When the Boneman threw Sum 41's new album Chuck at me the other day I was frightened. The Boneman said, "Give me 300 words on this shat pack or clean out your desk!" I obliged and prepared to embark on a shit-talking rant to end all rants. Sadly though, I couldn't muster up any good trash on Chucky and was forced to give out big bear hugs instead. Sum 41 is from Canada and usually when I think about Canada all I see are ice-skating polar bears drinking Labatt's eh, not rocking my ass off with guitar riffs constructed out of adumantium. Sum 41's new album is straight rock, not pop, and not fueled by free Warped Tour energy drinks . . . okay maybe a little.

The single, "We're All To Blame" is great but then again it is hard to fully appreciate something that you've already heard 30,000 times on the radio. The song also boasts some anti-American sentiments with a very Metallica, "Unforgivin" tone of voice. Stuff that fifteen year old punks with Black Flag written in magic marker on their denim jacket would think of while sitting in detention. "Super-size our tragedy, we're hopelessly blissful and blind to all we are, You can't defy me, or justify greed! Bought in the land of the free! The free!" is delivered by Deryck Whibley's patented snarl. Although carrying with it a skin-crawling rancid jar of Cheese-Wiz it does the trick of being catchy enough to move units. Canadians talking trash on America is funny. After all the years of South Park poking fun, it's good to see Cunnucks fighting back.

The melodies and harmonizing on this album have a Bad Religion or Social Distortion head bopping effect, and "The Bitter End" feels like Dave Mustaine was Sum 41's band teacher growing up. The Megadeth sound is alive and well on that track. Overall I was very impressed with Chuck, even the love/breakup songs. The album rocks in a way that their last two albums didn't. All though those albums didn't sit well with me, I have to confess that these Canadians have finally got me. Finally they got me. It's as if they were feeling tired,
took a healthy dump and cleared their minds, and have emerged from the bathroom with a fresh outlook on just about everything. It's strange how that works.