(Republic/Universal)
Those legions of Nickleback haters are about to become truly spasmodic when they hear the Hanna Alberta band’s eighth studio release. Yes it’s full of all those musical ingredients Nickleback’s detractors have come to loath, crunchy guitar arrangements, a driving rhythm section, powerful vocals and hook-laden lyrics that are set to lobotomize your brain for months to come. What you hear is the collective sound of Chad Kroeger and Co offering a two-finger salute as they empty a fleet of Brinks trucks into their bank accounts. Sorry folks but the 11 songs on this opus are that good!!! “Edge Of A Revolution” is one track destined to follow “How You Remind Me” into the classic rock annals. This song has everything, a lyrical hook that won’t let go, a guitar solo, God forbid!
And one of those anthemic sing-alongs that will have concert goers reaching for their Bic lighters (if such a tool still exists?) And that’s not all people. Add to the mix “What Are You Waiting For”, another melodic number with an infectious hook, the linguistic gymnastics presented by Flo Rider on the dance-oriented “Got Me Runnin Round” replete with a catchy horn arrangement and the hits just keep coming.Call Nickelback derivative if you will but when it comes to manufacturing infectious hit songs, Kroeger, bassist brother Mike, guitarist Ryan Peake and drummer Daniel Adair are bulletproof. Whether they are singing about botched bank robbery attempts on “Get Em Up”, surviving the apocalypse “The Hammer’s Coming Down” or a simple ode to Kroeger’s wife, Avril Lavigne on “Miss You”, all the material here contains great lyrical hooks, clean production and a tight musicianship that only comes with longevity. Most bands or artists are happy with one or two legitimate hits per record, these guys consistently produce three or four. Trash them if you will, Nickelback’s songs are constructed to bite you in the butt when you least expect it. It’s a gift that keeps on giving!
Download “Edge Of A Revolution”, “What Are You Waiting For”,”Got Me Runnin Round”
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