to albums taken into account, disappointment was on my mind but not in my heart.

It starts very similarly to Hold Your Colour with the short intro track 'Genesis' leading to 'Salt in the Wounds'. Now quite a few people I have spoken to about think it sounds almost too similar to 'Slam' but I disagree, while they have the same key and the same modulation half way through there the massive impact of the Dubstep style breakdown in the middle and the more fixed ending shows a development in Rob Swire's writing skills as in my view it is just as good as 'Slam' even though there is not the same egotistical strut of opening 16 bars.

'Watercolour' is the most successful single in the band's history and it's not hard to see why. The epic party pumping chorus line 'throw your fists up, come with me' and the simplistic yet jumping instrumental bits make a perfect commercial successor to 'Propane Nightmares'. However the best bit for me is the opening 4 lines which is just Rob Swire's epic harmonised vocals and the beautiful piano part really make the song for me.

'Set Me On Fire' is the biggest departure in terms of they're style up until this point. Not being the biggest Dubstep fan I was worried that this song might disappoint me but it turns out it's a rip roaring dancefloor epic, perfect for getting your booty moving with the only sight of female vocals on the album.

'Crush' is the first proper Rock anthem. This F# Minor based tune crashes around at constant fast pace and features everything that made tracks like 'Granite' and 'Hold Your Colour' rip roaring successes I think they are and a very upbeat general feel alongside a theme this album seems to be producing: MASSIVE choruses big enough to kick the moons arse all the way to Mars and the acoustic end is a bit weird but a nice way to draw the song to a close.

'Under The Waves' is the true chillout track on the album. A chance to catch your breath and pay attention to the detail this band can go into. While done in a similar style to '9000 Miles' but making more use of the growing vocal capabilities of young Mr Swire.

'Immunize' features Prodigy big gun Liam Howett and it shows with not only why Prodigy are so loved but also that (in view) the Drum and Bass torch has been passed to Pendulum. The dischordal nature that Prodigy brought to the forefront has been taken to the next level by this group of strange Australian's.

My one disappointment on this album is The two part dance off that is the 'The Island'. Don't get me wrong, if it came on in a club I would be off my backside instantly and it's one of the best songs in it's style but particularly part one could be attributed to Calvin Harris in a strange way. Part 2 makes everything go weird and enforces the ability to 'move yo ass' and improves the concept as a whole.

'Comprachicos' is a groovy little shit. The shortest track in the bands history there is a lot to fit in less than 3 minutes. With a mixture of dirty sounding keyboards and sampled but heavy sounding guitars gives this song a personality all it's own. All in all a good one but one I would have possibly wanted to hear them get properly 'dutty'.

'The Vulture' features the début of their MC (The Truth). He is a very good rapper for this track despite his disappointing attempt to Tarantula on the Brixton DVD. Another track that is almost Prodigy sounding but can very easily be told as being Pendulum.

'Witchcraft' starts in the same sort of way as Watercolour except the vocals come straight in. However this a full blown rock epic. The live drums at the most to this track for me, giving it that driving hard rock edge with the ever growing vocal prospect of Rob Swire and his harmonies. Despite this being the 4th time F minor has been used as a key in the record he doesn't make the mistake of sounding old and repeated and the massive refrain 'You Gotta Get Out, Go Far Away' could well be one of the soundtracks to a hopefully epic summer since this is the second single confirmed for release.

'Self vs Self' is by far the biggest eye-raiser without even hearing it. Featuring the singer, guitarist and bassist for one of the most influential death metal bands there is, In Flames, there was a mixture of happiness, intrigue and total disgust before the track even surfaced. Pendulum's cover of Master of Puppets show Metal isn't entirely out of their range but it is a big step to take for an electronica group. However this song is sublime. Successfully fusing what makes both bands great with the help of Drop Bb tuned guitars (to non-guitarists the strings, unless set up in correct way, feel like absolute bungee chord) and Rob Swire's vocals blending really well with the In Flames vocalist in the pre chorus and the chorus. One of my top 3 from the album.

'The Fountain', featuring Porcupine Tree vocalist and general Musical Maverick Steve Wilson is more similar to 'Midnight Runner' than anything else in their back catalogue. Some quiet yet very nice guitar lines and the wonderful melody produced by Wilson are what make the song one of the most musically interesting numbers on the album as a whole but due to the high quality of the collaborations it is not the best of them, that honour going to Self vs Self.

Another track I worried about was album closer 'Encoder' and not because of whether it would be a good enough song to bring the album to a close: It's ancestor 'The Tempest' is one of my all time favourite songs and there has not been an album closer this decade in my view that comes close to it's stunning ending. This song is different as the first 3 minutes of the song have a completely different feel to anything on the album so far with proper acoustic guitars and almost minimal keyboard minus the intro. This is nice and shows a band maturing into (fingers crossed) one of the most prolific bands in music today. However it is at 3 minutes where the song kicks into gear with the same key and similar build up to 'The Tempest' but in a very different way. The vocal section can be seen as nice but truly not needed but the last line of 'May as Well let it die' shows how the song ends with gradual fade out with the beautifully simple synth line and just shows a band absolutely on fire in every sense of the word.

Now for the tough question, my favourite song on the album itself. Ever track has strength's and weaknesses but for me there are 3 that stand out: 'Self vs Self', 'Witchcraft', and 'Encoder' show a strength in mixing a commercial type of genre and turning into an album that for me, has already defined my 2010 in such a way that if there is currently one CD I would want to hear in the last 70 minutes of my life it would be this one. All hail Pendulum, hope Milton Keynes and Sonisphere live up to this powerhouse of a record. 10/10, simply brilliant.