Just for starters I'd like to say I like Nickelback (bet you don't hear that very often) they got me into rock music with their single 'How you remind me' as I'm sure that they did many others. Mostly I got their albums out of gratitude because if I hadn't heard that single I'd of turned into some rave-loving chav (any americans reading this you needn't bother figuring out what a chav is). I thought that all their albums have been good although the Long road wasn't all it cracked up to be in my opinion, but damn is this an improvement over their last album.
Nickelback are:
Chad Kroeger- Vocals, Rythm guitar
Ryan Peake- Lead guitar, backing vocals
Mike Kroeger- Bass Guitar
Daniel Adair- Drums
Follow you Home- This is a really weak song compared to the others on the album, but it's an alright song and it makes a good opener, though it's a change since the opening song on their Curb, State, Silver side up and Long road albums have been really heavy compared to the other songs. This however is a slower song showing that Nickelback were trying to change from a routine albumwise. Chad's voice hasn't changed and is still great, It starts with a cool drumbeat and leads into a cool electric guitar riff. It's about having tenacity while trying to get a girl; You can steal me the keys/To your daddy’s Cadillac/You can tamper with the brakes/Call it a mistake/And pray I’m never coming back/And I’ll stay alive/Just to follow you home as soon as the lyrics kick in you know it's going to be a rid ethrough the usual relationship troubles. 2.5/5
Fight for all the wrong reasons- Now I like this song,a cool distorted guitar riff and a kind of frantic drumbeat with cool lyrics; I guess it wasn’t really right/I guess it wasn’t meant to be/It didn’t matter what they said/Cause we were good in bed/I guess I stuck around so I could watch us fight /for all the wrong reasons the song slows down during the verses then kicks back into gear during the choruses. Another troubled relationship song, but still pretty cool. 3.5/5
Photograph- For their first single off this album Nickelback followed that formula again, a soft part-acoustic, part-electric rock song. It's about reminiscing over old times past; Every memory of looking out the back door/I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor/It’s hard to say/It’s time to say it/Goodbye, Goodbye. I really think they need to get fully past this routine of making songs similar to How you remind me as their first single, but anyway the song is actually pretty damn good. Chad uses barre chords on his acoustic to get that lush Nickelback sound but I still think it's too much like someday and How you remind me. 3/5
Animals- This has to be the best heavy Nickelback song I've ever heard. As soon as I heard it I was blown away, the opening riff is awesome. It can be summed up with one word, Swagger. This is a really sexy rock song, I know that sounds wrong but it's true, that sort of swagger reminds me of some of Guns n' Roses' early songs. that's how good it is. Yet another relationship song, but this song never gets old; By now, no doubt that we were heading south/I guess nobody ever taught her not to speak with a full mouth/Cause this was it, like flicking on a switch/It felt so good I almost drove into the ditch. It only lasts three minutes and 10 seconds, and it doesn't have a solo, but you can forgive that since the songs just plain cool. 5/5
Savin' me- Now I was waiting for this the typical nickelback ballad, but this is their best yet and all the others look terrible beside this little doozy. It's basically about contemplating suicide; Heaven’s gates won’t open up for me/With these broken wings I’m fallin’/And all I see is you/These city walls ain’t got no love for me/I’m on the ledge of the eighteenth story/And oh I scream for you It has a deeper meaning that that though I think. It's about having someone by your side to help you get through these problems; Show me what it’s like/To be the last one standing/And teach me wrong from right/And I’ll show you what I can be/Say it for me/Say it to me/And I’ll leave this life behind me/Say it if it’s worth saving me. Probably the most impressive part of this album is Ryan's solo, you've got to hear it to appreciate it. It isn't amazing in a Kirk Hammett kind of way, but it's very beautiful. Overall though the song has meaningful lyrics and is just amazing. 5/5
Far Away- I found it quite parculiar that the ol' Nickelback love ballad wasn't in earlier in the album and it was also quite suprising that it's the only actual love song on the album. I mean Fight for all the wrong reasons is just about a troubled relationship not exactly a loving one. It's pretty good. The guitar work's up to the standards of Ryan's other work. some of the lyrics are a bit clichéd but they're ok; On my knees, I’ll ask/Last chance for one last dance/‘Cause with you, I’d withstand/All of hell to hold your hand/I’d give it all/I’d give for us/Give anything but I won’t give up It's good but it's not really that special. 2.8/5
Next Contestant- This song's just kickass. I mean the guitar, drums and bass are great. Remember the opener for the Long Road, 'Flat on the floor'? It's twice as cool as that (and that was pretty cool). A great fighting song (a genre everyone loves); Is that your hand on my girlfriend?/Is that your hand?/I wish you’d do it again/I’ll watch you leave here limping/I wish you’d do it again/I’ll watch you leave here limping/There goes the next contestant Just looking at the lyrics for the chorus makes it sound cool. All the lyrics kick serious arse; I even fear the ladies/They’re cool but twice as crazy/Just as bad for coming on to her/Don’t they know it’s never going to work/Each time she bats an eyelash/Somebody’s grabbing her ass/Everyone is coming on to her/This time somebody’s getting hurt Chad sings everyword with emotion, unfortunately it's lacking full marks because it's a bit repetative. 4/5
Side of a bullet- Before I got this album I'd heard that this was a tribute to the late-great Pantera/Damageplan guitarist 'Dimebag' Darell Abbot who was murdered in 2004 (I'm sure everyone knows the details), but anyway by the lyrics you can tell that Chad was seriously pissed about the loss of his friend when he wrote this; How could you take his life away? (what made you think you had the right)/How could you be so full of hate? (to take away somebody's life)/And when I heard you let him die/And made the world all wonder why/I sat at home and on my own/I cried alone/And scratched your name/On the side of a bullet. Dimebag himself wrote the solo and recorded it planning to use it at a later date. A great tribute song and pretty flawless to say the least. 5/5
If Everyone Cared- Just on a hunch I'm assuming this was inspired a bit by Live 8. I don't know whether Nickelback even performed at Live 8 but I don't think so. Anyway it's a world peace song and aside from the lyrics and the meaning it's fairly mediocre; If everyone cared and nobody cried/If everyone loved and nobody lied/If everyone shared and swallowed their pride/We’d see the day when nobody died 3.2/5
Someone that you're with- This is a pretty good song, about being in the persuit of a woman. some of the lyrics are pretty clever; Well I hear your favorite songs/you sing along with everyday/And I borrow things that/I don’t need for conversations sake It's alright but forgettable. 3.5/5
Rockstar- This song's good too. I like the chord progression and some of the lyrics, but some of the lyrics are stupid; "The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap/We’ll all stay skinny ‘cause we just won’t eat"?!?? I think Chad got a bit lazy writing the lyrics there, some of the lyrics are pretty good though; I’m gonna sing those songs /that offend the censors/Gonna pop my pills/from a pez dispenser/When they ask why I drink all day/I’ll say because I can I have no idea what a Pez dispenser is but I don't really care, I'm pretty sure by now you realise it's about being a rockstar. It's also a knock at all the fakers, those Pop Stars who can't sing or write their own songs and just care about image and fame (you know who you are Milli Vanilli); I’ll get washed-up singers writing all my songs/Lip sync em every night so I don’t get ‘em wrong/Then listen to the fans tell me how damn good I am. I love this hidden meaning, It could have really done with a solo though. A good ending to the album. 3.5/10
pros
+ Great instrumentals and vocals
+ Huge improvement on the Long Road
+ Amazing tribute to Dimebag Darrel
+ Majority of the lyrics are great
cons
- Some lyrics are stupid and clichéd
- Weak first single
- Not enough guitar solos
I'm assumming about 60% of the readers here will already be posting comments saying Nickelback "suck" without listening to it. But this album is worth listening to.
4/5
