Advertisement
Sum 41 have recorded a version of "Killer Queen" for a Queen tribute album currently being assembled by Hollywood Records.
The Canadian punks requested to tackle the lush pop nugget from Queen's 1974 Sheer Heart Attack album, but they were soon awed by its elaborate arrangement. "Once we started getting into it, we said, 'Why did we pick this song?'" frontman Deryck Whibley says, of the Los Angeles session. "We only had two days, which is funny because it probably took Queen about a week to record it. It's one of the hardest songs."
"There's so many layers of guitars, and the piano part changes every time," adds drummer Stevo Jocz. "But the drum part is easy."
As for the vocals, Sum knew better than to imitate Queen's operatic style. "I didn't try to sound like Freddie Mercury," Whibley says. "I sang my interpretation of the song."
Sum 41 kick off a U.S. tour with Unwritten Law April 12th in Buffalo.
Sum 41 tour dates:
4/12: Buffalo, NY, Sphere Entertainment Complex
4/13: Philadelphia, Electric Factory
4/15: Cleveland, OH, Tower City Ampitheater
4/16: Columbus, OH, Promowest Pavilion
4/17: Indianapolis, Egyptian Room/Murat Center
4/19: Kansas City, MO, the Beaumont
4/21: Oklahoma City, OK, Bricktown Events Center
4/22: Austin, TX, Stubb's BBQ
4/26: New Orleans, House of Blues
4/27: Atlanta, Tabernacle
4/30: West Palm Beach, FL, Sunfest
5/1: Lake Buena Vista, FL, House of Blues
5/2: St. Petersburg, FL, Jannus Landing
5/5: Myrtle Beach, SC, House of Blues
5/17: Allentown, PA, Crocodile Rock
5/19: Boston, Avalon Ballroom
5/20: Johnson City, NY, Magic City Music Hall
5/21: Sayreville, NJ, Starland Ballroom
5/22: Richmond, VA, 18th Street Downtown
5/25: Providence, RI, Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
5/26: Albany, NY, Palace Theater
5/27: Burgettstown, PA, Post Gazette Pavilion
5/28: Agawam, MA, Six Flags New England
5/31: Louisville, KY, Jillian's
6/2: Cincinnati, OH, Bogart's
6/3: Grand Rapids, MI, Orbit Room
6/4: Chicago, YMCA Field
6/5: Minneapolis, MN, the Quest