Review: Sum 41 Close Out Career with Final Album Heaven :x: Hell

It’s been 5 years since Sum 41’s last album Order in Decline. Now the Canadian pop-punk legends are back with their eighth and final studio album, Heaven :x: Hell. The band announced last year that this would be their last album ending a 27-year career that began with 2000’s Half Hour of Power EP.

Sum 41 ranks in the upper echelon of pop-punk bands. All Killer, No Filler (2001) and Does This Look Infected (2002) rank #5 and #16 respectively on Loudwire’s ‘The Fifty Greatest Pop-Punk Albums of All-time‘ list. However, while Sum 41 will be forever tagged with the pop-punk label, the band started moving away from the genre in 2004 with their third Chuck which took them in a heavier hardcore, metal direction.

Heaven :x: Hell is a double LP that bookends the two stages of their career. The first LP, which they coined Heaven, harkens back to their pop-punk origins with 10 songs, all of which would have fit it seamlessly with either of their first two albums. The second LP, Hell, consists of an additional 10 songs drawing from their metal sound of recent years.

On the new album, vocalist Deryck Whibley says, “Once I heard the music, I was confident enough to say, ‘This is the record I’d like to go out on.’ We’ve made a double album of pop punk and metal, and it makes sense. It took a long time for us to pave this lane for ourselves, but we did, and it’s unique to us.”

The band has seen a decline in chart success with their five previous singles failing to chart. However, this slide stopped with the release of the album’s lead single “Landmines” from Heaven which became their first song to hit #1 on the US charts since “Fat Lip” in 2001. It is reminiscent of the band’s early pop-punk sound with power chord driven verses and a catchy, infectious chorus.

Whibley shared, “When I wrote ‘Landmines’ I had no intention of writing an old school “pop punk” song. It just came out really quickly and I knew right away that this song felt special to me.”

Heaven is filled with other standout songs including “Waiting On a Twist of Fate“, “I Can’t Wait“, “Time Won’t Wait“, “Dopamine“, and the 90-second sprint “Johnny Libertine“, all of which are destined to make every Sum 41 fan’s playlist.

Once Heaven is put back into its album sleeve and Hell is pulled out the tone shifts. The simplicity of the pop punk sound is traded for hardcore vocals with challenging metal riffs and shredding solos which are right in guitarist Dave Baksh‘s wheelhouse. “Rise Up“, “I Don’t Need Anyone“, “You Wanted War“, and “It’s All Me” allow Baksh to shine and push his abilities to the limit.

Frontman Deryck Whibley has written or cowritten nearly every Sum 41 song. It’s rare for the band to include a cover on a studio album. Therefore, it was surprising for them to choose their last album to cover the Rolling Stones “Paint It Black“. This was a song that the band played live extensively on their 2010 tour. It turns out to be one of the most memorable tracks on the album with Whibley performing one of the best versions of the song to date.

The album fittingly closes with “How the End Begins“. It’s very reflective,” says Whibley. “When I wrote it, ‘How The End Begins’ wasn’t intended to be a last song. The first line is me not knowing what to say and questioning myself. I’m wondering, ‘Are all of my best years behind me?’ One line opened everything up.”

In the ADHD world we live in it is sometimes difficult to listen to a song from start to finish, let alone an entire album. However, Heaven :x: Hell is an attention-keeping piece of work that flies by. It is a fitting culmination to the band’s career and ranks as probably their best work. It’s unknown what the future holds for the band members, but it is unlikely this is the beginning of the end for Whibley.

Sum 41 is supporting Heaven :x: Hell with their last headlining world tour, ‘Tour Of The Setting Sum’ which commenced in February and will continue through January 2025. The tour will be making stops in several countries including the United States, Japan, Mexico, Germany, Italy, and more.

“I love Sum 41, what we’ve achieved, endured, and stuck together through, which is why I want to call it quits,” Deryck leaves off. “There were so many times we could’ve broken up. For some reason, we kept sticking it out. I’m proud of that. It’s the right time to walk away from it. I’m putting all of my energy into what’s ahead. This is going to be the biggest tour of our lives, and I want to make it the best show we’ve ever done. That’s it.”

Heaven :x: Hell Tracklist

HEAVEN-

1. Waiting On A Twist Of Fate
2. Landmines
3. I Can’t Wait
4. Time Won’t Wait
5. Future Primitive
6. Dopamine
7. Not Quite Myself
8. Bad Mistake
9. Johnny Libertine
10. Radio Silence

HELL-

1. Preparasi A Salire
2. Rise Up
3. Stranger In These Times
4. I Don’t Need Anyone
5. Over The Edge
6. House Of Liars
7. You Wanted War
8. Paint It Black
9. It’s All Me
10. How The End Begins

Tour Of The Setting Sum Dates

February 27 – Seoul, South Korea – Yes 24 Live Hall
February 28 – Seoul, South Korea – Yes 24 Live Hall
March 1 – Jakarta, Indonesia – Uptown Park
March 2 – Yogyakarta, Indonesia – Kridosono Stadium
March 4 – Singapore, Singapore – Star Theatre
March 5 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Megastar Arena
March 7 – Guangzhou, China – Voice Republic – SOLD OUT
March 9 – Shanghai, China – ??????????? – SOLD OUT
March 10 – Nanxing, China – 1701 Live House – SOLD OUT
March 11 – Nanxing, China – 1701 Live House – SOLD OUT
March 14 – Sapporo, Japan – Zepp
March 16 – Tokyo, Japan – Punkspring*
March 18 – Yokohama, Japan – Zepp – SOLD OUT
March 19 – Nagoya, Japan – Zepp – SOLD OUT
March 21 – Hiroshima, Japan – Blue Lives
March 22 – Fukuoka, Japan – Zepp
March 23 – Osaka, Japan – Punkspring*
March 29 – Mexico City, Mexico – Punk Rock Festival*
March 30 – Monterrey, Mexico – Pa’l Norte*

April 19 – Omaha, NE – The Astro^
April 20 – Wichita, KS – Wave^
April 21 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater^
April 23 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory^
April 24 – St. Louis, MO – The Factory^
April 26 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe^
April 27 – Milwaukee, WI – Rave^
April 29 – Baltimore, MD – Pier 6^
April 30 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway^
May 1 – Portland, ME – Cross Insurance Arena^
May 4 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage^ – SOLD OUT
May 5 – New York, NY – Brooklyn Paramount^
May 6 – New York, NY – Brooklyn Paramount^
May 8 – Reading, PA – Santander Arena^
May 9 – Raleigh, NC – The Red Hat Amphitheater^
May 11 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy^
May 12 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome To Rockville*
May 14 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium^
May 15 – Charlotte, NC – Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre^
May 17 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple*
May 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Skyline Stage at The Mann^
May 19 – Norfolk, VA – Chartway Arena^

June 13 – Interlaken, Switzerland – Greenfield Festival 2024*
June 14 – Hradec, Czechia – Rock For People*
June 15 – Nickelsdorf, Austria – Nova Rock*
June 16 – Derby, United Kingdom – Download Festival*
June 19 – Dublin, Ireland – Fairview Park
June 21 – Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany – Southside Festival*
June 22 – Lyon, France – Slamdunk*
June 23 – Schneesel, Germany – Hurricane Festival*
June 26 – Viviero, Spain – Resurection*
June 28 – Ysselsteyn, Netherlands – Jera on Air*
June 29 – GeiselWind, Germany – Mission Ready*
June 30 – Marmande, France – Garorock*
July 4 – Nantes, France – La Nuit de ;’Erdre*
July 5 – Werchter, Belgium – Rock Werchter*
July 6 – Belfort, France – Les Eurockéennes*
July 7 – Hunxe, Germany – Ruhrpott Rodeo*
July 9 – Milan, Italy – I-Days*
July 11 – Argeles sur mar, France – Les Deferlantes*
July 12 – Madrid, Spain – Madcool*
July 13 – Lisbon, Portugal – Nos Alive*
August 1 – Rimouski, Quebec – Parc Beausejour
August 3 – New Glasgow, Nova Scotia – The Jubilee 2024*
August 4 –Saint John, New Brunswick – Area 506 Festival 2024*
August 7 – Saguenay, Quebec – La Baie’s Harbor Village Agora*
August 8 – Québec, Quebec – Quebec City Old Port Agora* – SOLD OUT
August 9 – Victoriaville, Quebec – Rock La Cauze*

September 3 – San Francisco, CA – Masonic Auditorium^
September 4 – San Francisco, CA – Masonic Auditorium^
September 6 – Portland, OR – Alaska Airlines’ Theater Of The Clouds^
September 7 – Seattle, WA – Wamu Theater^
September 8 – Boise, ID – Revolution Concert House and Event Center^
September 10 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Lot at The Complex^
September 11 – Denver, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre^
September 12 – Des Moines, IA – Vibrant Music Hall^
September 14 – Detroit, MI – Masonic Temple^
September 15 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center^
September 17 – Coraopolis, PA – UPMC Events Center^
September 23 – Miami, FL – The Fillmore Miami Beach^
September 24 – Orlando, FL – Orlando Amphitheater^
September 26 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life 2024*
September 28 – Austin, TX – H-E-B Center at Cedar Park^
September 29 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall^
September 30 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory^
October 2 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre^
October 3 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater^
October 5 – Las Vegas, NV – Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino^