Chronicles Of Life and Death

Good Charlotte have followed the lead set by Sum 41 and Green Day to bring another classic opus to the punk-pop genre. Just like the recent Green Day release ‘American Idiot’, Good Charlotte’s ‘The Chronicles Of Life and Death’ can be described as a concept album – cramming the story of an entire lifetime onto record. Kicking off with the instrumental ‘Once Upon A Time: The Battle Of Life and Death’ the Madden twins and their merry band set out their intentions from the off: that this won’t be no tired punk retread. That’s no bad thing considering that pop acts like Busted and McFly have taken ‘punk’ to commercial extremes and the whole scene has therefore been in need of a boost of credibility.

This is an album that stands apart from the punk mainstream, an album that dares to defy convention (check out the disco-ish ‘I Just Wanna Live’), and an album that could make Good Charlotte one of the biggest bands of 2004. ‘The Chronicles Of Life and Death’ is the sound of a band that is ready to take on the world and win. Surprising, confusing and totally essential, Good Charlotte have created their masterpiece.