Amazon.co.uk Review
Prior to the release of
The State, grungey Nickelback won a Juno Award--the Canadian equivalent of a BRIT Award--for Best New Band. Named after an expression often used by bassist Mike Kroeger when serving coffees for $1.95 each in Starbucks, Nickelback have toured alongside
Creed and owe a similar debt to the anthemic rock and articulate soulfulness of
Pearl Jam.
The State is consciously dramatic, with sweet strums constantly overwhelmed by crashing waves of distorted guitar. Singer Chad Kroeger (Mike's brother) meaningfully croons and wails his tales of life in a small town, with its complex relationships, claustrophobic underground culture and uncomfortable struggle between easy comfort (staying) and invigorating adventure (leaving). Yet Nickelback are at their best when escaping the Pearl Jam influence, as with the heavy, ponderous Billy Squier-style riffing of "Deep", the dirty 70s grind of "Not Leavin' Yet" and the slightly more experimental "Worthy To Say", where a near-Oriental ambient guitar is suddenly hammered by a burst of big rock and Chad Kroeger delivers a bluesy rap recalling prime-time Paul Rodgers. Nickelback are good, but still growing. Once they achieve their own clearly identifiable sound, they may well be great.
--Dominic Wills
CD Description
Those with a short cultural memory say that Canada's Nickelback is reminiscent of power-rockers Creed. To the rest of the world, this means that they're influenced by grunge stalwarts Pearl Jam, which also means they're indebted to vintagealt rock and to '70s hard rock. All these sonic touchstonesare readily apparent on THE STATE. The album ostensibly revolves around "Leader of Men", which garnered the most attention on the album's initial release, and which is reprised atthe end of the album in an acoustic version just to drive the point home.
Anyone drawn in by that cut will find moreto like here. The opening track "Breathe" finds Nickelback charging with full force straight out of the gate over a relentless rhythm section and jackhammer guitar riffs. "Deep" slows down the pace to an undulating grind, never releasing the hard-won tension for a moment. While Nickelback may show more of Creed's unrelenting attack than Pearl Jam's eclecticism, fans of either band should feel entirely comfortable inthe aural environs of THE STATE.