Unidisc Canada Vinyl & CDs

Review: Following two sold out farewell shows at the Scotiabank Arena in their hometown of Toronto at the end of January 2025, Canadian early 2000s pop punk megastars Sum 41 have bowed out gracefully upon their own terms. With that sombre farewell in mind, what better time to repress and revisit their surprisingly dynamic back catalogue of records, including 2007's much underrated Underclass Hero? Their fourth full-length (or possibly fifth, as many fans still often debate whether 2000's Half Hour Of Power can be considered their debut album) marked the first of two consecutive projects without founding lead guitarist Dave "Brownsound" Baksh, who would amicably depart to focus solely on his Brown Brigade solo-work. Following up the thrash-metal indebted mature left turn that was 2004's Chuck, which truly began to take shape on 2002's snarling The Offspring-worshipping grunge-punk career height Does This Look Infected?; losing their highly skilled axeman known for his juxtaposition of face-melting guitar solos next to anthemic hooks, led to somewhat of a revert to the more familiar pop-punk joviality of their earlier work, yet bolstered by more seasoned songwriting chops. Utilising an extensive array of acoustic guitars, synthesisers and a more expansive sonic scope to make up for their whittled down line up, the material has often been compared to that of Green Day's high-concept theatrical opus American Idiot or My Chemical Romance's even bolder The Black Parade. At a hefty (by punk standards) 52 minutes, this was the band's lengthiest LP to date, boasting some of their most dynamic and heartfelt cuts such as the triumphant opening title-track as well as the emo-tinged skate-punk longtime fan favourite 'Walking Disaster', culminating in a (now) near two-decade old pop punk rock opera. A bold swing for the fences in search of new direction, the Underclass Hero deserves your sincere reappraisal.