Saturday 5 November 2011

Music Review: Nickleback - Silver Side Up Album

Couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing, so I wrote this review instead...


Released: 11th September 2001
Genre: Alternative Metal/ Post Grunge/ Rock 
Tracks: 10
Price: £4-£11.99
Record Label: Roadrunner Records
Facebook/Wiki/Youtube


For an album that has reached #1 in various countries including United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada you know there has to be something good about it. This was the third album published the the infamous Nickelback and according to some critics was what made them what they are today. Due to its popularity it has achieved Gold and Platinum status in many countries and has sold over 8 million albums worldwide. 


The band was formed in 1995 in Canada and consisted of 4 main band members including Chad Kroeger (lead vocals/ lead guitar), Ryan Peake (Backing vocals/ Guitar), Mike Kroeger (Bass Guitar) and Brandon Kroeger (Drummer). They recorded their first full length album which was 'Curb' in 1996 but in 1997 band member Brandon left and was replaced by Mitch Guindon, but he left later that year for a position in a car company (bet he wished he hadn't), then Mike Vikedal joined the band. Whilst Mike Vikedal was replaced in 2005 by Daniel Ardair he was still with the band when 'Silver Side Up' was created. He claims that he left the band due to the rest of the group "pushing him out" as he was not the kind of drummer they wanted. 

As said before there had to be something good about this album and most people probably would guess that it was because it contained the number one track 'How You Remind Me'. This is the kind of song you can listen to over and over again without getting sick of it, God knows how many times I've heard it and still like it. According to Chad Kroeger it was written about a messed up relationship he had, which is backed up by the music video of him seeing his ex-girlfriend everywhere he went. The song itself is often considered the signature song of the band and is referred to by Chad as the song that put Nickelback on the map. It was named the #1 most played song on the radio from 2001-2009 in the US by Nielsen Soundscan, and named 4th on the 'Billboard Hot Songs Of The Decade'. 


Nickelback - How you remind me 




Though 'How You Remind Me' was a great success it could not have been the sole reason of success for the album, people would have just bought the single if it was. No this album contains many songs which can be played again and again. One of which would be track three 'Woke Up This Morning'. This is the kind of song you find yourself nodding your head back a fourth to whilst (poorly) attempting to air guitar. Whilst it is a good song I feel it is not the best on the album but it deserves to be mentioned. 


Another good song on the album would be track four, which is personally my second favourite song on the album, the first being obvious. The track is entitled 'Too bad' and was written by Chad about how his father abandoned him at age 2. It starts of a bit slow and gradually builds up from the verse to a catchy chorus, with some impressive guitar solos after chorus two. It is clear from the lyrics that Chad is expressing his feelings towards his father and how it was 'Too Bad' that they never got a chance to be together and that as an adult it was too late for his father to make up for his abandonment. The video also expresses the song showing how a young boys father left him and his mother when they were in financial difficulty. The video can be seen below:


Nickelback - Too Bad





In conclusion to the album, I would personally say that not every song is that good on the album, ones such as 'Just For' and 'Hollywood' seem quite average and basic, not the kind of songs I would download or recommend to people. However these would be about the only songs on the album where I would actually skip if the CD was playing through, due to most of the songs being very well done and fun to listen to. 


If you Listen to the album and would like to find out more about the band and other albums check out their various pages on Facebook, Wiki, Youtube etc (Linked at the top)


If you're looking for similar artists to Nickelback I would personally recommend you give the following bands a listen: Theory of Deadman, Three Doors Down, Breaking Benjamin, Hinder, and Skillet.

- Brian Keenan

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More
KingViral See my work in Kettle Mag