Artist: Nickelback
Album: Get Rollin'
Release Date: November 18, 2022
If you look back five years ago, your life was probably very different. The world itself was different in many ways as well. If you're older, maybe you got married and had kids. If you're younger maybe you're in college now and away from home. Five years is also the last time Nickelback released a studio album and is the longest gap between releases in the band's history. It's hard to believe it, but these guys aren't young anymore. Chief songwriter Chad Kroeger turned 48 just three days before this album hit the shelves. How has it changed this band? Not very much... and I think that's a good thing in NB's case.
In an ever-changing world, its good to have some constants to keep us sane. The sun rises. The coffee is hot. Tom Brady is playing on Sunday and Nickelback is releasing catchy hard rockers alongside some heartfelt sappy ballads. All is right.
My first plays of "Get Rollin'" were in the car. Nickelback, for me, has been reliable car music over the years. When All The Right Reasons came out in 2005, my dad enjoyed it so much as well that it was regularly played in our truck. A couple of years later this CD was a common choice when me and a close friend would make trips up to Boston. When Dark Horse came out, I remember being with another friend and that album was again a car album.
Of course, Nickelback can't be mentioned without the backlash of Nickelback. Needless to say, despite being a fan since I first heard "How You Remind Me" back when I was 13 years old in 2001, they weren't always a popular choice to listen to in car rides or request at parties, so while those old friends from high school went off and did their own things, Nickelback almost became sort of a guilty pleasure band for me. Not that I was ashamed to be a fan, but I wouldn't tell my underground metalhead friends "hey, Lullaby is a pretty sweet ballad, huh?" more so just to avoid an argument about the band.
This was until I met my future wife, who I wouldn't know was a big Nickelback fan until years after we met for the same reasons I wouldn't bring up this band in mixed musical company -- out of fear of having to argue about them. We both bonded over Creed, who experienced a very similar backlash that Nickelback did, and naturally, Nickelback would come up as well. From thereon, Nickelback would find its way back in the car. The Dark Horse album we picked up at a Walmart in Springfield, Missouri has been played from the midwest to New England many times since. When we grew tired of that, we reminisced over All The Right Reasons. Going through an old box of CD's I found my friend's old copy of Silver Side Up -- scratched to hell and missing the jewel case, but it worked!
So, it seemed only fitting that with a day trip planned that had us going from the border of Rhode Island up north to Middlesex county, Massachusetts to play this new release in the car. I have the deluxe version that features four acoustic versions of some of the songs at the end of the disc.
-Main Review-
Get Rollin' gets back to everything I enjoy about Nickelback. This may sound crazy to some of you classic rock lovers out there (like me) but I see Nickelback as the AC/DC of our time. They have a parade of hits and with each album, you pretty much know what you're going to get. They venture out a little more than AC/DC does, but, there are no dramatic changes to the band. You know what you're going to get when you pop in a Nickelback album. Some hard rockers with great hooks, catchy dance club-inspired beats, and a few sappy ballads about love or nostalgia. Once in a while Chad taps into his Metallica and Pantera influences and weaves them into NB's sound, but for the most part a Nickelback album is a Nickelback album.
Something I appreciate about this album unless something went over my head, is that the band stayed away from politics. It can be hard, but Nickelback was never a political band until they dabbled a bit with it in the 2010s. Its not a bad thing, but its not for me. At least with this band. Outside of political soapboxing, Nickelback songs were always fun and evoked feelings of partying and living life. Their ballads evoked feelings of growing up, love gained and love lost. When I first heard "When We Stand Together", I thought it was catch and the overall message was a good one, but I can't help but cringe at parts of the verse when a bunch of rich and famous millionaires are basically saying "you're sitting on your ass watching TV when you could be helping starving families". Yeah, I guess I could be and I guess that's why when I go to the grocery store I round up to the nearest dollar to donate to charity or else I'd be joining them in the bread line too, especially with how prices are these days. I also donate old clothes and participate at canned food drives at school and church so why the hell am I being yelled at in a song? I'm doing what I can. Sometimes its not what you say, but how you say it. Again, I'm not against bands or any famous people touching on political or social issues, but I don't come to Nickelback for that. Just like how if I am in the mood for songs about depression, I'll put on some Alice in Chains not KISS' "Carnival of Souls" album. I don't need to hear Aerosmith talking about gun control any more than I would need to hear Neil Diamond singing Christmas songs.
The album starts with San Quentin, which is also the lead single off the album. One of the more metal NB songs you'll hear and since it's written about one of the most well-known prisons in the United States. I do wonder if the band considered performing there for the inmates and filming a music video like Metallica did for St. Anger in 2003. A great way to start this album. A nice welcome-back for both the band and fans.
Skinny Little Missy features some very catchy riffage from the band. This feels like a song that could have fit nicely on Dark Horse or one of the heavier tunes on ...Reasons. It is nice to see that even while on the other side of middle-aged, Kroeger isn't afraid to write some of those old "just wanna do her" type songs. These days you're gonna get more subtlety than "I like your pants around your feet", though.
A bit of a lyrical retread of "Photograph" is the album's 2nd single "Those Days". Even though it touches on a very similar topic to one of the band's biggest hits, it stands on its own. I suppose you could consider it a sister song to Photograph. I may even like this one more than Photograph but that could be because I've heard the older tune a thousand times and it's been meme'ed to death on the internet over the past decade that I'll never be able to hear it the same way I did back in 2005.
"High Time" is the next song and third single of the album. An interesting choice as a single since it stands out as a different tune. Remember how I said Nickelback is like AC/DC in the sense that you know what to expect? I also said they venture out a bit sometimes and this is Nickelback venturing into an old country rock type sound. I'm sure there are a million songs that used this structure and chord progression, but funny enough the first song that popped into my head was "Social Disease" by Elton John. Its a fun song. I wouldn't say it was a great choice as a single, but who knows. Maybe they're looking for a crossover hit to add to their resume.
Nearing the halfway point of the album we have Vegas Bomb. As I write this, this track has been my least favorite song on the album. It's not bad. Just... okay. It feels like any typical filler track on a Nickelback album. It pretty much just acts as a means to rock the album back up after the country tones of the previous track. Again, its not bad. The riffage is pretty catchy and in that mid-tempo pocket chug, a la Sad But True. It doesn't derail the album by any means. I just couldn't get into this one.
We follow that up with Tidal Wave. I feel like if this is released as a single and gets a good push on the radio or is featured on TV somehow, it could catch on a big hit. It's a rock ballad and it has that great mix of acoustic strum with distant distorted guitars. The chorus is catchy. The drums are easy to tap your toe to. I doubt NB's people are reading this, but if they are, trust me. Release this song as a single and record a promotional video for it. Excellent ballad here.
Does Heaven Even Know You're Missing is another ballad in the more traditional sense. Similar to the style of "Never Gonna Be Alone" from Dark Horse. It's a nice sappy ballad. Nickelback has shown this side of the band before and they show they still have that sensitive, heartfelt side here on this album in 2022. Again, I could easily see this song being a hit for the band with good promotion and maybe a video.
Steel Still Rusts is the next track. Lyrically, I get a sort of "Rooster" (Alice in Chains) vibe from it. To me, it seems to tell the story of a soldier going to war and coming home to largely be forgotten about by his country and having to work Joe jobs after the days of war and glory have gone away. Painted are the usual images in songs like this. Loneliness. PTSD. Your friends all being dead. All typical of songs that tackle this and similar topics, but it works. No need to reinvent the wheel. The song is a mid-tempo rocker. As usual, the chorus is stamped with NB's own brand of catchy hooks. This track is one of my favorites on the entire album.
Up next we have Horizon, a decent mid tempo and bright rocker. There is a 2000s era post-grunge power ballad feel to this song and that's a style Nickelback became a household name utilizing. Not much else to say about this track. I enjoyed it. The Chad's vocals are great. It's nice to have this more upbeat tune after the previous one to reset the listener.
We are nearing the end with Standing In The Dark. The guitars and drums start to wake up a bit here again, but its not what I would call a metal tune. Its a good, solid radio rocker. Here is another song that I wouldn't be surprised if it got released as a single and became a bit of a hit for the band. It uses that classic radio post-grunge formula of low verse with a loud chorus. A formula that Nirvana used in the 90s for all their big hits and one that bands like Nickelback would take to another level in the 2000s.
The album ends with Just One More. A fitting closer based on the title alone. I know I'm repeating myself, but NB has another choice for a single here. Any of my suggestions I would have picked before High Time, but, no one asked me. Again, I'll repeat myself... It's a catchy song with a nice hard rock radio sound. Like I have said all along, it's a Nickelback album. You know what they're capable of and they're the best at being Nickelback out there. As a closer, it is a nice choice. Obviously, its nice to end with a good song. The thumping bass line stands out to me on this track as a particularly catchy feature. The album ends with one of the better songs on the release.
Thanks for reading my review of Nickelback's latest album. To wrap it up, I'd give this album a solid 8/10 All the songs are good to great. If I have one complaint, I wish the 2nd half of the album was evened out with one more metal song. Track 5, Vegas Bomb, is the last song that I would say qualifies as a metal track. The next 6 songs are a mix of ballads and mid-tempo rockers. Nothing wrong with that, but considering the album hits hard early on, I found myself waiting for that one last metal tune to take us home.
If you're a Nickelback fan, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't enjoy this album. I very much recommend it and I think you'll enjoy it. If you're not a fan or never gave them a chance, its a decent enough place to start if you want to get into the band, but for a new fan I'd still direct you toward Dark Horse (my favorite NB album) or All The Right Reasons which features many of their most recognizable songs along with some good heavy tracks.
Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone. Take care.
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