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Nickelback - Dark Horse By Brian Campbell  |
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 Nickelback have always been an interesting band to be a fan. Every time they release an album, you know what you are getting from them. Almost each and every record with the exception of maybe their excellent 2000 release ‘The State,’ comes chock full of radio friendly ballads and slow pace bland rock song, but lately they have sort of taken on this badass hard rock band persona, or at least attempted to.
Enter their newest release, ‘Dark Horse.’
The album seems forced or rushed. It has only been three years since the boys have released ‘All The Right Reasons,’ and you think they would have taken more time to refine their work.
Nickelback have always gone by the old saying, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ That old adage rings true with this new release as Nickelback go right back to what made them famous. ‘Dark Horse’ showcases both sides of the band, as the record is comprised of both fast moving, bass/drum driven in-your-face tracks (‘Something In Your Mouth,’ ‘Burn It to the Ground,’ ‘Next Go Round’) and airplay ready, tried and true trademark Nickelback rock (‘Gotta Be Somebody,’ ‘I’d Come For You’).
It’s almost as if when you listen to new music from Nickelback, you just say to yourself ‘I have heard this before.’ The bass and drum combination has been done, the on again, off again guitars have been done and the songs about blatant drug use and sex have been ultimately done to death by these guys. If you say that to yourself when you listen to this record, you are right.
All in all, ‘Dark Horse’ is pretty underwhelming as an album. Some of the songs are worth listening to, but mostly, it’s fairly forgettable. The song structure remains the same and the song writing remains brutal. Chad Kroeger has never really been the best lyricist in the game but it really shows on ‘Dark Horse.’
Sure, Nickelback might be the only band that Roadrunner Records cares about enough to promote, but exactly how much mileage can they expect out of a band who seems to release the same record over and over again?
If you’re a Nickelback fan, then this record will feel like home, but if you aren’t and are trying to get into the band, then don’t start with this album.
Grade: C
Listen to: ‘Gotta Be Somebody’
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