Sum 41 - Order In Decline
Sum 41 - Order In Decline
Long gone are the days of All Killer, No Filler
Canadian pop-punkers Sum 41 have been remarkably consistent over the course of their last few albums. And while we have never stopped calling Sum 41 a pop-punk band, their last few albums have been less about being fun and bouncy, opting instead for a far more serious flavor of rock music. Long gone are the days of All Killer, No Filler, replaced instead with songs that do their best to mimic Muse's big stadium anthem feel while not forgetting their penchant for metal licks and hefty solos. Truth is, it's quite a shame because when Sum 41 were more about being fun and silly, their songs had this incredible likeability to them. Forget All Killer, No Filler, they were at their most fun with their often silly 2000 debut Half Hour of Power.
So what to expect with Order In Decline, their 7th full length? Well, if you like easy-to-digest pop-punk anthems, you best look elsewhere as much of the album spends way too much time taking itself too seriously. Not that the results are bad; songs like "A Death in The Family" and "Out For Blood" do the faux-hardcore/melodic punk thing really well. The chugga chugga riffs, toe-tapping melodies, and Deryck Whibley's snotty vocals continue the band's well-refined sound. Opener "Turning Away" doesn't shy from being a little metal, a little rock, a little punk, and sets the high energy tone for the album. The return of Dave Brownsound for 2016's 13 Voices has solidified the album's two-pronged guitar attack, and Order In Decline's production helps on that front- it's a loud album, it just doesn't seem to say a whole lot at times. "45 (A Matter of Time)" is the band's anti-Trump song, and while it tries to provoke, sounds loud, its cheesy protests of "You're something to few / But nothing to me / Someone so twisted and sick as can be / It wasn't the plan / We gave it a shot / You've proven a real man is something you're not" won't exactly inspire a raging fire within the listener. I suppose if you're turning to Sum 41 to change the course of the future, we're all in trouble.
Sum 41 love their ballads too- and Order In Decline's lighter in the air moment (phones in the air for you kids) is the piano-strewn ballad "Never There". It's OK, but doesn't quite reach the heights of effective balladry they showed with "With Me". The album's best moment is the blitzing "The People Vs..." which trades the stadium rock for more melodic hardcore/thrash that a little akin to some of the goofy stuff they did on Half Hour. The meaty riffs, a great solo and the soaring chorus pumps much needed old Sum into Order In Decline, and it's only a shame there isn't more of it on the record.
As the album closes with the radio-ready "Catching Fire", listeners are left with one of these two thoughts. For those who enjoy Sum 41 when they're trying to be the best big band they can be, there is plenty to like on Order in Decline. They've found a consistent, polished, and well-produced sound they first hinted on with 2002's Does This Look Infected?. For those who found their juvenile, snotty attitude on Half Hour of Power and All Killer to be the quality they most enjoyed will respond to Order in Decline with indifference. At least I don't hate it.