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# 13 Voices - Review by Amin from Sum 41 France

Five years waiting for an album of Sum 41 is a long time! Five years during which many things happened in the lives of each of us, but also in the lives of our favorite Canadians: Births, a member who is gone, another who returned, and many trials. But, still, the intact will to do what they do best: give us stars in the eyes.

Here, exclusively for Sum 41 France, a modest review of 13 Voices, the new album of Sum 41 available October 7, 2016.

1. A Murder of Crows (You're All Dead To Me)

What better way to start an album than an epic song? Our five musicians have figured it out: A Murder of Crows is in line with Reason To Believe. After a rather dark introduction conducted by the violins come the electric guitars and the voice of Deryck, all with a powerful dose of drums. This song, despite its catchy character, is none the less imposing and aggressive, which ultimately is little wonder when you consider it is about the people who have let Deryck down when he needed them the most. In short, an excellent opening song.

2. Goddamn I'm Dead Again

Warning : homecoming guaranteed! This song immediately makes you think of the first albums of the group, while having a modern production. After vigorous verses followed by choirs also effective, comes a solo that is worthy of those we used to hear in Does This Look Infected? or Chuck! The first part of the solo, complex and fast, is then followed by a more melodic and cleverly constructed part. It took Dave's return to have the Bitter End The solo finally dethroned. A feast for the ears!
Ps: The chorus has been teased by the band on Instagram.

3. Fake My Own Death

This song is the first that the band released on June 28 in order to wait until the first official single, War. This song has the various ingredients that make the songs of Sum 41 a success: a strong riff and punchy lyrics, with in bonus a delusional clip, as we like.

4. Breaking The Chain

The intro of Breaking The Chain, mixing up violins, drums and guitars, on which alights the almost angelic voice of Deryck, leads to a chorus filled with words that resonate and echo of what Deryck felt during his recovery (Make no mistake / I paid my price / I've done my time / With the devil in disguise). Those who have listened to both clips posted on Instagram late last year will also recognize one of them after the solo.

5. There Will Be Blood

Upon the first listening, we know that this song is tailored for live: with a mesmerizing chorus and ubiquitous guitars, we can well imagine the movements of crowds it can cause. The general atmosphere of the song, a little different from the other titles, may itself remind of the one present in The Jester, all resulting in a less intimate piece, but whistleblower.

6. 13 Voices

A little crunch guitar, both very light and terribly rock'n'roll rings out in the middle of very discrete strings. At this point, we do not yet know what to expect. Then comes the most amazing riff, very crude, almost « Metallicish ». This soon gives way to a more electric part which, in addition to showing its hand, carries us at breakneck speed towards a verse which marks an almost brutal stop from this frenetic pace. It is followed by a first verse carried by snare rolls and whose singing and guitar can definitely bring to mind Sick Of Everyone, eighth track of the predecessor. So far, it seems that the group takes us into a new world and one can only wait to see, or rather hear what the result holds. Time to appreciate a transition you would think straight out of the album The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance and go for a chorus typical of Sum 41 in all its glory. Flat out drums, power chords till your fingers bleed, catchy melody, hearts in harmony to support everything, that chorus comes with a label "Sum 41" that the band would have put on a box full of new sounds, as if to prove us it is clearly one of their songs. We are then carried away to a bridge which is a second reminder of the predecessor with a melody recalling the Holy Image Of Lies. A reminder to which one surrenders willingly before our Canadians drive us home with a final edition of this heady chorus.

7. War

The second single from the album, out there about a month and accompanied by its very aesthetic music video begins straightforwardly by a very nice combo piano voice.
The band then launches a rather dynamic rock ballad it is impossible not to - even unconsciously - compare it with the mythical Pieces. Not because of any musical similarity, but precisely because it is a ballad and when we say the words « Sum 41 » and « Ballad » our thoughts go directly to the famous single of 2004. War is however more energetic and rhythmic, not only due to the guitar-piano duo that hits the bull’s eye, but also to the drums of Mr. Frank Zummo which do not lose efficiency. The group therefore sends us a ballad of three minutes and twenty-nine seconds, full of beauty and emotions with what is probably the most catchy chorus of the album, as well as an excellent production tinted with discrete layered background, choirs well placed and percussion giving a certain "grandeur" to the track.

8. God Save Us All (Death To Pop)

We come to what I think is the first « flaw » of the album (the word « flaw » is to be read with big, very big quotes as the track definitely remains listenable and enjoyable). So we have an intro with electronic elements and a voice, all supplanted by chords on the piano in the background. Nothing alarming so far. However, the following sections, although absolutely correct, melodic, rhythmic and catchy, show a certain lack of originality, all in an album where the first seven titles have accustomed us to a higher level of research and creativity. So we have a title which, taken out of context, is quite effective in the end, riffs on which it seems to be written as "punk-rock" even recalling Offspring or Rise Against for some of them. Overall, the title is acceptable, although it does not satisfy listeners in search of a certain singularity. It is in a sense a shame as some elements of the song seem to offer a ray of sunshine in originality, including voice-percussion transitions before the choruses and the instrumental arriving right after the second chorus .

9. The Fall And The Rise

A melody on the guitar as an intro, which suggests something quite energetic. Then surprise, from the beginning of the title we can hear what appears to be rap. Yes sir ! Outgoing rap straight from the mouth of our dear Deryck Whibley.
A rhythm is established with a kick and hat while the guitar keeps playing a melody. This first verse is almost like listening to a song of Hollywood Undead. Taken over by the surprising turn of events, we wait for the chorus to find out where this excellent first minute leads us. The chorus breaks out and proves to be one of the most charged in electricity! However, disappointment for me. The latter is certainly effective in terms of rhythm and guitar, though a bit flat for my taste in terms of melody, although I imagine it quite well repeated in unison by a mob of fans. This doesn’t penalize in any way the song, since its main attraction is the rap part that goes on for two verses and gives the track a claimant air. I obviously do not forget to point out a rather quiet bridge, just after the second chorus that turns out to be beautiful.

10. Twisted By Design

Last round of this seventh album with what is for me the most interesting song on the album, musically speaking. The discrete palm mutes, piano notes, octave voice, kick shots and low tom, are just the beginning before the big final. Then explodes a riff worthy of being played in a stadium. So after a quick tour of the Stade de France that Deryck Whibley and his band make, we get a final demonstration of the ability they have had on this album to explore brand new things. Indeed, the first verse is pretty soft, but with completely new layers of ambient sounds and singing that almost gives us the impression of hearing a new Deryck. The band presents here a fairly innovative range of sounds somewhat reminiscent of the sounds of the avant-garde Crown The Empire album released in the summer. It took me until the last title to finally enjoy this chorus that had marked me on a short clip posted on the Instagram account of the singer. The said chorus finally kicks in and, although it is not the most illuminated in terms of pace, it is undoubtedly the most intense, the most melodically powerful and sincere on this record. The tenth track ends with a last rock part both very pleasant and very interesting, as a last gift before completing this seventh album.

Conclusion

It is with a disc loaded with emotion that Sum 41 closes five years of untenable waiting. Five years between Screaming Bloody Murder and 13 Voices, five years clearly will not have been useless as they have served the group to mature musically. A maturity that is felt throughout this opus even with some small hiccups, but highly successful in combining the signature sound that made the success of the band with riffs and pleasantly surprising new tones.
The years on the clock have apparently not affected the band’s ability to renew, on the contrary, they even seem to help them move in that direction.

13 Voices therefore is an album to enjoy without moderation and that we discover a little more with every listen!

Notable tracks: Goddamn I'm Dead Again, Breaking the Chain, 13 Voices, The Fall and the Rise

ESPILFIRE wrote:Hi scums!!

Where can I hear unfinished 'believe' song? I always read about this song but I never hear it.

PD. sorry for my grammar.

ESPILFIRE wrote:Thanks!

It sounds awesome. Why they never finished? We won´t know... :(

Spoiler: show

Canadian pop punks Sum 41 return with their sixth studio album 13 Voices due on 7th October via Hopeless Records. Lead singer Deryck Whibley’s 2014 breakdown and hospitalisation was well publicised, Sum 41 touring and everything that goes with it may well have been the cause. 13 Voices is the result, as Whibley says, “Writing music gave me a purpose and I started from scratch with absolutely nothing to work with. I would put on movies with no sound and start writing guitar riffs and music to the images. Mostly movies from Tim Burton and Quentin Tarantino like Edward Scissorhands, Sweeny Todd, Kill Bill and Inglorious Bastards. The process led me in a direction that I had never gone in before which made me feel like I was writing a theatrical score called “hard-score punk”.

You may question why we’re reviewing the album, sure you could consider it a little too mainstream for Alt Dialogue but the fact remains that 15 years ago All Killer, No Filler came along and was the soundtrack of our year. It came about at a time when pop punk and nu mental were the genres of the day, it was the marker of the early 00’s and delivered the quality the title suggests.

Unfortunately, 13 Voices doesn’t come close to their debut or even their sophomore effort Does This Look Infected?. As you’ve got to expect the band have lost most of their youthful energy and the lyrical content is less infantile. It comes with growing up, naturally, but what you end up with is a band that sounds like a bunch of Dads covering early Linkin Park.

It sounds like Linkin Park at their most accessible and most boring. There’s very little punk energy left in Sum 41 and while Whibley’s trials and tribulations aren’t there for derision they don’t make for an interesting or relatable subject matter.

It’s also obvious that this was an album written with a successful comeback in mind. The mundane accessibility of the music removes and kind of cathartic passion that may lie behind the lyrics. Take away the lead singles ‘Fake My Own Death’ and ‘War’ (plus the pop heavy ‘Breaking the Chain’) and you’ve got an album that is all filler and no killer.

AD Rating 5/10

Source:
https://altdialogue.com/2016/10/03/albu ... by-sum-41/

Andros wrote:Well, this is the worst and no sense review for "13 Voices" and I think this guy stuck in the 00's

Spoiler: show

Canadian pop punks Sum 41 return with their sixth studio album 13 Voices due on 7th October via Hopeless Records. Lead singer Deryck Whibley’s 2014 breakdown and hospitalisation was well publicised, Sum 41 touring and everything that goes with it may well have been the cause. 13 Voices is the result, as Whibley says, “Writing music gave me a purpose and I started from scratch with absolutely nothing to work with. I would put on movies with no sound and start writing guitar riffs and music to the images. Mostly movies from Tim Burton and Quentin Tarantino like Edward Scissorhands, Sweeny Todd, Kill Bill and Inglorious Bastards. The process led me in a direction that I had never gone in before which made me feel like I was writing a theatrical score called “hard-score punk”.

You may question why we’re reviewing the album, sure you could consider it a little too mainstream for Alt Dialogue but the fact remains that 15 years ago All Killer, No Filler came along and was the soundtrack of our year. It came about at a time when pop punk and nu mental were the genres of the day, it was the marker of the early 00’s and delivered the quality the title suggests.

Unfortunately, 13 Voices doesn’t come close to their debut or even their sophomore effort Does This Look Infected?. As you’ve got to expect the band have lost most of their youthful energy and the lyrical content is less infantile. It comes with growing up, naturally, but what you end up with is a band that sounds like a bunch of Dads covering early Linkin Park.

It sounds like Linkin Park at their most accessible and most boring. There’s very little punk energy left in Sum 41 and while Whibley’s trials and tribulations aren’t there for derision they don’t make for an interesting or relatable subject matter.

It’s also obvious that this was an album written with a successful comeback in mind. The mundane accessibility of the music removes and kind of cathartic passion that may lie behind the lyrics. Take away the lead singles ‘Fake My Own Death’ and ‘War’ (plus the pop heavy ‘Breaking the Chain’) and you’ve got an album that is all filler and no killer.

AD Rating 5/10

Source:
https://altdialogue.com/2016/10/03/albu ... by-sum-41/

Spoiler: show

Yeah that looks like a guy who didn't like anything post-chuck and had decided beforehand he was gonna crucify it. In this case though, for all the bashing he does, a 5/10 is somewhat generous

dff_punk wrote:I mean, like, fuck this guy.

http://dailybruin.com/2016/10/09/hear-t ... -maturity/

Come on, I love 13 Voices because it's chaotic and high-gain trebly produced. Not to mention energetic and powerful.

RR is nice but this is a whole new level.

minutenmusik wrote:[...] The music and lyrics of '13 Voices' deliver, what fans of the band are used to – harshness. [...]

Even Sum 41's famous sing-along choruses and jump around hits can be found in '13 Voices': The two singles 'Fake My Own Death' and 'God Save Us All (Death to POP)' have been chosen wisely as they are more suitable for the mass than the other songs.

For a fan of the band the album might be just the right thing: It keeps moving as it was! The songs are full of fresh ideas without having changed the style of their previous records. The ingenuity of Deryck Whibley and his mates seems to be endless up to now.

EMP wrote:[...] All in all one gets 10 hits which are quite a statement. Songs that draw your interest in upcoming concerts and more albums. A thoughtful album which won't leave the listeners with superficial happy happy moments. An album which might be a mirror of the band. You know, where there's light there's shadows as well! But hopefully the dark times are now over for Sum 41!