March 29, 2023, well known pop punk band, Sum 41, released their eighth studio album, Heaven :x: Hell, which is also the final album from the band. Heaven :x: Hell is a dual album that has ten pop punk tracks on the Heaven side and ten heavy metal tunes on the Hell side. Going into this album, Sum 41 released multiple songs from the record as singles. “Landmines”, “Waiting on a Twist of Fate”, and “Rise Up” were the songs that were set as Heaven :x: Hell album teasers.
“It just felt like at this point now the work is complete. It’s the record I’ve always wanted to make, in a way. It has every sound that we’ve wanted to do, and I think we did it the best we’ve ever done it. It’s bittersweet that it’s the final, but I feel really good about it.” Deryck Whibley, Sum 41 lead singer/frontman tells PEOPLE magazine.
As I listened to the first ten songs, also known as the Heaven tracks, I was immediately invested into the album. It was a classic Sum 41 sound, which was similar to the bands 2004 album, Chuck and their 2001 album, All Killer No Filler.
The pop punk tracks, also known as the heaven side of the album, were definitely executed well. Some of my personal standouts were, “Landmines”, “Johnny Libertine”, “Dopamine” and “Not Quite Myself.”
As for the last ten heavy metal tracks, known as the hell side of the album, were heavier than what Sum 41 typically offers, yet they were still very well performed and fit into the album perfectly. My personal standouts were, “Rise Up”, “You Wanted War”, “Over The Edge” and “How The End Begins.”
I believe that anyone who likes Sum 41, or pop punk for that matter, would enjoy this album. I give Heaven :x: Hell ⅘ stars.
