Chuck

Japanese pressing of the punk-pop act's 2004 album includes three bonus tracks, 'Noots', 'Moron', & 'Subject To Change'. Universal.

There are few things more depressing than a goofy punk rock band that suddenly decides it needs to be taken seriously. Sum 41 did a brilliant job parodying corporate rock, pop and a large chunk of the '80s with breakthrough hit "Fat Lip." But over three albums, the Canadian band has unwittingly gravitated in that very direction. On Chuck, its hard to tell whether the quartet is poking fun at the platinum class or merely paying tribute by copping entire melodies and verses from some of MTV's biggest stars--Metallica's "Battery" on "The Bitter End" and Linkin Park's "One Step Closer" on "No Reason," respectively. More troubling, however, its formerly tongue-in-cheek awe for cheap metal bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest seems to have turned into a full-on admiration. That's clearly no laughing matter. --Aidin Vaziri