Hate to be the old head hucking around hot takes, but Half Hour of Power is my favorite album by Sum 41. I’m not claiming that it’s their best album or the one I would recommend to folks listening to them for the first time (that would obviously be All Killer, No Filler). But Half Hour of Power to me represents everything that makes Sum 41 great. Their clear love for heavy metal, knack for massive sing-a-long pop hooks, ability to shapeshift through genres, and unique backing vocal harmonies all shine through during this entire album. Even on their debut Deryck Whibley had settled into his sneer, Dave Baksh was absolutely unleashing holy hell on the six string, and Jason McCaslin and Steve Jocz had found their connection in the rhythm section. It was pretty clear from the jump that this band was going to be pretty special and bring a real sense of rock and roll shreddability to the pop punk scene– whether it’s the Iron Maiden-esque riffage of “Grab the Devil by the Horns and Fuck Him Up the Ass”, the radio-friendly head-bopping awesomeness of “Makes No Difference”, or the hip hop hot potato the band plays on “Dave’s Possessed Hair/What We’re All About” that previewed the route the band would take on their follow up album with “Fat Lip”, each and every twist and turn the band would take over their 25 year career was laid out with brazen confidence on Half Hour of Power.
Standout Songs: “Grab the Devil by the Horns and Fuck Him Up the Ass”, “Makes No Difference”, “Summer”, “What I Believe”, “Dave’s Possessed Hair/What We’re All About”, “Ride The Chariot To The Devil”
