10 Rock Music Acts That Went Dark (AND NAILED IT)

From the moment that they picked up guitars, Sum 41 were never exactly snobs when it came to the harsher side of rock and roll. They may have had the same influences as acts like Green Day, but these guys were also proud to spin acts like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest as much as they did the Ramones or the Clash. You can only contain that fire for so long though, and Chuck was the moment where the genres started to really blend.

Although there were some heavier sections on songs like Still Waiting off of Does This Look Infected, this was the first time the band went all out on their metal leanings, with songs like We're All To Blame having riffs that most modern metal acts would kill to say they wrote. Compared to the sounds of Simple Plan that were still on the radio at the time, the heaviness behind this record goes beyond hardcore punk altogether, almost sounding like thrash metal on songs like The Bitter End.

Now that the music was heavier, the lyrics also come correct as well, touching on darker subject matter like the war going on half a world away on Angels With Dirty Faces and getting almost existential on the song Some Say. You can try to write the same kind of teenage rock jams like Fat Lip, but Sum 41 were one of the few bands to realize there was no shame in punks growing up.