Sum 41’s“13Voices“, their debut record forHopelessRecords, has officially been certified Gold in Europeby theIMPALASalesAwards. The band and theEuropean HopelessRecordsteam received the awards on August 31st, 2018, the fitting end for an impressive two-year album cycle.IMPALAacknowledges and certifies record sales in Europe, and Sum 41 now join the company of other award-winning artists such asAdele,Arctic Monkeys,Tom Waits,Andrea Bocelli,The Offspringand more.
“13 Voices” had landed at the top of the European charts a week after its release on October 7th, 2016: #9 in Germany, #14 in Switzerland, #18 in Italy and more, as well as #9on the “Billboard Top Albums” chart. The record was the Canadian band’s first album after 2011’s “ScreamingBloodyMurder“, and their first for independent powerhouseHopelessRecords. It also marked the return of guitar player & founding memberDave ‘Brownsound’ Baksh, and the arrival of new drummerFrank Zummo.
The two years following the release tookSum 41to all main European festivals and on multiple extensive tours of the continent (their headlining tour in early 2017 saw them play 40 shows across the UK and mainland Europe). The record is available onSpotifyand all other platforms, and singles “Fake My Own Death“, “War” & “Goddamn, I’m Dead Again” are still going strong on YouTube. The band is slated to release a new album in the coming year.
The award coincides withHopeless Records’25th anniversary celebration. The independent label, responsible for breaking bands such asAvenged Sevenfold,AllTimeLow,TheWonderYears,NeckDeep& many more, is led by founder LouisPosen, who says on the milestone: “Hopeless is a story that’s much more than a personal dream come true. It is an example that our challenges help us stumble upon our strengths. It shows that putting principles before profit results in profit, and it shows that a long-term commitment to artist development works. From being dared to release a 7 inch, 25 years ago, to many top five records, Hopeless has been an amazing journey of learning, laughing, and loving. I am truly lucky, honored, and privileged to be on this journey with such an incredible artist roster, team of people, and wonderful music community.”