Sum 41’s career has been filled with highlights that extend well beyond the traditional ‘punk‘ band. They’ve collaborated with Iggy Pop, Ludacris, Tommy Lee, Rob Haldford, and Tenacious D, and were invited to tour with heavy metal legends Motley Crue when they reunited. They were shockingly close to death while filming a 2005 documentary in war-‐torn Congo, and Deryck Whibley was almost deported from the U.S for his political views in 2007. Not to mention, they’ve sold over 12 million albums and toured the globe countless times.
Since their inception in 1996, Sum 41 has been relentless, unapologetic, and unconcerned with musical boundaries. In the past, their music style has been described as an “eclectic meld of raucous punk-‐rock, thunderous heavy metal and straightforward rock.” Sum 41’s new album, Screaming Bloody Murder, feeds off this past and expands on it.
They have recently been labeled as one of the world’s best live bands. Whibley says he’s not concerned with these labels, but “all we’ve ever tried to do is play better live. Its what makes us a band. At times, everything else is bullshit. Touring is something we constantly work on, and over 12 years we have continued to improve.”
Sum 41 has also been unapologetic about their life-‐style off the stage. “We’re best-‐friends, we love to play music. And we also happen to be idiots. This hasn’t changed since high-‐school,” says drummer Stevo 32. “Rock music has a long history of partying. We are no different,” quips Whibley.
With track titles like: ‘Blood in My Eyes’, ‘Jessica Kill’, ‘Holy Image of Lies’ and ‘Happiness Machines’, Screaming Bloody Murder is an evolution of the band’s metal and punk-‐rock influence, but continues to blend musical styles as they have done in the past.
Bassist Cone McCaslin feels “like we really reached a new level with this one. Its definitely my favorite Sum 41 album. Musically, this album has pushed way beyond anything we have ever done. I can’t wait for fans to hear this album. I can’t wait to play this album live.”
