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Half Hour of Power

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Half Hour of Power
EP by
Sum 41
ReleasedJune 27, 2000 (2000-06-27)[1]
Recorded2000
StudioMetalworks Studios, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Genre
Length30:00
Label
Producer
Sum 41 chronology
1998 Demo Tape
(1998) 		Half Hour of Power
(2000) 		All Killer No Filler
(2001)
Singles from Half Hour of Power
  1. "Makes No Difference"
    Released: July 11, 2000

Half Hour of Power is the debut extended play[A] by Canadian rock band Sum 41. It was released on June 27, 2000 on Big Rig Records, a subsidiary of Island Records (United States), and Aquarius Records (Canada). The cover features the band's then-drummer Steve Jocz aiming a Nerf gun up in the air and standing in front of an explosion in the background. Though officially an EP, Half Hour of Power may also be considered the band's debut studio album. Most of the songs featured on the EP were included as bonus tracks on Sum 41's actual debut studio album All Killer No Filler (2001), which featured a re-recorded version of Half Hour of Power's sixth track "Summer". This is the second of three times that this song was featured on a Sum 41 album. It first appeared on their 1998 demo tape. The group originally planned to include different versions of the song on each of their albums as a joke, but scrapped the idea after All Killer No Filler, as they felt that it would annoy their fanbase.

Music

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Critics have categorised Half Hour of Power as punk rock,[1] skate punk[4][5][6] and pop punk.[7][5][6][1] The songs "Grab the Devil by the Horns and Fuck Him Up the Ass" and "Ride the Chariot to the Devil", are heavy metal songs,[8] similar to Iron Maiden.[5][1] Although "Another Time Around" was described as punk rock, the song's intro was described as "dirge-metal".[7] The song "Second Chance for Max Headroom" sounds like the band NOFX[6] and has a ska section.[7][5] The song "Dave's Possessed Hair/It's What We're All About" is known for having a part with elements of hip hop music.[7][5] Elements of hardcore punk are also featured on the EP.[5] The track "T.H.T." is oi!.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Curtis Zimmermann of AllMusic stated that "The first track, "Grab the Devil by the Horns and Fuck Him up the Ass," is a time warp. For a minute and a half the group relives the new wave of British metal and cranks out an Iron Maiden style tune. After a brief trip down memory lane the album quickly morphs into pop punk. The songs are well crafted and the hooks are catchy on "Make No Difference" and "Summer." But in some respects that is problematic, there was a time in the pre-Green Day/Blink-182 years where punk defined itself by not being radio friendly. A good album, but essentially proof that turn of the millennium punk is just as much a corporate rock entity as adult contemporary."[9]

Track listing

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Writing credits taken from ASCAP.[10]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Grab the Devil by the Horns and Fuck Him Up the Ass" (Instrumental)Deryck Whibley, Steve Jocz, Dave Baksh, Jason McCaslin1:07
2."Machine Gun"Whibley2:29
3."What I Believe"Whibley, Greig Nori2:50
4."T.H.T."Whibley0:44
5."Makes No Difference"Whibley, Nori3:10
6."Summer"Whibley, Nori2:40
7."32 Ways to Die" (Instrumental)Jocz1:31
8."Second Chance for Max Headroom"Whibley3:51
9."Dave's Possessed Hair" / "What We're All About"Whibley, Baksh / Whibley, Jocz, Baksh, Shawn Moltke3:48
10."Ride the Chariot to the Devil" (Instrumental)Whibley, Baksh0:55
11."Another Time Around" (Actual song ends at 3:22 with added silence afterwards bringing the EP's length to 30 minutes)Whibley, Nori6:52
Total length:29:57

Personnel

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Adapted from the EP's liner notes.[11]

Sum 41
Additional musicians
  • Sarah McElcheran, Steven Donald - horns on "Second Chance for Max Headroom"
  • MC Shan - rap vocals on "What We're All About"

Charts

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Charts (2000–01) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[12] 62
UK Albums (OCC)[13] 143
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[14] 18
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[15] 36
US Billboard 200[16] 176

Certifications

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Certifications for Half Hour of Power
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[17] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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  1. ^ Some sources consider Half Hour of Power a studio album and other sources consider it an extended play.[2][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Half Hour of Power - Sum 41". AllMusic.
  2. ^ "Sum 41 unleash their power (ready to release 2 albums)". Canadian Musician. July 1, 2000. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  3. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (February 21, 2002). "Sum 41 Plan DVD, Live B-Sides, Monthlong Tour". MTV. Archived from the original on May 10, 2004. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  4. ^ Rousseau, Rob (February 23, 2016). "The 13 best albums from the emo/pop-punk boom". Aux.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Behrman, Lorne (2000). "SUM 41 Half Hour of Power". CMJ New Music Monthly (85): 61. ISSN 1074-6978.
  6. ^ a b c "SUM 41 – HALF HOUR OF POWER". Punktastic. July 30, 2004.
  7. ^ a b c d Ewan Wadharmi. "SUM 41 - HALF HOUR OF POWER". Hybridmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2001-05-10. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  8. ^ "Half Hour of Power [Japan Bonus Tracks] - Sum 41 - Release Info - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  9. ^ Half Hour of Power - Sum 41 | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-12-13
  10. ^ "Sum 41". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  11. ^ Half Hour of Power (CD liner notes). Sum 41. The Island Def Jam Music Group. 2000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ "Sum 41 Album & Song Chart History – Oricon Charts". Archived from the original on October 23, 2012.
  13. ^ "Chart Log UK (1994–2008) DJ S – The System Of Life". Zobbel.de. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  14. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart". Official Charts Company. January 13, 2002. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  15. ^ "Sum 41 Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  16. ^ "Sum 41 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  17. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Sum 41 – Half Hour of Power". Music Canada. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  18. ^ "British album certifications – Sum 41 – Half Hour of Power". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
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