Sum 41

Order In Decline

Written by: PP on 29/01/2020 23:02:14

Not sure what happened here, but their seventh album "Order In Decline" is certainly Sum 41 in decline of several orders of magnitude. When I heard it's gonna be a darker record I was hoping more akin to "Chuck" than a Papa Roach style hard rock extravaganza, but alas, the result is what I'd call a sell-out record if this was a different band. It's hard to sell out as Sum 41, after all.

Basically, "Order In Decline" reeks of identity crisis of grand levels. Take "The New Sensation", for instance, which sounds like it was ripped off a Muse record. And what about "Heads Will Roll"? "But now you don't want to make me lose my shit 'cause heads will roll". With choruses like that, the record quickly takes a turn from being decent, albeit different to being flat out annoying.

The metallic "45 (A Matter Of Time)" sounds more like nu-metal with its rapped moments, and not the good, revivalist kind either. "Never There" is a plain ol' pop ballad, drawing parallels to the most radio-friendly and poser ballads Green Day wrote on "American Idiot". "Eat You Alive" is way too simple, and "Catching Fire" sounds like it could've been written by your standard fare indie rock band instead. What the fuck?

If you were to sum up "Order In Decline" in one theme, it'd be: what happened to the punk?. The best song on the record is "The People Vs..." and sounds like how this record should have sounded like all the way through. It's hardcore punk with metallic vibes Good Riddance Style, and with Deryck's piercing vocals and a breakneck speed tempo results in the catchiest song on the record. "A Death In The Family" comes in close second - and is probably the most "Chuck" style song with its nods towards System Of A Down during the bridge section. But aside from these two? Ugh.

Download: The People Vs..., A Death In The Family, Out For Blood
For the fans of: Billy Talent, Papa Roach, Hoobastank
Listen: Facebook

Release date 19.07.2019
Hopeless Records

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