Review: Nickelback – ‘Dark Horse’
Posted: November 16th, 2008
Contributed By: Nick
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Purchase @ Amazon.com Release Date: November 18, 2008 via Roadrunner |
| Nickelback is: Chad Kroeger (Vocals / Guitar) Ryan Peake (Guitar) Mike Kroeger (Bass) Daniel Adair (Drums) |
Overview: No matter what Roadrunner Records’ A&R guru Ron Berman accomplishes throughout the rest of his life, he will never be able to top giving Nickelback a record deal and a shot at success-never. I mean c’mon, how could you top almost 30 million in global sales (the United States accounting for more than half), a plethora of multi-format chart topping singles, and consistently sold-out arena tours? Needless to say, Mr. Burman’s little discovery out of Alberta, Canada has become one of rock music’s most renowned household names. With Nickelback’s last effort, 2005’s 7x platinum ‘All the Right Reason‘ still sitting cool on the Billboard Top 200, there seemed no way the band would be able to top such a prestigious record. Whether that was the focus or not, Nickelback and producer Mutt Lange fled to Chad Kroeger’s barn-turned-studio and began the process of following up one of the top selling albums of this young millennium. Armed with eleven new tunes and primed for another spin on the wheel of success, Nickelback are ready to gallop onward with ‘Dark Horse‘, their sixth record. First single “Gotta Be Somebody” is currently spinning on both Top 40 and Active Rock charts.
The Good: It might have big shoes to fill following up an album like ‘All the Right Reason‘, but Nickelback amply shows that ‘Dark Horse‘ is no underdog. The band storms back with the rugged, thunderous grit of “Something In Your Mouth”, chockfull of eccentrics. Chad Kroeger wastes no time initiating the “too hot for t.v.” lyrical theme of ‘Dark Horse‘, as “Something In Your Mouth” is just the first of many panty raids to come. Nickelback reach all the way back to album one and song one for “Burn It To The Ground”, the wah-awakening of “Breathe” providing both inspiration and nostalgic relief. “Burn It To The Ground” cooks in the bayous of the deep south, lathed in a Corrosion of Conformity meets Kyuss marinade and spiced up with monstrous, stadium-ready choruses. Lead single “Gotta Be Somebody” is a soaring and whimsical soul-searcher, resounding with an almost transcendental feel that Nickelback has never captured nearly as well as they do here. The halfway point of ‘Dark Horse‘ gets kick-started by the meaty slams “Next Go Round”, turning this gallant horsey trot into a manic, thrashing bull ride; the rhythm section reigns on “Next Go Round”, as the grumble of Mike Kroeger’s bass and the incisive punch of Daniel Adair’s drums dictate this intimate encounter. “Just To Get High” stands the thuds of its doomed and gloomed verses next to the track’s invigorating and incredibly sticky choruses, their differences to thank for the song’s herculean backbone. The band takes advantage of Ryan Peake’s strong bridge solo and pastes it down at the grand finale, letting “Just To Get High” give you that final fix you need “just for the night” and plenty more. With a lyrical complexion this stupendous, it’s no surprise that “Never Gonna Be Alone” shines as the most marketing savvy song on ‘Dark Horse‘. On the surface, “Never Gonna Be Alone” can clearly be deciphered as a vow to always keep your loved one with you. But imagine if charitable organizations including SPCA, Feed the Children, St. Jude’s, and the like were piecing together new commercial campaigns and caught wind of “Never Gonna Be Alone” for the ad’s theme music. “Never Gonna Be Alone” is already uber-poignant. But plug this baby in with a cause and you’re looking at evoking both urgency and tears. Racy, sleazy, and coated with a post-glam rock frosting, “Shakin’ Hands” is a curvy, cunning, and gold digging vixen’s cast-iron fist to her victims’ hearts; in an abstract way, “Shakin’ Hands” can be considered a solid disclaimer or rally cry for dudes. The s is for the sass and swing. The e is for ebullient and engaging. The x is for Static-X. Say what? Oh yes, Nickelback pull their best Static-X on this raunchy round they call “S.E.X.”, a tussle exploding with neato shit. “If Today Was Your Last Day” is an absolute emotional anchor, helping you forgive the past, make peace with the present, and have hope for the future. Cathartically thought-provoking, “If Today Was Your Last Day” might come out of the deep end and be this album’s bombshell. ‘Dark Horse‘ saddles up for a final ride with “This Afternoon”. To enjoy, slip your cowboy boots and hat, hit the saloon, and crank the song from the jukebox, as this jolly, Country-Western shuffle will have you screamin’ “yee-haw!” in no time.
The jewel of the ‘Dark Horse‘ crown is undoubtedly “I’d Come For You”, which is completely capable of blowing this album wide open. The song is endearing in countless ways-its lyrical surrender to love, its tidal of harmony, and its reverence and revival of what the band accomplished on their 2003 hit “Someday”. I urge you to come for this song immediately and enjoy its innocence before this piece of heaven starts coming for you day and night from the top of every radio outlet in the country.
The Bad: There are a whole lot of dark spots on ‘Dark Horse‘, a surprising tumble from grace from a band in its prime like Nickelback that should still be riding high in their heyday. Where to begin…Can someone please tell me what the hell Nickelback tried to accomplish with that bubblegum meringue crap on the pre-chorus of “Something In Your Mouth”? The whole thing is just stupid, not cute, not funny, and not even creative. Despite all the qualities which make it so accessible, “Gotta Be Somebody” is clearly the black sheep of ‘Dark Horse‘. While the song sports a sense of earnest feeling that most of the other ten tracks lack, it’s still the wispiest sounding tune on the record. Maybe it’s just me, but does the chorus of “Just To Get High” remind you of the chorus of that Jimmy Eat World song “Sweetness”? I swear on my life that its chorus also rips off another pop song, although in this instance the similarities are more shocking than striking; unfortunately, I haven’t been able to put my finger on the song on which “Just To Get High” apes, but I know for certain it will turn up soon. The beefy rockers Nickelback throw at you on ‘Dark Horse‘ are all sick with the same rigid 4/4-timed verse structure: 4 measures of downbeats and vocals, 4 measures of jam, 4 measures of downbeats and vocals, 4 measures of jam. When this first appears on “Something In Your Mouth” it sounds pretty groovy; it isn’t long however before this monotony starts deflating the album’s muscle. I know Chad Kroeger has always had a penchant for writing lyrics fueled by love-making, but on ‘Dark Horse‘ he’s gotten out offhand. Sure, penning songs that are sexually revved has always helped Nickelback’s tunes sound fun, wild, and even empirical. But damnit, when you’re a band of Nickelback’s profile and the focal point of your SIXTH album is bump ‘n grind, it makes you sound not only unprofessional but stupid as well. The worst part about this is how serious Chad Kroeger and his band are as they deliver some of these songs-in fact it’s almost comical at times. On the whole, ‘Dark Horse‘ is the most tailor-made set of songs Nickelback has ever put together, sounding more manufactured and plastic than ever before. Understandably with ‘Dark Horse‘, the band wouldn’t want to waver too far from a formula that’s helped them accrue tens of millions of sales. But instead of learning from their history, Nickelback continuously rehash it, plucking bits and pieces from each prior success, throwing them in a blender, cranking up the production and seeing what comes out. Although this might seem like old news, the final blow to ‘Dark Horse‘ specifically proves my previous point. The part about ‘All the Right Reason‘ that made it so successful was the amount of heart and conviction Nickelback poured into tracks like “Far Away”, “Savin’ Me”, “Photograph” and “If Everyone Cared”. On ‘Dark Horse‘, Nickelback’s fervor and passion are almost irrelevant, sans a track like “I’d Come For You” of course. With this factoid now on your dish, go back and reread the last few sentences starting at “On the whole….” My hope is that, unlike the Nickelback we hear on ‘Dark Horse‘, you’ll be able to learn something by revisiting the past.
Bottomline: What a shame. That’s all I got. What a shame. ‘Dark Horse‘ could have been something really special too. And that’s what pisses me off most about Nickelback. The band earned themselves the right to make any album they so desired because of the mammoth sales of ‘All the Right Reason‘-and what do they do? They languish through 43 minutes and 38 seconds of piss poor underachievement on a record called ‘Dark Horse‘. Unbelievable. In the end, my take on Nickelback in the year 2008 is this: As one of rock music’s top selling artists in the past few decades, I didn’t expect Nickelback to change up the things that have worked wonders for them over the years. As, arguably, the decade’s rock music pioneers, I did expect Nickelback to sound like leaders. And with ‘Dark Horse‘, the band fail miserably, helplessly left in the dust by the very same shadows which Nickelback have always seemed to chase.
Rating: 4 out of 10
35 Comments
And for a while, I was wondering if you’d forgotten how to give low scores Nick. Thanks for proving me wrong
I dunno if I hate this album, but it certainly disappoints a bit.
Gotta Be Somebody,If Today Was Your Last Day,I’d Come For You,and Never Be Alone are about the only songs i like off this album…..Just To Get High is growing on me….This Afternoon has to be their worst song ever made…..i think them being with ZZ Top changed them a little bit.
I think a 4 is being generous. I think this is purely manufactured to end their contract with RR.
So far the first 3 or 4 songs are the only ones I like. The rest of the songs suck so far but they might grow on me. This CD isn’t even close to being as good as ‘ATTR.’
is this their last album before their contract expires? i had no idea, good point
naw, they have two more after this
probably one studio then a greatest hits
As you know, I like this album a bit more than you do. I have to agree with a lot of the points you made, though. This album does not stand up to the expectations after ‘ATRR’ set the bar pretty damned high to be honest. “Just To Get High” is still my favorite song with “If Today Was Your Last Day” being pretty close to the top followed by “I’d Come For You”. My least favorite is the overly sappy, good-for-a-marketing-scheme (as you said in your review) “Never Gonna Be Alone”. That one is an instant skip song for me, which I can’t really say about many other Nickelback songs. “This Afternoon” is pretty bad, too, so that’s a close call. I feel that overall the Nickelback train is just going downhill a bit on this album. I’ve never before had to just completely skip a Nickelback song due to just disliking it so much, but as I said before “Never Gonna Be Alone” is always skipped after I heard the albums a few times through. One thing I disagree with is the comparison of the chorus of “Just to Get High” to “Sweetness” by Jimmy Eat World; they just don’t sound the same at all to me listening to the songs back-to-back.
So anyways, I have two ratings for this album. First, comparing it to the expectations they set with ‘ATRR’ it’s a 5/10 for me. Now, setting aside any expectations, and just rating it as a “rock album” by itself, it’s a 6.5/10. Not looking too good either way.
After reading the “good” section, I was expecting a good rating. But then I read the rest.
Good call. The only three songs I’ve heard from this album, “Gotta be somebody, something in your mouth, If today was…”, have bored me. I’m not interested in the slightest for the rest of this album. I hope it tanks, but you know it’s gonna sell at least a couple mil…
I’m liking it, to be honest. I know its not their best, and I agree with a lot of the stuff in “the bad,” but still for some reason I am digging it. More and more each time I go through it in fact.
I think a large part of it is that with the incredible Hinder cd and the David Cook one that I loved the one time I streamed it from iheartmusic or whatever it’s called, I’m not grasping for Nickelback’s cd to fulfill my musical needs.
On a side note, it seems like songs like “Never Gonna Be Alone” get an unnecessarily bad rap. Why is it so awful to enjoy a sappy love song?
This album is not so bad (I will say 6.5/10) but without a couple of “anthem songs”, it can be disapointing for some listeners.
I’d like to hear an acoustic record or even just a handful of songs specifically acoustic. The focus on songwriting seems to be more important when you don’t have the high speed Nickelback distortion to fall back on. That said – I liked some of this record but it did have a lot of blah moments. You said it best: “The band earned themselves the right to make any album they so desired…” and I would have at least expected a break or two from the “rigid 4/4-timed verse structure” you mentioned. I have yet to really let this record sink in so time will tell if it will stand out or not.
Ok it is not as good as ATRR but guys making an album better than that was always going to be very hard to do.I think they have made an ok album though but my main gripe is the choice of lead single.Gotta Be Somebody is no where near as good as Today Was Your Last Day,a song that is one of the best tracks on the album by far.I am sure it will be a future single though.
Overall I do like the album but I did go into it thinking I bet is not as good as ATRR..and I was right.
yeah never saw such a low rating coming after reading the good…
but your “bad” points are well made. the rating is obviously in comparison to other nickelback albums, rather than to other bands, which is a stance of reviewers I respect.
Granted, i disagree with your rating; these two albums were, quite pointedly, never meant to be compared in the vein of “which is more heartwarming,” as kroeger and company it seems did not wish to make another ATRR here. To compare the two is, in a way, unfair. But, since this does follow ATRR, I understand why it would be compared. This album, to me, seems to be more of a Long Road than a ATRR, as this and Long Road both have an extensive rock feel with a scattering of “heartwarming” tracks placed in.
An artist has to perform the music they make, so they will only make what they will enjoy performing; thus, Dark Horse.
This album appeals to me and is a good repeat listen for me, which is rare in an album these days; many sound good, and I enjoy every now and then, some even on repeat, but few could I listen to on repeat and constant play as much as this will. Musically= enjoyable, lyrical=catchy. Don’t know how i’d rate, but it’s good.
@ Nick
Well, if Linkin Park isn’t appreciative on TuneLab, neither is Nickelback. ‘All the Right Reasons’ went over-the-top with fashion, flair, and style that hiring ‘Mutt’ Lange would prove that the stakes were even higher as to how ‘Gotta Be Somebody’ is judged on radio. I can hear how ‘glossy’ the song is compared to the songs that preceded before this one came along.
Well, if it’s poo-poo, Nickelback can join what’s called ‘filthy trash music’ along with Linkin Park as their album is a HUGE disappointment. Welcome to the ‘outcast league of misfits’.
No it’s not ATRR but I like the album. S.E.X. is very catchy, and there are a couple other very strong songs on the record. Definitely no where near their best but I like the record.
This is by far their worst album, they deserve a kick in the pants for this piss poor effort.
I agree with the review all the way,I’d Come For You is the prize in this Cracker Jack Box and Never Gonna Be Alone might make people feel better for spending money they worked hard for. All in all it is a total let down, about like how we thought woohoo this is the second term for Bush, public opinion steer clear we are gonna kick some ass. Well 5 cent back was just as much of a let down for me. They own rock and could do anything they want and still they choose to be mainstream for the koolaide drinkers. Bleh. I want my nickel back for this CD!
Nickelback: epic failure.
Someone needs to take a pic of their album cover and write “FAIL” on it… lmao
what exactly is your definition of “fail”?
27+ million albums sold?
Whatever it is, saying that Nickelback is an “epic failure” is retarded…
This album is not an epic failure whatsoever. There is definitely some unmemorable stuff here, but it’s not an epic failure by any means. I hate how it’s trendy to hate Nickelback.
See: Burn It To the Ground
Gotta Be Somebody
Just to Get High
It took me nearly a minute to realize that by “5 cent back,” anonymous guy meant “Nickelback.” Does that make me slow, or does it make him really bad at jokes/grammar/word-play?
i think a little bit of both..
Ok you people really need to get a f*cking life this cd is just has good has all the reason of nickelbacks cd. And for you nick you would know a good cd if it landed on your dumbass face. come on a 4 out of 10. please I see you get get better rate to fags band who music sucks. like weezer and coldplay their music sucks so bad they should even get a 1 out 10.
^^^^Is that english?
lmao
hahahahaha did that post from skl35 actually happen? wow what a great laugh, thanks dude
Skl35, you’re a moron, enough said
wow. if youre going to talk criticize a review, at least do it in english dude. i mean wtf that was the dumbest attempt to put words into sentences ive ever seen.
@ skl35, please don’t EVER post on our site again. And if you do, you will be the first person banned for pure stupidity
I loved the C.D… I thought it was really good. I’m glad that they brought some harder stuff into it.
no mikel you are the first person that should be banned for pure stupidity because you didnt even post a comment on this band so shut up!!!!
**Now I’m deleted for being an idiot**
This CD has grown on me….the only songs i can’t get into are “Burn It To The Ground”,”Shakin Hands”,and “This Afternoon” which will never grow on me.
thanks for commenting again, cause you are now deleted
You can’t deny their abilities to write catchy corporate modern rock, that not only appeals to commercial radio listeners but shows no signs of slowing down. I think it’s what makes the current music industry sad. Don’t we have better tastes in music than this?
I Hyped Nickelback on Everhype and gave it 67% which I think is fairly accurate.
http://www.everhype.com/hyper/mikeborgia?X=S2065
I wouldn’t mind getting some opinions on it . If you get on there, rate me a 5 & request friendship.
i have to agree. Nickelbac is my favorite band and i’ve loved every album they’ve put out to date, but no matter how hard i try, i cannot seem to grow attached to this record. i don’t “hate” it necessarily, but it cannot be compared to ATRR and TLR.