NICKELBACK

Heavy Alternative Rock / Hard Rock / Heavy Metal • Canada

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Nickelback is a Canadian hard rock/post-grunge band in 1995 by Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and then-drummer Brandon Kroeger. The band has since has several drummer changes including Mitch Guindon (1997) and Ryan Vikedal (1997-2005) and currently Daniel Adair (2005-). They band has also shown some pop and country influences in their music. Their first release was the EP Hesher in 1996, which was followed by the debut album Curb that same year.

Nickelback has since gone on to release several studio albums. After moderate success with their second album The State, which was originally released in 1998 in Canada only, but saw worldwide release in 2000, Nickelback received much critical acclaim for their third album, Silver Side Up, which was released in 2011. The album spawned several hit singles, including How You Remind Me.

Nickelback has gone on to enjoy much success with subsequent releases, which includes The Long read more...

Thanks to adg211288 for the addition and 666sharon666 for the updates

Nickelback - The Betrayal Act III [Official Video] online metal music video by NICKELBACK

Nickelback - The Betrayal Act III [Official Video]
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NICKELBACK Discography

NICKELBACK albums / top albums

2.19 | 14 ratings

Curb
Heavy Alternative Rock 1996

2.00 | 13 ratings

The State
Heavy Alternative Rock 1998

3.06 | 18 ratings

Silver Side Up
Heavy Alternative Rock 2001

3.00 | 14 ratings

The Long Road
Heavy Alternative Rock 2003

NICKELBACK All the Right Reasons album cover

2.51 | 19 ratings

All the Right Reasons
Heavy Alternative Rock 2005

2.52 | 16 ratings

Dark Horse
Hard Rock 2008

2.79 | 15 ratings

Here and Now
Hard Rock 2011

2.42 | 8 ratings

No Fixed Address
Heavy Alternative Rock 2014

3.46 | 6 ratings

Feed the Machine
Hard Rock 2017

0.00 | 0 ratings

Get Rollin
Hard Rock 2022

NICKELBACK EPs & splits

2.12 | 4 ratings

Hesher
Heavy Alternative Rock 1996

NICKELBACK live albums

NICKELBACK demos, promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs)

NICKELBACK re-issues & compilations

NICKELBACK singles (2)

3.55 | 2 ratings

Feed The Machine
Heavy Alternative Rock 2017

3.00 | 2 ratings

The Devil Went Down to Georgia
Heavy Metal 2020

NICKELBACK movies (DVD, Blu-Ray or VHS)

NICKELBACK Reviews

NICKELBACK Feed the Machine

Album · 2017 · Hard Rock

martindavey87

There was a whole different hype going into Nickelback’s eighth studio album, 2017’s ‘Feed the Machine’. Rather than the usual pop ballads, the first single released, the title track no less, was instantly touted for how heavy it was, and you could instantly hear a shift in focus and determination with this album. Were we about to see a whole new Nickelback?

Well, okay, obviously not.

But seriously, this album is fantastic. If previous release, 2014’s rather disappointing ‘No Fixed Address’ was the band ticking every mainstream pop radio checklist, then ‘…Machine’ sees the Canadian quartet do away with that attitude and firmly focuses on strong song-writing, excellent performances and solid lyrics. Whether it was going to get them on mainstream radio or not, they had a vision, and with this release they executed it to perfection.

The musicianship is really on top form here, with the band at times displaying musical prowess almost on par with some of the more technical metal bands. Frontman Chad Kroeger’s fantastic voice is on top-form, and the lyrics are some of the deepest, and, well, “heaviest” the band had written in a long time. There’s lots of shredding for the guitar nerds, and the production is absolutely spot-on. Even the ballads (yes, of course there’s a few), seem more driven by solid song-writing, rather than pleasing pop radio listeners.

Highlights include the title track itself, ‘Feed the Machine’ (which I’m sure has certainly won over some of the metal crowd, but that’s just my opinion), as well as ‘Must Be Nice’, ‘Coin For the Ferryman’, ‘Silent Majority’, the monstrously heavy ‘The Betrayal (Act III)’ and the deeply powerful ‘Home’.

But honestly, this whole album is just one highlight after another. “Focused” and “determined” are two words that keep coming to mind, but it’s really like the band had a vision to release a record that would show there’re more than just a radio-friendly pop band. And while I’m under no illusion that they’ve won over their haters, the artistic merits of ‘Feed the Machine’ speak for themselves, and prove that Nickelback are indeed, a fantastic hard rock band, more than deserving of the fame and success that they’ve had.

5 months ago
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NICKELBACK No Fixed Address

Album · 2014 · Heavy Alternative Rock

martindavey87

Nickelback fan here! Hi everyone! I love this band. I don’t care if they’re soppy, radio-friendly pop stars, or hard rockin’ heroes, these guys know how to write catchy, memorable songs, that are easy to get into, and are great to sing along to, or great to just flat out bang your head to. For all the hate they get, I think the Canadian quartet are massively underrated as songwriters.

But yeah, this album, ‘No Fixed Address’, isn’t very good.

They’ve stuck to their formula, with some songs massively overproduced to give them a huge sound, and plenty of melodic soppiness cater-made for pop fans, but I just really can’t get into these tracks. Sorry guys. I’m still a fan. As always, praise to Chad Kroeger’s vocals, which are always a joy to listen to (I for one, think he’s a fantastic vocalist), but overall, the songs are just pretty dull and uninteresting.

This album does have its moments though, with two absolute bangers in particular. ‘A Million Miles Away‘ is a huge, upbeat and energetic track that starts the album with some promise, but the true gem is the cheesy but infectiously fun ‘She Keeps Me Up’ (bet you weren’t expecting that, were you?). As goofy and mainstream-friendly as they can get, this song is genuinely fun to listen to, incredibly catchy and full of positive energy. Honestly, I love it!

But sadly, that’s as far as it goes with this record. I love Nickelback, and I know they still have plenty of hits left in them, but for no viable reason other than “I can’t get into it”, I just can’t get into it.

1 year ago
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NICKELBACK Here and Now

Album · 2011 · Hard Rock

martindavey87

2011’s ‘Here and Now’ is the seventh studio album by Canadian rockers Nickelback, and yep, you guessed it, it’s similar to their previous few releases. But is that such a bad thing? The band have sold millions of albums and toured the world over, so they must be doing something right. They have a winning formula and they’ve stuck with it. Radio-friendly enough for the casual listener yet rocking enough for metal fans. Those willing to give the band a chance, that is. As is usually the case by now, the band can be hard and heavy enough for rock fans, yet some softer ballads allow the band to garner radio airplay. The production is top-notch, giving the band a full sound which really makes the rockier songs heavy as hell and gives the soft pop songs a warm, vibrant feel.

The lyrics, as always, range from the usual rock debauchery to more introspective and reflective themes. Sex, women and parties are usually at the top of the bill, but there are themes of unity, suicide and dependence too. For the most part, they’re usually a fine old slab of cheese, but anyone willing to dig a little deeper can see that occasionally the band can have something meaningful or poignant to say.

While Nickelback will never be known specifically for virtuoso musicianship, there’s no denying their penchant for writing catchy and memorable songs, and with beastly guitar riffs and pounding drums aplenty, there’s an abundance of quality material here. The likes of ‘This Means War’, ‘Bottoms Up’, ‘Lullaby’, ‘Kiss It Goodbye’, ‘When We Stand Together’ and ‘Trying Not to Love You’ are all exceptional rock songs that are certainly worth a listen or two. And while ‘Here and Now’ may not be anything groundbreaking or innovative, the truth is, it doesn’t need to be. This is good, quality hard rock at its finest.

more than 2 years ago
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NICKELBACK Dark Horse

Album · 2008 · Hard Rock

martindavey87

By 2008, Nickelback were undoubtedly two things; one of the biggest rock bands on the planet, and also one of the most hated. Despised by metal fans and too heavy for pop fans, Nickelback are one of those bands that have their audience and knows what works for them. And so here, with 2008’s ‘Dark Horse’, we see the band continue to tread safely with what made them one of the biggest bands on the planet.

However, take heed, for “treading safely” doesn’t mean they’re coasting and resting on their laurels, because ‘Dark Horse’ is arguably one of the bands best albums. With consistently strong tracks throughout, this album is brimming with highly energetic rock anthems and catchy, radio-friendly ballads that are incredibly easy to listen to. It’s this simple, yet infectious, songwriting style that make Nickelback so easy to get into.

Of course, haters will hate, but if you give the Canadian quartet a chance, there’re some absolutely solid tracks here that sound great! Driven by heavy, beefy guitar riffs and a thumping rhythm section, Nickelback’s formula is simple, yet, in a world where musical virtuosity is running amok, sometimes you need to strip it all down and stick to the basics. Dirty, raunchy songs with dumb lyrics that primarily focus on love, sex, parties and occasionally a meaningful, introspective ballad, sometimes less really is more.

And this is never more evident with the likes of ‘Something in Your Mouth’, ‘Burn It to the Ground’, ‘Next Go Round’, ‘S.E.X.’, huge hit ‘If Today Was Your Last Day’, ‘Gotta Be Somebody’ and one of my personal favourites, ‘Just to Get High’. With excellent performances by all involved (as always, Chad Kroeger is incredibly underrated as a vocalist), ‘Dark Horse’ is a powerful album packed full of hard rock goodness. Flying by at a brisk 44 minutes, it’s easy to digest and is a great example of why Nickelback shouldn’t be judged merely by their unfair reputation.

more than 2 years ago
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NICKELBACK All the Right Reasons

Album · 2005 · Heavy Alternative Rock

martindavey87

Following on from the success of 2001’s ‘Silver Side Up’ and 2003’s ‘The Long Road’, it’s now 2005, and Nickelback are unarguably one of the biggest bands on the planet. Appealing to rock and (some) metal fans, while also endearing themselves to pop fans and casual radio listeners, the band were at a point where they’d been able to establish a sound, as well as a name and reputation, that would keep them in the spotlight.

However, while I found their albums to continually improve with each subsequent release, 2005’s ‘All the Right Reasons’ doesn’t quite live up to its predecessor. But there’s really not any particular reason, other than the songs just don’t seem as good. The sound is the same, the production is the same, sure, there’s probably a bit more emphasis on soft radio rock here, but it’s still not that different than what the Canadian foursome did on ‘The Long Road’. But overall, the songs just aren’t as good.

Which is kind of weird, seeing as how this album features some of Nickelback’s biggest hits (outside of 2001’s ‘How You Remind Me’), ‘Photograph’ and ‘Rock Star’, both of which were huge radio hits for the band. There’s also some great rockers such as ‘Animal’, ‘Next Contestant’, ‘Someone That You’re With’ and the emotional and thoughtful ‘If Everyone Cared’. But yet, there’s just something about this release that doesn’t resonate with me as much as what came before it.

But don’t be deterred, as it’s still a good album! The performances from everyone involved are of a high standard, and the band clearly knows what works for them and how to get the most out of it. By 2005 Nickelback would be known more for their hits than their albums, and as it stands, this probably won’t appeal to everyone. And while I don’t think it’s as good as 2003’s ‘The Long Road’, ‘All the Right Reasons’ is still a solid, hard rock release with some good songs that definitely won’t be amiss in any collections.