Earlier this year, Sum 41 announced they would be disbanding after 27 years together following the release of their final album, Heaven :x: Hell, and one last tour. Last month, the band released a new single titled “Landmines,” accompanied by a music video, and recently vocalist Deryck Whibley shared more details about the album with Houston-based radio station 94.5 The Buzz.
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Heaven :x: Hell is a two-part album, with the first part—Heaven—featuring a nostalgic pop-punk sound, and the second part—Hell—drawing from the band’s most recent work and their shift to a heavier style, in Whibley’s words.
“It’s two totally different records,” he explained in the interview. “It’s 10 songs each side. I would call like early Sum 41 pop punk, and the ‘Hell’ side is like newer, heavier Sum 41 that we’ve kind of done the past couple of records, that sort of style. I don’t want to call it metal, but it’s our version of what we do that’s heavy and metal influenced.”
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Judging by Whibley’s description, there might be something for every Sum 41 fan on the new album. “Over the years, we’ve done both sort of styles,” he said. “We’ve had more heavy music than pop-punk music, but since we started with that on those first two records, it’s kind of like you’re labeled that for the rest of your life. But there are fans of ours that don’t really care for any of the pop-punk stuff and only like the heavier stuff, and vice versa.”
The band announced their split in May 2023, explaining they will embark on a worldwide tour for Heaven :x: Hell before calling it quits. While there’s no official release date for the album yet, Whibley shared that it will most likely drop in Spring 2024.
“There’s no release date for it yet,” he said. “I have a feeling it’ll probably be early next year, kind of like spring. That’s what I think. All that stuff’s being worked out right now.”
The announcement of the split came in a joint statement from the band members on social media. “Being in Sum 41 since 1996 brought us some of the best moments of our lives,” they began. “We are forever grateful to our fans both old and new, who have supported us in every way. It is hard to articulate the love and respect we have for all of you and we wanted you to hear this from us first.
For now, we look forward to seeing all of you skumfuks on the road and are excited for what the future will bring for each of us,” the post concluded. “Thank you for the last 27 years of Sum 41.”
Listen to Deryck Whibley’s complete interview with 94.5 The Buzz below.
Photo by Duane Prokop/Getty Images
Get ready for a punk rock extravaganza! Sum 41 is hitting the road in 2024. Book your Sum 41 2024 tour tickets now for a night of mosh-worthy tunes and energetic performances.
