Screaming Bloody Murder is the first album Sum 41 has released in four years. The pop-punk band that most of us associate with junior high has been mostly silent after their last album, Underclass Hero, was met with negative reviews.
SBM seeks to remedy that, but ultimately fails to return the band to their earlier acclaim.
SBM steers away slightly from standard Sum 41 fare. These new tracks are fast-paced like we’re used to, but the energy will drop randomly for a non-instrumental bridge or a sudden acoustic verse.
Some bands can pull this off, but this album doesn’t put Sum 41 in the same group as those bands.
With 14 songs going at close to 50 minutes, Screaming Bloody Murder certainly delivers quantity. Quality, though, is another matter.
That being said, there are catchy songs that will appeal to long-time fans. The title track does a good job of letting front-man Deryck Whibley and his recognizable vocals take control.
“Time For You To Go” is another solid track, with a more pop-oriented melody that seems reminiscent of JET. The lyrics are simple, but the guitar does a good job of supporting the vocals and the chorus is catchy enough to warrant several listens.
The fifth track of the album is “Jessica Kill.” If any song is going to stand out, it’s going to be this one.
With a feel like “Fat Lip” and lyrics that are probably more well-developed than any on the album (I’m addicted to the pain even more than words can say. / Every hit hurts like your kiss, like a needle to a vein), this will be a fan favorite more so than any other.
“What Am I to Say” starts off considerably slower. This actually seems to work, until about two minutes into the song, when the acoustic stops working with the song and begins to feel out of place.
Unfortunately, rather than serving as an exception, this track defines the rest of the album. At this point the energy begins to dwindle and by the fourteenth song you might be a little bored.
“Happiness Machine” does a good job of trying to pull the album back on course, but it has an entirely different feel from the earlier songs. It’s unclear where Sum 41 wanted to take things.
Following this song is “Crash,” a slow song that, again, has a different feel than everything else. But where “Happiness Machine” got things going again, “Crash” does a good job of erasing that.
The opening guitar riff of “Blood In My Eyes” is so standard Sum 41 that it almost seems like things might be redeemed. But the lyrics are weak and don’t stand out, and Whibley’s impressive guitar riffs fade in and out.
No songs after “Jessica Kill” really showcase anything impressive. Nothing jumps out as praise-worthy. While they’re not terrible, they also don’t strike me as the kind of songs that define an album.
As a whole, the production value is strong. Nothing feels rough or poorly made. Lead singer Whibley did a good job as producer. He composed and wrote the songs himself, which might be a part of the problem of lackluster quality the album as a whole contained.
Whibley has been the primary contributor to Sum 41’s songwriting process since the early days, but perhaps he could have used some more collaboration for Screaming Bloody Murder.
Sum 41 has gotten a lot of heat for Underclass Hero. Fans of their earlier albums might not enjoy Screaming Bloody Murder. As it stands now, SBM might just be a stepping stone for their next album, but it certainly won’t be remembered as Sum 41’s magnum opus.
Three out of five stars.
If you like this album, check out the whole Sum 41 discography. Also look at some later Green Day and some Blink 182.
Richard Solomon can be reached at richard.solomon@spartans.ut.edu.