MEMORABLE MONDAYS: Nickelback

 You turned on radio at some point and heard some rock songs that would later be drug through the mud. For some reason, this band gets a lot of heat. Too soft, too hard, sellout, half-baked, trash, who listens to Chad Kroeger anyway? Ew. Well here is your chance, if you never had before, to learn a bit about a band before you join any internet hate trains that came from a strange basis. Not to say you are not allowed to hate Nickelback - you are more than entitled! I just prefer people give something a chance before they decide they "hate" it - coming from someone who is not really a Nickelback fan. 

The band actually started as a cover band. Beginning in Canada! They named themselves... "Village Idiot". Definitely a choice there. The original band consisted of brother Michael and Chad Kroeger, cousin Brandon Kroeger, and Ryan Peake. They later changed to Nickelback, a reference to Michael's job at Starbucks, because he would often say "here's your nickel back." Their covers usually consisted of Led Zeppelin and Metallica. Chad decided to take the next step, and asked his step-father for a loan to make a demo. This turned into their seven track EP, titled "Hesher", released in 1996. Half the money went to recording, the other half Chad sadly spent on magic mushrooms to resell.

In 1996, they released their first full album, "Curb". It included Fly which was on their debut EP. In 1997, their cousin left the band, and Mitch Guindon replaced him. However, this did not last long as Mitch was not built for the road. In 1998, Ryan Vikedal took this position over. Their self-released debut ended up in the ears of Roadrunner, and Ron Burman was greatly impressed. Nickelback was eventually signed in joint to EMI and Roadrunner, becoming Roadrunner's first venture into mainstream rock music. This was 1999.

In 2000, Nickelback would have their first major label release. "The State" was actually originally a limited self-released album, but Roadrunner and EMI reissued it more globally. It ended up being a success, going gold and evenutally platinum with the success of later releases. It does not have the most glowing critical review though. 

Chad Kroeger was on a new mission for their next release. He was studying what made a song "hit it big". This led to the creation of single "How You Remind Me". The album, "Silver Side Up" would be the first to be completely released through the label. It includes some familiar songs performed live and new tracks as well. It was extremely popular on radio and in sales, but the critics gave it very mixed feedback. It was blocked from reaching number one on Billboard by Jay-Z's release "The Blueprint". 

Their success carried to a movie collaboration of the theme song for Spider-Man, "Hero". They released their first tour DVD in 2002. There was a controversy in a festival set in Portugal, where a fan threw a rock at Chad Kroeger's head. It led to them walking off the stage with middle fingers in the air. 

In 2003 came their fourth release, "The Long Road". It was their last with Vikedal as a drummer and a shift in their sound. They began experimenting with heavier downtuned riffs and double bass drumming. The album was widely successufl in sales, going 3x platinum. Critics praised the change of instrumentation, but criticized the lyrical choices of the album. "Someday" was the big memorable single of this release.

2005 led to a bigger issue, as at the close of their tour in support of the album, Vikedal was fired after a royalties dispute. Kroeger went on to try and sue Vikedal from receiving any further royalties from Nickelback, but it was settled out of court. He was replaced by former 3 Doors Down drummer Daniel Adair. 

They promptly entered the studio with their new drummer, and the sessions resulted in their next release, "All the Right Reasons" in 2005. This became Nickelback's best-seller to date, and went number one on the Billboard charts. It is certified diamond. Critics once more gave it mixed reviews. It seems Nickelback's bigger legacy may be proving critics are not always the decider of what the public deems likeable music.

After being on the road most of the next year, the band took some time off. In 2008, Nickelback signed with Live Nation for touring and album cycles for the next 3 albums with options for a 4th. Album Dark Horse would become a resounding success as a followup to their last release. It however marks the current last point of real success for Nickelback, as they've struggled to have a successful radio hit since then. Critics gave worse reviews to this release, saying it sounds like watered down versions of their hits. Despite this, the album stayed on the Billboard top 100 chart over a year.

For the next release, the band decided to return toward the more organic sound of "All the Right Reasons". Their next album, "Here and Now", was blocked from the number one spot on release week by a Michael Buble Christmas album. The album received slightly better critical reviews than usual, and one weekly review considered it the best Canadian album of 2011. Two years later came their Greatest Hits album. 

Nickelback then did what tends to be a kryptonite for a popular band that stayed true to their work in spite of every critic...they changed. Now listen, I know many people will complain about an artist "always sounding the same". But many people LIKE that. I mean I don't listen to Daughtry and hope they eventually sound like Ghost. "No Fixed Address" released in 2014, and was riddled with problems. This album is their only release on Republic. It is the first album to not be certified gold or platinum. Critics gave it better reviews, saying that the EDM influences generated a better release. Debut week sales only hit 80,000, a stark down from Here and Now which sold 227,000 first week. Part of their tour was cancelled due to Chad Kroeger having surgery for a cyst on his vocal cords. This led to legal battles over the tour cancellations. 

Their next release, "Feed the Machine" released in 2017, and the release saw only half the sales of the prior. Their career was on the downturn. Some songs were speculated to reference Kroeger's divorce from Avril Lavigne, but he denied this.

Their next release wouldn't come until 2022. The album went in a harder rock direction than some of their previous work and they chose not to rush the release. The release did not make much noise and critics gave it lukewarm neutral sort of reviews. Time will tell if Nickelback can reclaim their relevance on the charts.

I think the reason for Nickelback's "mixed" reviews is the mixed content of their lyricism. Most of their hits show someone capable of depth, meaning, and heart. A lot of the album cuts become bar drunk idiocy. It can certainly be enjoyed on some level, and I don't think we should discredit the truly good hits they have. They're a unique band who overcame a great deal of dislike, so I'd definitely take an attempt of a listen if you never have prior.