Deryck Whibley wants Sum 41 to go out on a high with their final album ‘Heaven :x: Hell’.
The upcoming record is comprised of two halves – ‘Heaven’ is pop punk in the vein of their 2001 classic ‘All Killer, No Filler’ and 2002’s ‘Does This Look Infected?’, and ‘Hell’ is the heavier style of their more recent releases – and frontman Deryck, 43, says it’s the “perfect way to go out”.
He told NME as the band shared the single ‘Rise Up’: “I feel really good about this album, which is why I felt it should be the last one. We didn’t know we’d be splitting up when we were making it, but I’ve been making records and touring with this band since I was 15.
“I’ve had this feeling for a long time now that I want to do something different and it just feels like the right time. This album feels like the perfect way to go out.”
The ‘In Too Deep’ hitmaker is keen to explore something else, though he’s not sure what just yet, and doesn’t want to carry on just for the sake of it.
He added: “Over the past few years, the touring has constantly been getting bigger and the band is at our best. My fear is that if I start to lose the excitement, we’ll just fade away. I care too much about the fans and what we’ve built as a band to let that happen, just because it’s a good paycheque.”
Asked what his next movie will be, he replied: “I can’t figure that out until everything else is out of the way.”
The rocker was rushed to the emergency room on September 15 after his health took a turn for the worse – nine years after he nearly died when he was hospitalised after his drinking spiralled out of control.
However, he insists he’s never felt “stronger”.
He said: “I’m probably the strongest I’ve ever been in my life right now.
“Yes, you probably have to modify how you perform as you get older but I feel like you can get better as you age. I don’t think Mick Jagger is the anomaly.”
‘Heaven :x: Hell’ is released on March 29.