Chuck is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Sum 41. The album was released on October 12, 2004. It was the last album to feature guitarist Dave Baksh before his departure from Sum 41 on May 11, 2006. Baksh later rejoined the band in 2015. Chuck peaked at No. 2 on the Canadian Albums Chart and No. 10 on the US Billboard 200, making it the band's highest-charting album until it would be surpassed by Underclass Hero in 2007.
The album's title is named after a volunteer UNpeacekeeper named Chuck Pelletier who was in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where Sum 41 was filming a documentary for War Child Canada. Fighting broke out during production, and Pelletier helped the band evacuate their hotel during the fighting, as he was staying at the same hotel.
The album's lyrical content has been described as darker and more mature than the band's previous work. It also had a different sound, mixing punk rock and melodic hardcore with heavy metal. The album proved to be a success, receiving acclaim from both critics and fans, as well as selling over five million copies. Singles such as "We're All to Blame" and "Pieces" gained success on the Canadian and American charts, and the album won a Juno Award for "Rock Album of the Year" in 2005.
Background
Following the release of Chuck, guitarist Dave Baksh left the band in 2006. He would eventually rejoin in 2015
The band's previous album Does This Look Infected? (2002) became a commercial and critical success, and the band went on a tour in the album's support. In mid-2004, the band took a break from touring and filmed a documentary for War Child Canada in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The film was called Rocked: Sum 41 in Congo and was released in 2005 by MTV. However, fighting broke out during the filming while the band was staying in a hotel.
"The shooting was all around us, and all these people were waiting, probably to die," said drummer Steve Jocz, reflecting on the experience. "Two UN people arrived at the scene and gave a speech about how everything would be fine," bassist Jason "Cone" McCaslin mentioned. "And then after they left, things just went crazy."
Vocalist/rhythm guitarist Deryck Whibley mentioned that he thought that a day after the UN gave an update about safety, he was expecting they would be able to evacuate. The next day, the band members woke up at 5:00 in the morning when two gunshots were fired. "We went to the hotel's restaurant to get some breakfast, when the gunfire just got closer to us," said lead guitarist Dave "Brownsound" Baksh. A U.N. peacekeeper named Charles "Chuck" Pelletier instructed the residents of the hotel to leave the restaurant. Whibley recalled, "We all just went into Cone's room, where there was around 43 other people there. We were all hiding in the bathroom and hiding on the floor." Baksh added, "Our U.N. peacekeeper was armed with a club, a new club because the price tag was still on it, but they were armed with guns".
Pelletier continued to reassure the band and others at the hotel that everything would be okay. After the crowd was in hiding, Pelletier left to get help. The U.N. continued trying to find out as much information on the gunfire as possible, but updates were few. "After a while, the gunfire seemed to start dying down, and then people started to go outside and they started talking. We seemed to be feeling pretty good, but then out of nowhere, the huge gunfire just went off," stated Whibley. "This war was so unpredictable. At one point, it sounded like it was far away, and at another point, it sounded like it was right outside the door. Then Chuck came in and told everyone to wait for the APC's to arrive. That was probably the scariest part, when we were waiting to get into the APC's." Baksh recalled, "I remember just waiting there and just wondering what the fuck was gonna happen."
Pelletier called for armored carriers to take the hotel's occupants out of the hot zone. "By then, I just kept thinking about everything we did as a band and everything I've done as a person, and I thought, 'This is it. This is how we're gonna die,'" Whibley said. After nearly six hours, the carriers arrived, and the band and the forty other civilians were taken to safety. In honor of Pelletier, the band decided to name their next album after him. Pelletier was awarded the Medal of Bravery by the Governor General of Canada for his actions.[1]
Recording
By spring of 2003, the band members began practicing parts for a new album on their own before going into a studio. "The music's better, the songwriting's better, and there's more musical elements in this album," Jocz stated. "We put more elements in this time around, and it feels like the next logical step in what we want our band to sound like".
"We never wanted to make the same album over and over again. We've decided we wanted to do something different every time," said McCaslin. "We started practicing on our own, and then we just put all of our parts together." The album was also mentioned to having a lot of heavy metal influences on it, with Metallica and Iron Maiden being main inspirations for the album's style. "Dave was raised on a lot of heavy metal and grunge," McCaslin noted. "Deryck and I were raised more on California punk rock music," said Jocz. "When we started the band, we were mainly inspired by bands such as NOFX and Pennywise, but when you get older, your brain starts branching off and you start listening to other music."
Chuck was produced by Greig Nori, and recorded at various studios: Sound City in Van Nuys, California; Ocean in Burbank, California; Reaction in Toronto, Ontario; Umbrella Sound, Toronto, Ontario; Soundtrack, New York City; and Sidecar in North Hollywood, California. Matt Hyde acted as main engineer, with additional engineers Ed Krautner and Cameron Webb, both of whom operated Pro Tools; Jorge Vivo did additional editing. They were assisted by Pete Martinez (at Sound City), Miles Wilson (at Sound City), Jason Cupp (at Ocean), Chris Stringer (at Reaction), Robert Poteraj (at Soundtrack), Matthew Davies (at Soundtrack), and Steve Sisco (at Sidecar). "Intro", "Angels with Dirty Faces", "Open Your Eyes", "Slipping Away", "I'm Not the One", "Welcome to Hell", "Pieces", and "88" were mixed by Andy Wallace at Soundtrack, with assistance from Sisco; John O'Mahoney operated Pro Tools. "No Reason", "We're All to Blame", "Some Say", "The Bitter End", and "There's No Solution" was mixed by Tom Lord-Alge at South Beach Studios in Miami, Florida with assistant engineer Femio Hernández. Brian Gardner mastered the album at Bernie Grundman Mastering.[2]
Composition
Music and style
Sum 41 have cited Refused(left) and Metallica(right) as the biggest influences on Chuck
On the sound of the album, the band have cited Metallica and Refused as major influences.[5] Michael Endelman of Entertainment Weekly described it as "a meeting of two worlds — extreme metal and pop-savvy punk — that rarely pass each other in the halls, let alone hang out after school."[14] Dave Simpson at The Guardian stated "The spiky quartet furnish their usual shouty vocals with grinding riffola and twiddly guitar solos, just as the rest of the post-Linkin Park world are realizing nu metal wasn't such a good idea."[10] Alan di Perna of Guitar World called it "their heaviest album yet", and as going from "flirt[ing] with metal on both [prior] albums, but with Chuck they’ve fully embraced it."[5]PopMatters writer Ethan Stewart described the album's sound as "primarily defined by a merger of heavily Metallica-indebted thrash with the kinds of alternative metal closest to System of a Down or Breaking Benjamin depending on the song... [it] is also structurally reminiscent of the melodic hardcore albums from the same period, namely No Warning’s Suffer, Survive and Rise Against's Siren Song of the Counter Culture."[4]
Commercial performance
Chuck was a commercial success, selling over 5,000,000 copies worldwide. The album won a Juno Award in 2005 for Best Rock Album of the Year. The album was certified gold in Japan, double platinum in Canada and gold in the United States.[15][16]
Chuck received positive reviews, with Metacritic giving the album an aggregated score of 63 out of 100 based on 11 reviews. Allmusic gave the album a positive review, saying "Chuck is a concise album that clocks in at just over a half-hour, with a basic understanding that fast and loud is what the band does best." Entertainment Weekly said that "It may sound heinous on paper, but trust us, the first single, "We're All to Blame," is far better than it has a right to be." E! Online said that "But whether they're being snotty or serious, there is a constant thread at work: those catchy melodies." Music OMH said that Chuck "isn't perfect" but also added that "Sum 41 have certainly added a heck of a lot more colour to their previously, partially monochrome musical output." Lane Devis of 411mania.com compared the album to Blink-182's 2003 self-titled album, Green Day's American Idiot, and Good Charlotte's The Chronicles of Life and Death, saying "The lyrics are serious in this album are far cries from the immature lyrics and antics that have become almost trademark for Sum 41." Common Sense Media gave it four stars out of five, saying "Rugged intensity makes up for the diminished playfulness. Lyrics are clean but somber. You don't like your life, politics, or the world we live in? You might not be able to do much about it, but perhaps – following the example of Sum 41 – you can write some interesting, lyrical songs about the stuff that drives you crazy", and also called it "socially conscious punk rock".
Decoy Music said "for the most part, it's obvious the band has grown up. There are some slower songs and some acoustic guitars and some ballads and all that good stuff. But the band still rocks hard 95% of the time and the fact they've gotten heavier actually accentuates their poppyness better than the punk aspect. The songs are still fast and guitar-driven, the drums are still extremely random and manic and awesome—all in all, this is still a Sum 41 record. But it's just a better one." Stuart Green of exclaim.ca said "Musically the band has never sounded more determined or cohesive (the notable exceptions being the Oasis sound-alike "Some Say" and the power mellower "Slipping Away" and "Pieces"). Lyrically the album also advances the case for these guys as strong songwriters." Diamond in the Rock said "Although some hail Chuck as a complete departure from the band's enjoyable punk style, this album adds diversity to Sum 41's discography as the hardcore rock vibes lend to an engaging, albeit satisfactorily brief, sound." However, not all reviews were positive. Punknews.org was somewhat disappointed with the album, saying "No one can deny the band's musical talent, and the more serious lyrical themes are a definite improvement, but the lack of consistency kills this album. The highlight of Sum 41's discography is going to come when they fully embrace their metal influences and make a straight-up metal album, and sadly Chuck misses the mark", but also added "If you are still under the impression that Sum 41 is a joke band or a Beastie Boys-wannabe, give some of these songs a try, and you may be pleasantly surprised." Robert Christgau assigned the album a "dud" rating.[22]
Chuck Acoustic EP (Tour Edition Promo) is an acoustic EP released by Sum 41 in 2005 in Japan only. It was released after the release of the album Chuck with the Japanese tour edition of the album.
The EP features only five songs, all of which are all-new acoustic versions to previously released songs. "Pieces", "Some Say" and "There's No Solution" are featured on the album Chuck while, "Over My Head (Better Off Dead)" and "No Brains" are from the previous album Does This Look Infected?.
Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. The band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of Deryck Whibley, Dave Baksh, Jason McCaslin, Tom Thacker, and Frank Zummo.
Half Hour of Power is the debut extended play by Canadian rock band Sum 41. It was released on June 27, 2000 on Big Rig Records, a subsidiary of Island Records, and Aquarius Records (Canada). The cover features the band's then-drummer Steve Jocz aiming a Nerf gun up in the air and standing in front of an explosion in the background. Though officially an EP, Half Hour of Power may also be considered the band's debut studio album. Most of the songs featured on the EP were included as bonus tracks on Sum 41's actual debut studio album All Killer No Filler (2001), which featured a re-recorded version of Half Hour of Power's sixth track "Summer". This is the second of three times that this song was featured on a Sum 41 album. It first appeared on their 1998 demo tape. The group originally planned to include different versions of the song on each of their albums as a joke, but scrapped the idea after All Killer No Filler, as they felt that it would annoy their fanbase.
Does This Look Infected? is the second studio album by Canadian rock band Sum 41. It was released on November 26, 2002.
Deryck Jason Whibley, nicknamed Bizzy D, is a Canadian musician, best known for his work as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, main songwriter, producer, founder and only constant member of the rock band Sum 41.
Steve Jocz, also known as Stevo32, is a Canadian-Australian drummer and YouTuber, best known as the original drummer for the Canadian rock band Sum 41.
Dave Baksh also known by his stage name Dave Brownsound, is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter best known as the lead guitarist of rock band Sum 41. Baksh quit Sum 41 in 2006 to pursue his own career in his heavy metal/reggae project Brown Brigade. He rejoined Sum 41 in 2015 and has released three subsequent studio albums with the band. He also plays guitar for Organ Thieves, with two of his fellow Brown Brigade members and the Canadian deathpunk four-piece Black Cat Attack. In 2019, Baksh co-founded the merchandise company Loud & Immortal.
Jason "Cone" McCaslin is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, serving as the bassist and backing vocalist of the band Sum 41. He and frontman Deryck Whibley are the only two members of the band to appear on every studio album.
"Fat Lip" is a song by Canadian rock band Sum 41. It is the fourth track on their debut album, All Killer No Filler (2001), and was released as the lead single in April 2001. It is the band's most successful single to date, topping the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It peaked at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and at number eight on the UK Singles Chart.
"In Too Deep" is a song by Canadian rock band Sum 41. It is the seventh track on their debut studio album All Killer No Filler (2001), and was released as the second single in September 2001.
"Underclass Hero" is the first single from Sum 41's fourth studio album of the same name. The song impacted radio on May 15, 2007. The song in its entirety was leaked on April 23 from a 91X podcast interview with Deryck Whibley. It was confirmed on Sum 41's official site that this would be the opening track for the album. The song was used in the EA Sports video game Madden 08 and Sony's NBA 08. It is the band's first single since the departure of guitarist Dave Baksh.
Cross the T's and Gouge Your I's is Sum 41's second DVD. It was released in 2002, as the bonus DVD for the US and UK editions of their hit album Does This Look Infected?, and as a separate DVD worldwide.
All Killer No Filler is the debut studio album by Canadian rock band Sum 41, released on May 8, 2001. It was certified platinum in the United States, Canada, and in the UK.
Screaming Bloody Murder is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Sum 41, released on March 29, 2011, after many delays. It is the band's second album produced by frontman Deryck Whibley. It is the band's last album to be released on Island Records before they had fulfilled their contract with the major label in 2016 and their first album not to be released on Aquarius Records, which they left in 2010. The album has received mixed reviews.
"Screaming Bloody Murder" is the first single from Sum 41's fifth studio album of the same name, officially released on February 7, 2011, although originally slated for release in August 2010. This is Sum 41's first single to feature guitarist Tom Thacker. The song's working title was "Panic Attack" and it was written by Thacker for the album Muertos Vivos by his other band Gob, though it did not make the album, then reworked, rearranged and re-recorded by guitarist Deryck Whibley. Although written by Thacker, all guitars on the song, as well as on the rest of the album were recorded by Deryck Whibley by himself.
Underclass Hero is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock band Sum 41. It is the first of two albums by the band recorded without guitarist Dave "Brownsound" Baksh since he left a year earlier to focus on Brown Brigade. It was first released on July 18, 2007, in Japan by Island Records and distributed worldwide by Aquarius Records, the band's final album on the label. In comparison to the heavy metal-inspired punk style of their previous album Chuck (2004), Underclass Hero marked a return to the band’s pop-punk sound.
13 Voices is the sixth studio album by Canadian rock band Sum 41, released on October 7, 2016. It is the first of two albums by the band to be released through independent label Hopeless Records. It is also Sum 41's first album to feature drummer Frank Zummo, who replaced original drummer Steve Jocz, and their first album to feature guitarist Tom Thacker. The album also features the return of longtime lead guitarist Dave "Brownsound" Baksh. The album is also their first as a five-piece band. On May 11, 2016, the band announced that they had signed to Hopeless Records to release the crowd-funded project.
Order in Decline is the seventh studio album by Canadian rock band Sum 41, released on July 19, 2019. It is their final release with Hopeless Records as they departed the label and signed with Rise Records in 2023. The band released the lead single "Out for Blood" on April 24, 2019. The second single from the album, "A Death in the Family" was released on June 11, 2019. The band released the third single "Never There" on June 18, 2019. The fourth single "45 " was released on July 8, 2019.
"What We're All About" is a song by Canadian rock band Sum 41. It was released in April 2002 as a single for the soundtrack to the film Spider-Man.
"Landmines" is a song by Canadian rock band Sum 41, written by Deryck Whibley. It was released as the lead single from the band's eighth and final studio album Heaven :x: Hell on September 27, 2023.
Heaven :x: Hell is the eighth and final studio album by Canadian rock band Sum 41, released on March 29, 2024, through Rise Records. A double album, Heaven :x: Hell is divided into two discs; the first disc, Heaven, features a return to the pop-punk style of the band's early career, while the second disc, Hell, follows the heavy metal sound the band pursued in subsequent years. It is their only release on Rise, having departed from independent label Hopeless Records in 2023.
↑ Halperin, Shirley (October 28, 2004). "Chuck: Sum 41: Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 21, 2005. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
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