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SILVER SIDE UP
Like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning to roll around so he can run downstairs and tear open his presents, I was waiting for the new NICKELBACK disc, Silver Side Up, to show up. When it finally did, and I heard the first chorus of the first track “Never Again” I knew this was worth the wait.
Track two, “How you remind Me” is the first single off the new disc, and is currently all over rock radio. Whether or not it pops up on MTV remains to be seen. Given the success STAIND had with songs of this nature (somewhat somber, but punchy), Nickelback might have the same luck with this track.
Lead vocalist/guitarist Chad Kroeger is penning all of the lyrics, and he’s not pulling too many punches with them. In “Never Again” we hear a story about a kid who watched his mother get brutalized by her abusive husband, only to finally blow him away after reaching her limit. Whether or not this stems from Kroger’s personal life remains to be seen, but he certainly sounds furious when he’s singing. “Too Bad”, another single off this excellently-written disc, tells a tale of a man coming to terms with his father’s abandonment ad negligence, and wanting to absolve himself of the guilt for doing so. Either Kroeger’s got a great imagination, or he’s dredging up some really personal shit this time around.
One thing you don’t hear too much of on this disc is guitar solos. There are a handful, but their done with a minimalist approach, as is the norm these days. Many songs just contain extended breakdown sections with alternate riffs. Not that every song needs a shredder solo, but it would be nice to hear someone rip some ass on a song or two.
In the time since their debut release on Roadrunner (which has since been acquired by Def Jam), Nickelback has toured with 3 DOORS DOWN, GODSMACK, CREED,SEVENDUST,STP, KISS, EVERCLEAR, FUEL, STAIND, and FOO FIGHTERS just to name a handful…and gained a tremendous amount of road experience in the process. That, combined with the strong songwriting on Silver Side Up might just make these guys superstars.
With any luck, Roadrunner will put some friggin’ money behind this disc, and make sure it gets the attention it deserves.
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