ALBUM REVIEW: Order In Decline – Sum 41

SUM 41 have, for better or worse, been associated with the nostalgia tag for years now. Ever since the Canadians smashed the glass ceiling with their first three records, 2001’s All Killer No Filler, 2002’s Does This Look Infected? and 2004’s Chuck, the band have both benefited and and suffered from the success those records brought. In the positive, it has allowed SUM 41 to reign as one of the most successful bands of the 21st Century but on the contrary, later records have been burdened with the expectations to not just match, but exceed, the standards of their early years. Flash-forward to the here and now, and arriving is Order In Decline, the band’s seventh record.

If there’s one way to describe Order In Decline then it is that this record is packed to the brim with energy. Revitalised and bursting at the seams, the record flies out the gates through opener Turning Away. Enticing guitar work from Dave Baksh, Tom Thacker and Deryck Whibley carry the weight of the track, aside from a blistering solo that comes out of nowhere, whilst Whibley‘s vocals set an immediately positive tone as his soaring delivery of the chorus makes for one hell of a strong opening.

If Turning Away impresses, then as Order In Decline rattles through it’s ten tracks, the band continue to impress. Out For Blood‘s bending riffs and emphatic chorus makes for one of the album’s highlights, The New Sensation‘s mid-tempo romp is a live anthem in the making thanks to a steady beat and Whibley‘s crooning vocal deliveries and 45 (A Matter Of Time) steals the crown as the best song on the record thanks to its metallic-leaning sonic template and truly exhilarating chorus. It’s moments like this that shows that SUM 41 are still swinging hard all these years since they first announced themselves to the world.

Partly, this is down to the tonal shift in its subject matter. Early SUM 41 records were adored for the band’s snotty attitude but Order In Decline feels refined and calculated in its aggressive delivery. With the themes of the record fuelled by Whitby‘s disdain at the current political and social climate, the delivery of the band’s sound hits all the more harder. Never There is a prime example of this. Although the song is very much the token ballad of the album, by presenting itself as an ode to single parents everywhere, the song hits damn hard as Whitby‘s emotion-driven vocals combine beautifully with the melodic sounds from his band mates. Sure, there are some pacing issues in regards to the overall flow of the record, but on merit, Never There demonstrates the heavy subject matter the band are addressing this time round.

Although it bloats in places where some of the songs do not quite hit the mark, Order In Decline is a fine new effort from SUM 41. We mentioned at the start of this review that nostalgia can be a double-edged sword, but here, SUM 41 show no signs of relying on their successes of years gone by, instead they channel their collective energy and come out swinging with arguably their strongest album of recent years.

Rating: 8/10

Order In Decline is set for release July 19th via Hopeless Records.

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