I have a confession to make: I love a Sum 41 album.

It’s not a nostalgia thing for “All Killer, No Filler” either. I’m talking about “Chuck.”

It’s hard to believe the same band that wrote “Chuck” also wrote “Half Hour of Power,” “All Killer, No Filler,” and “Underclass Hero” (Though the departure of lead guitarist Dave Baksh might account for the last album). After all, if you admit you like those albums, you’re probably going to lose a good amount of street-cred with the hardcore and indie crowds.

After hearing “Chuck” for the first time, I took back everything negative I ever said about this band.

In 2004, Sum 41 defied the natural order of the universe and released a fantastic album. Not just a fantastic pop-punk album, but a straight-out excellent record that I still listen to. As an added bonus, the album actually showcases musical talent beyond four chord anthems with stunning guitar solos and carefully constructed song structures.Oh, and the lyrics are actually well thought out, too.

The band took the philosophy “if you rip off enough different artists, the audience will think you’re original,” and failed horribly. Instead of being original, they just wrote the best songs they could based on material of all the artists that inspired them. The songs on “Chuck” are a tribute.

From the epic introduction before the opening—and band’s greatest—track “No Reason,” to the ending breakdown in “88,” Sum 41 wasn’t messing around.

The album also featured the excellent singles “We’re All to Blame,” “Some Say,” and “Pieces,” the Metallica tribute “The Bitter End,” and the memorable “There’s No Solution,” in which Baksh takes over lead vocal duty during the bridge.

“Chuck” is a text-book example of an album from band in its prime that never got respect on the scale it deserves.

To this day I wonder why the song “No Reason” wasn’t milked for every penny its worth. It peaked at #16 on the American Billboard charts whereas the band’s trademark tune “Fat Lip” hit #1. I’m left to wonder if RIAA ever considered the failure to promote the right singles that will move albums off the shelves is a major contributor to declining music sales.

If you never gave “Chuck” a chance, you owe it to yourself to.