I remember reading an article where Sum 41 claimed their band was more like All Killer No Filler than their previous two albums. Then I heard "Underclass Hero" which albeit is a catchy song it sound way too similar to "Fat Lip" from their first album.

So today I bought the album with some apprehension. I feared that with their last album, Chuck, receiving poor sales and reviews (even though I loved that album) and Dave leaving the band they would revert to their old sound in an all or nothing attempt to be MTV friendly and gain some mainstream appeal.

I am glad I was oh so wrong about my assumptions for this album.

Normally I would never review an album without giving it four or five listens, but I was lucky enough to have to make a six hour round trip with this album playing about 5 times before I finally switched CDs.

Its as if the track "Underclass Hero" is a joke track to fool us all into believing they are trying to make All Killer No Filler 2. Then "Walking Disaster" pops up and hits you like a punch in the gut, and the rest of the album grabs and doesn't let go.

What makes this album so great is that there is a confidence and maturity to this album. Lyrically they have never been better, and their music has never been this varied, while also remaining somewhat simplistic. They do this by using a more varied and diverse take on their old pop-punk sound, a sound that many bands use currently to pollute the airwaves (I'm looking at you Paramore).

Will this albums skyrocket their fame? Maybe. I think there will be a lot of petty complaints against it. For one their will be people who will be angry that this ISN'T All Killer and No Filler 2 (even if it is something much, much better), there will be people who despise them simply for the fact that *GASP* they have a handful of politically charged songs, or the really ignorant idiots will complain that ballad style songs like "Best of Me" and "So Long Goodbye" will like TOTALLY mean they sold out, even if those songs are incredibly well done.

But I think "Underclass Hero", along with Yellowcard's "Paper Walls" will prove to many people that pop-punk didn't die with Blink-182's break up, it CAN be mature AND keep the uplifting energy of punk music generally displays, all while being more diverse musically than the punk sub-culture allows.

To sum this review up (no pun intended) "Underclass Hero" is a truly wonderful surprise of this year music-wise for me and I highly recommend this album. It's easily their best.

"All Killer No Filler" was, without question, one of the most energetic and driving releases in all of 2001. A rarety in that it was way more "punk" than it was "pop," the only issue with that album, and its predecessor "Half Hour of Power," was that the sound they were going for was being attepted by hundreds of other bands at the time. In 2002, while most of the bands similar to Sum 41 were going screamo or eyeliner or whatever, they released the metal-influenced "Does This Look Infected," which started out with a HUGE bang but ended with quite a few weak songs. By 2004, when "Chuck" was released, it appeared that the band had adopted the punk-metal sound permanently, which wasn't a bad thing, since the songs "No Reason" and the vastly underrated ballad "Pieces" were among Sum 41's best tracks. Problem was, other than three somgs or so, the album didn't develop a consistent hook or vibe, and began to sound strikingly similar to Metallica's new stuff, which is not good for anyone. So a change was in order, and change they did, taking two plus years to release "Underclass Hero," not to be confused with Green Day's "Working Class Hero." What sets "Undeclass Hero" apart from the rest is the band's raw ability to write energetic, absolutely blasting melodies and short riffs. Throw in Deryk Whibley's sing/shout/rap style, and POW! you've got a punk rock record. The album gets a little political on occasion on the track "March of the Dogs" where you can hear the phrases like "The President's Dead" over and over. On the single Underclass Hero, it is just pure melodic energy, "Dookie" times ten. No band has ever cooked up this much energy on a mainstream release, as many of the tracks reverberate with a freshness that inspires those who have become so tired of whiny emo trash and the redundancy and arrogance of hip-hop. Want a good album to blast in your car this summer with the windows down, and tired of all of the bands out there who follow the scene and come up short, then purchase this album today, it may be what the doctor ordered. It is plainly evident throughout this album that Sum 41 is back, and back to making the type of records that their fans love best.

While it's no All Killer No Filler, nor is it a Does This Look Infected?, Underclass Hero, upon the third or fourth listen, definately holds its own. At first you'll be completely unsatisfied, as it holds a lot of songs that are quite unlike sum41 (imo)... but after a few listens, you'll be amazed at how you thought poorly of it before. A strong 4/5.

This was a pretty interesting CD. Although I'm not an avid Sum 41 fan and have never purchased any of their other CD's, this one caught my interest and upon seeing it on a store shelf, I decided it was worth a buy. I wasn't wrong, it's a pretty decent CD, but not much more than that, unfortunately. While it gets off to an excellent start, by the CD's end, not only does it overstay its welcome and end up repeating itself, but it ends with some slow and tedious songs that (clearly) Sum 41 just isn't as good at. It also continues Sum 41's tendencies to borrow somewhat from other bands. Some people have pointed out similarities to Green Day's American Idiot. I, personally, don't see that comparrison at all, to me, this sounds a lot more like Blink 182's Take off Your Pants and Jacket CD. Not necessarily a problem, but obviously if you're buying this CD expecting anything particularly groundbreaking (either for this band or for rock in general,) don't bother.

The good news here is that when Sum 41 isn't attempting to do (painfully slow) love balads or slowing their tracks down with over-production or keyboards, they retain a great, fast, energetic punk rock sound that is becomming rarer and rarer in the record label industry. It's a sound that I hope this band never loses, I just hope they apply it to something a bit more original next time around.

1. Underclass Hero; 9/10. Pretty great song. Although it sounds (again) familiar to their past songs, it's a great song and easily the best on the CD. Basically completely sums up what's so great about this band. Fast, fun, energetic.

2. Waking Disaster; 7/10. Although it can easily be mistaken for a Green Day song at first, it luckily goes back to the Sum 41 formula quickly enough. Pretty good song, nice lyrics, and well-written. Overall, just a good song. Interesting.

3. Speak of the Devil; 8/10. Subject matter's a bit...lame, but a really good song with an awesome and melodic ending.

4. Dear Father; 7/10. A good song, but the lyrics seem a little too...obvious. Not the most subtle song.

5. Count Your Last Blessings; 6/10. Decent verses, but the keyboard sounds a bit off and out of place, and the refrain's also a little weak.

6. Ma Poubelle; A lame intermission sung in French. Weird. NA/10

7. March of the Dogs; 7/10. Okay, THIS is where I can see the comparrisons to Green Day's American Idiot. Still, a good song, but another case of good verses and a refrain that just doesn't really fit them.

8. The Jester; 6/10. Although it may not be the song's fault entirely, by this point in the CD, it's all starting to feel a bit familiar. But regardless, it sounds a little...weird. Not too pleasant to listen to. I know what they were going for, but I just thought it was kind of out of place.

9. With Me; 7/10. Good song with nice lyrics. Not much else to say. One of the few love songs on the CD that really works.

10. Pull the Curtain; 8/10. Great song. Again, feels a bit familiar by this point on the CD but it's still great. Piano outro's a bit unnecessary but otherwise a completely great song.

11. King of Contradiction; 8/10. Some great, fast, old school punk. Really great song. Sounds like it would have fit in on the soundtrack to the first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Awesome.

12. Best of Me; 2/10. Sum 41 try a love balad to disasterous results. Slow, boring, long, and very tedious to listen to. Stick with what you do best, guys.

13. Confusion and Frustration in Modern Times; 5/10. Feels like this song kind of could have been cut from the CD. Doesn't do anything particularly new or anything that we haven't already heard on the CD. Not a good or bad song, just average.

14. So Long Goodbye; 1/10. Again, another extremely slow song without any hook or anything worth listening to. This just isn't the band's thing.

15. Hidden Track; 1/10. More slow stuff. Not interested.

As you can see by these ratings, the CD gets off to a strong start and then ends pretty weakly, with slow songs all put at the end, and the slow songs just aren't any good. There are some good and great songs on this CD, but it's hurt by a couple really, truly horrible songs that just don't belong on there. But when this CD works, it really works. Sum 41 may not be the most original band, but it's great to see a rock band that's still trying to keep that fast, punk sound that few rock bands seem to be keeping. The songs on the CD that try to veer from that fall flat on their face so hopefully Sum 41 will focus more on what works on their next CD. But overall, I cautiously recommend this CD. It's a decent CD and a good listen, as long as you're prepared to skip through a couple of songs.

I have read way too many negative reviews on this cd. I read a review earlier today saying that the album is 5 parts Blink and 1 part Green Day and that the band is becoming more and more unoriginal. I almost died laughing. Underclass Hero is Sum 41. It's almost like an amazing mix of all the sounds they have come up with in the past decade all rolled into one. From Pop, to Punk, to Punk-pop, to Heavy, to Emo. I honestly have never heard such a great collaboration from any band. Unorginal, no, more original than ever. It's a great album and truthfully one of the only ones I can actually listen to straight through without skipping a song. I'm a musician. That's very hard for me to do. 5 Star tracks include: The Jester, Best Of Me (written to Avril), Speak of the Devil, and Count Your Last Blessings.