Sum 41 revealed earlier this year that they’ll be breaking up after a final album and tour, and now the album is officially announced. Heaven x Hell arrives March 15 via Rise, and it’s a souble album; the “Heaven” side has been described by frontperson Deryck Whibley as “early Sum 41 pop punk,” while Hell is “newer, heavier Sum 41.” We’ve got an exclusive “black/grey smush w/ red & blue splatter” vinyl variant up for pre-order now, limited to 500. Get yours while they last and check out a mock-up below.
“Once I heard the music, I was confident enough to say, ‘This is the record I’d like to go out on,’” Deryck says. “We’ve made a double album of pop punk and metal, and it makes sense. It took a long time for us to pave this lane for ourselves, but we did, and it’s unique to us.”
“I love Sum 41, what we’ve achieved, endured, and stuck together through, which is why I want to call it quits,” he adds. “There were so many times we could’ve broken up. For some reason, we kept sticking it out. I’m proud of that. It’s the right time to walk away from it. I’m putting all of my energy into what’s ahead. This is going to be the biggest tour of our lives, and I want to make it the best show we’ve ever done. That’s it.”
Sum 41 recently shared the nostalgia-inducing “Landmines” from Heaven, and today they’ve released the thrash/pop punk hybrid “Rise Up” from Hell. Check out both below.
No word yet on the band’s farewell tour, but they do have some international festival appearances currently lined up, and you can check those out here.
In related news, a couple members of Sum 41 were interviewed for our new Alexisonfire magazine, which accompanies a box set and individual reissues. You can pick that up in the BV shop too.
Get the new Sum 41 vinyl here.
Tracklist
Heaven:
1. Waiting on a Twist of Fate
2. Landmines
3. I Can’t Wait
4. Time Won’t Wait
5. Future Primative
6. Dopamine
7. I Could Use Some Help
8. Bad Mistake
9. Johnny Libertine
10. Radio Silence
Hell:
11. Preparasi a Salire
12. Rise Up
13. Stranger in These Times
14. Don’t Need Anyone
15. Over the Edge
16. House of Liars
17. You Wanted War
18. Paint It Black
19. It’s All Me
20. How the End Begins