The Sum = 41 (All Killer, No Filler - Sum 41)

Member Name: andyduffy

Product:	All Killer, No Filler - Sum 41
Date:	31/05/02 (238 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Rip roaring fun , Loud and proud, Album tracks better than the singles

Disadvantages: Short, May be their last offering in this style

Being in my late twenties, I am not supposed to enjoy this type of, obnoxious, 4 chord ‘college rock’. People my age will look at me with disdain, and people younger will look at me like I’m their granddad. I have to say I couldn’t care less! What fun these guys are! Ok, so they’re going to win very few awards in their career (which is probably going to be pretty short) but they have the knack of producing some of the most catchy songs I’ve heard in years.

The Album, ‘All Killer, No Filler’, is their second release, and significantly better than their first album, ‘Half Hour of Power’. Gone are almost all of the heavy metal tracks, replaced by rip roaring tunes (yes, actual tunes) overlaid on top of huge guitars, heavy drums, and fast paced lyrics.

The age of the guys, is probably their biggest bane (other than perhaps their reliance of sounding like Blink 182 and Mest – check both these bands out if you like Sum 41), is that they’re just way too young! It’s hard to believe that they’re teens/early twenties, when they’re all accomplished musicians. A shame so many people reject them for being so young. They’re not exactly Hanson!

This may be the last release from these guys, with this style of music, as they’ve been heard to say that they wish to return to their heavy metal roots. A crying shame, as I really find their metal tracks to be dull, and uninspired (probably not their fault – it may be because I simply hate the genre).

Highlights of the AKNF album are, ‘Fat Lip’, ‘Rhythms’, ‘Summer’ and ‘All She’s Got’. Of those, only one has gotten a single release so far, despite being stronger than any of the other single releases. That’s just my opinion, of course, but I think they need to consider their releases more carefully. I’m especially surprised that &#
8216;Summer’ has never been released, given that it appears on both their albums to date.

Weakest track on the CD, is ‘Introduction to Destruction’, which is the only metal track, and really a waste of space. I tend to skip the track whenever I listen to the CD.

The CD is great value for money, as you can tend to pick it up for £6 to £10, though it has to be said, it is quite a short album, despite having 13 tracks. Still, if they felt the songs were as long as they need to be, then who am I to argue with them?

Beware though, ‘Fat Lip’ is not really a good indicator of the album style. You won’t find a lot of rapping, but you will find it a rich, obnoxious but understated gem of a CD.

Summary: