|
User
Reviews 2
Approval 100%
Soundoffs 1
Album Ratings 102
Objectivity 76%
Last Active 07-18-19 10:36 pm
Joined 07-18-19
Review Comments 22
| Nickelback Ranked
Listened through the band's entire studio LP discog, mainly out of morbid curiosity. I was actually pleasantly surprised by a lot of what I discovered. | | 1 |  | Nickelback
The State
Rating: 4.0
While still suffering from the production issues and some of the genre limitations of its predecessor, The State feels like a new world for Nickelback. It’s more energetic, it pushes itself a bit harder to innovate, and it clears up much of the lyrical issues from the last record. The ambling, more complex songwriting of the group’s debut is dialed back here and focused, sacrificing some technicality for raw horsepower. This is Nickelback at their absolute best. | | 2 |  | Nickelback
Curb
Rating: 3.5
Curb’s simplicity is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, this is an extremely solid slab of 90s grunge and alternative, with intriguing lyrics, powerful guitar riffs, a couple out-of-the-box moments, and a gruff, Vedder-esque vocalist to match. On the other hand, that’s really all this album is. A few weaker moments in the text, evidence that Chad Kroeger is straining himself at times, and lackluster production limit Curb from being all that it could be. | | 3 |  | Nickelback
The Long Road
Rating: 3.2
The Long Road finds Nickelback embracing a large deal of what they are best at: dark, angsty, heavy rock. The album contains some of the band’s most underrated, riff-driven cuts and some of their strongest lyrics to date as well. It amps things up a bit after the more toned-down project Silver Side Up and leans flirtatiously into alternative and nu metal. TLR has its bumps, but for the most part, this is one of Nickelback’s best efforts. | | 4 |  | Nickelback
Feed the Machine
Rating: 3.2
Like No Fixed Address, Feed The Machine is a frustrating effort. It again contains the band’s desperate attempts at garnering adult contemporary radio play and doesn’t put sole focus on what Nickelback does best: heavy, riff-packed hard rock. Even so, FTM contains some of the group’s best song-writing since 2003 and even reminds one of the band’s best work on their first two efforts. “The Betrayal (Part III)” harkens nostalgically to the more free-form song craft found on Curb, while the title track and “Coin For The Ferryman” truly see Nickelback rediscovering the raw energy that carried them at the start. “Silent Majority”, “For The River”, and “The Betrayal (Part I)” engage successfully in mild experimentation and keep the latter half of the album relatively interesting. Lyrics are also mostly improved, largely sticking to themes of, well, fighting the man, which works well for the group. | | 5 |  | Nickelback
Silver Side Up
Rating: 3.0
To me, Silver Side Up is the band’s first real mis-step. Don’t misunderstand; this is a good album and it has its strengths that shouldn’t be ignored. The production is crystal clear without being saccharine, the guitar tones are beefier and undeniably chunky, and some of the darker texts work well with the band’s sound. That said, it does feel musically watered down, lacking the “let’s try anything” ambling of Curb and the more centered energy of The State. It’s tempting to blame major label Roadrunner, but honestly, I feel that the band simply tried to get a bit simpler, and it didn’t entirely work out. | | 6 |  | Nickelback
No Fixed Address
Rating: 2.7
No Fixed Address finds Nickelback crawling, not walking, out of the abyss they’d been stuck in, arguably since 2005 and definitely since 2008. On the one hand, the album is chock full of successful evolution and experimentation. “Million Miles An Hour”, an electronically-tinged bruiser celebrating a powerful drug trip, feels like a more modern take on something off of The State. “The Hammer’s Coming Down”, “Edge of a Revolution” and “Make Me Believe Again” are the group’s best attempt at epic, soaring anthems and easily defeat the pathetic tries from the previous three records. “Sister Sin” is an enjoyable hybrid of sultry blues and boot-stomping country that hearkens way back to the closing track of Silver Side Up and “Get ‘Em Up” is a hilarious take on greasy, southern hard rock. On the other, the group’s insistence on producing shitty, manufactured adult contemporary power ballads and bizarre dives into funk and reggaeton seriously drag the project down. | | 7 |  | Nickelback
All the Right Reasons
Rating: 2.2
Where Silver Side Up had its issues and was a definite letdown after the discs that preceded it, All The Right Reasons is a travesty of an album and a prime example of failed experimentation. This album is chock-full of desperate attempts at adult contemporary radio play, hilariously awkward odes to sex, ham-fisted attempts at true romance, and a parodical track that, in hindsight, probably wasn’t all that parodical. Even the stronger tracks present here suffer from lack of innovation, with “Savin’ Me” coming out on top as the standout. | | 8 |  | Nickelback
Here and Now
Rating: 1.5
Here And Now isn’t nearly as catastrophic as its predecessor; the album dials back (a bit) on the porn-scripts-passed-off-as-lyrics and something about the production feels cleaner. Additionally, “This Means War”, “Lullaby”, and “Kiss It Goodbye” are three of the strongest tracks from Nickelback’s, well, darkest days. That said, the rest of the project is still comparatively some of the worst work the group has ever done. Schlockly tripe abounds, be it odes to alcoholism or sexual appropriation of an innocent child’s rhyme. Additionally, the band steps into saccharine candy land one too many times for its own good, shoving overly sweet romance and inspiration down the listener’s throat and shedding the angst and genuine passion that makes the three aforementioned tracks the powerhouses that they are. | | 9 |  | Nickelback
Dark Horse
Rating: 0.5
This album is absolutely, unequivocally terrible. It lacks, save one track, absolutely every actual talent that Nickelback possesses. Any section here that manages to be enjoyable musically is quickly ruined by desperate plays at convincing you, the listener, that Chad Kroeger does indeed have lots and lots of sex. The harder tracks are modern tries at glam metal hedony and they absolutely suck, lacking any self-awareness that could bring an edge of humor to the proceedings. The slower tracks are laughable and a bit schizophrenic; earnest attempts at romance and living a good life are a bit jarring next to stripper anthems. While “Just to Get High” manages to be a powerful tale of drug addiction ripe with chunky riffs, appropriately gruff vocals and even a ripping solo, it’s not enough to save this album from the failure that it truly is. | |
JDubb
04.19.20 | No comment...not going there. | ajcollins15
04.19.20 | I honestly never thought someone would rank their albums... | JustPressPlay
04.19.20 | AJ, morbid curiosity is definitely a motivator haha. | ElioG
04.19.20 | You made my day mate! Nickelback ranked! During a pandemic I suppose this is natural, lol. | Tundra
04.19.20 | in passing a Nickelback song every now then is aight, but listening to a full album....? nah bruh, they singles band | JustPressPlay
04.19.20 | Hey ElioG, I'm sure you're fucking with me haha but hell, if I can get you a laugh during a dark time, no harm done.
Tundra, I agree and disagree. I'd say there's a little over half of their discography that's worth getting a whole listen... and the rest pretty much is a few deep cuts and singles. | ElioG
04.19.20 | Ok, you mocked me with style, lol. I shut the fuck up. | HoopyFrood
04.19.20 | Rank Trapt please! | JokineAugustus
04.19.20 | 9 is 1 | hxciluvatarhxc
04.19.20 | their first album is actually decent everything else though wooft | JustPressPlay
04.19.20 | Hoopy, I will only rank Trapt if Trump wins the next election. Get your votes in now.
Jokine 9 is indeed one of the worst albums I've ever heard
Hx, I love their first record. Good stuff. |
|
