ALL TIME LOW - Ragged

When you’ve been playing in a band
as long as Deryck Whibley and Steve “Stevo” Jocz have, a break can be a
positive thing. Until recently, the two members who formed Sum 41 had
felt pressure to churn out albums at a frantic pace. Though they’ve been
critically panned and written off countless times by non-believers, the
Canadian natives have not only survived, but are one of the most popular
touring bands in the world, consistently playing to tens of thousands of
fans. “We love our fans and our goal is to make music that appeals to
them,” Whibley remarks.
Despite not releasing new material since 2007’s Underclass Hero,
the band (which includes vocalist/guitarist Whibley, drummer Jocz,
bassist Jason “Cone” McCaslin and guitarist Tom Thacker) has continued
its relentless touring schedule. Now, after a four-year absence from
recording, Sum 41 is back with its latest effort, Screaming Bloody Murder,
which dedicated fans will discover is wholly different from the band’s
earlier material.
According to Whibley, many of the new songs are a direct
reflection of certain events that occurred in his life around the time
they were written. The eclectic styles, which vary between raucous
rockers and more subdued ballads, show a wide range of emotion and
represent some of the outfit’s strongest material. Songs like “Baby You
Don’t Want to Know” and “What Am I to Say” show Whibley’s growth
as a songwriter, but don’t stray far from what made Sum 41 popular in
the scene to begin with. “The sound is big, heavy and punchy—unlike
anything we’ve done before,” Jocz says.
The songwriting process for Screaming Bloody Murder was also a
new experience. “Writing this album was great because we sort of fell off
our label’s radar. For the first time, I didn’t sit down and have pressure to
write,” Whibley recalls. “I was able to write whenever something popped
in my head. I could go months without writing another song.”
Inevitably, the label called and found out the band had a batch
of new material, and then did put pressure on the guys to finish the
album. “The break has been long enough and we’re excited to be back,”
Jocz says.
Once the album is released, Sum 41 will embark on yet another
extensive tour, adding several new stops to the schedule. “We’re
excited to play in places we’ve never been to before, like Eastern
Europe and Central and South America,” Whibley says. “We love seeing
our fans all over the world and can’t wait to see the ones we’ve never
played to before.”
Whether you love them or hate them, Sum 41 is back with a
vengeance, though they’ll argue they never left to begin with. “All I
wanted to do was to make a cool rock record,” Whibley says. “The only
things I care about are our fans and our music, and the only way I can
explain this record is: We’re back.” R
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photographed in LOS ANGELES
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