| Written by Alex Mrkonjic TRACK LISTING Feed The Machine Coin For The Ferryman Song On Fire Must Be Nice After The Rain For The River Home The Betrayal (Act III) Silent Majority Every Time We're Together The Betrayal (Act I) Release Date: June 16, 2017 Label: BMG Rights Management Website: www.nickelback.com www.facebook.com/Nickelback |  |
NICKELBACK IS:
Chad Kroeger - Lead vocals & guitars Ryan Peake - Guitars & vocals Mike Kroeger - Bass Daniel Adair - Drums
Chad Kroeger - Lead vocals & guitars Ryan Peake - Guitars & vocals Mike Kroeger - Bass Daniel Adair - Drums
I always love it when Nickelback comes out with a new record because I love seeing the debates on social media of how bad or good they are. “All their albums sound the same”. “They are the worst thing to come out of Canada”. “They should stop making music”. These are just some of things that are always said and I hear all the time whenever I mention that I am a huge fan of them. No matter what you think of them, they have a formula and its been working for them. People are always going to hate them no matter what they do. 2014’s No Fixed Address was them trying something different to shut the haters up and what did they say? “I miss the old sound”, so Nickelback went back to what works, but still is different. That is what you get when you listen to their ninth studio effort Feed The Machine.
After listening to No Fixed Address for the first time, I liked it but I was left wanting more of the old Nickelback. Don’t get me wrong, I never wanted them to change their sound but I understood why they did it. This time around on Feed The Machine, I got my fix. It reminded me how much I loved them the first time I heard “How You Remind Me”. Now the album is lighter in terms of tone so if you are hoping for carbon copies of 2008’s Dark Horse or 2011’s Here and Now, then you are mistaken. The album starts off with bang with its lead single and title track “Feed The Machine”, a song about world leaders and politicians that is heavy right off the bat and pulls no punches. Although some of the lyrics like “baiting every hook with filthy lies” and “the piper blows his flute and off you go” make you go “really Nickelback?” Other than that, it’s a great way to start off the album.
It doesn’t stop there though. The next song “Coin For The Ferryman” keeps the adrenaline going with crunching riffs, and a great solo from frontman Chad Kroeger. Again though, some of the lyrical choices are corny like “with the icky and the sticky”, like are you kidding me? With that being said, I had the song on repeat for a while. With the song “Must Be Nice” it changes things in the sense that while it is still a heavy track, it has hints of “She Keeps Me Up” from No Fixed Address but also equipped with another great solo from Kroeger. “The Betrayal (Act III)” was a song where I wasn’t sure what to expect when I heard the opening acoustic riff. Almost immediately after that however, you get a great bass line and drum attack from bassist Mike Kroeger and longtime drummer Daniel Adair. Combine that with a perfect hook and ending and this became my favourite song on the album.
No Nickelback album would be complete without their power ballads and this album has its fair share of them. “Every Time We’re Together”, “After The Rain” and the second single “Song On Fire” are all great songs with “Every Time We’re Together” being my particular favourite. My last gripe of the album though is the last song on the album “The Betrayal (Act I)”. I figured because “The Betrayal (Act III)” was such a great song we may get more of the same. However, what we got was an acoustic filler. I have never liked these kinds of songs, no matter who the artist is. I would rather have another hard rock song or a ballad for that matter.
Overall, this is a record from the Nickelback I remember from when I was in middle school. It has great catchy songs and powerful ballads. There is something here for everyone, whether you like their trademark rock songs or you were a fan of their last album’s sound. Some of the lyrics are cringe-inducing and the last song is something to forget but as a whole, this album is what I wanted. This is a must have.
Rating: 9.3/10
After listening to No Fixed Address for the first time, I liked it but I was left wanting more of the old Nickelback. Don’t get me wrong, I never wanted them to change their sound but I understood why they did it. This time around on Feed The Machine, I got my fix. It reminded me how much I loved them the first time I heard “How You Remind Me”. Now the album is lighter in terms of tone so if you are hoping for carbon copies of 2008’s Dark Horse or 2011’s Here and Now, then you are mistaken. The album starts off with bang with its lead single and title track “Feed The Machine”, a song about world leaders and politicians that is heavy right off the bat and pulls no punches. Although some of the lyrics like “baiting every hook with filthy lies” and “the piper blows his flute and off you go” make you go “really Nickelback?” Other than that, it’s a great way to start off the album.
It doesn’t stop there though. The next song “Coin For The Ferryman” keeps the adrenaline going with crunching riffs, and a great solo from frontman Chad Kroeger. Again though, some of the lyrical choices are corny like “with the icky and the sticky”, like are you kidding me? With that being said, I had the song on repeat for a while. With the song “Must Be Nice” it changes things in the sense that while it is still a heavy track, it has hints of “She Keeps Me Up” from No Fixed Address but also equipped with another great solo from Kroeger. “The Betrayal (Act III)” was a song where I wasn’t sure what to expect when I heard the opening acoustic riff. Almost immediately after that however, you get a great bass line and drum attack from bassist Mike Kroeger and longtime drummer Daniel Adair. Combine that with a perfect hook and ending and this became my favourite song on the album.
No Nickelback album would be complete without their power ballads and this album has its fair share of them. “Every Time We’re Together”, “After The Rain” and the second single “Song On Fire” are all great songs with “Every Time We’re Together” being my particular favourite. My last gripe of the album though is the last song on the album “The Betrayal (Act I)”. I figured because “The Betrayal (Act III)” was such a great song we may get more of the same. However, what we got was an acoustic filler. I have never liked these kinds of songs, no matter who the artist is. I would rather have another hard rock song or a ballad for that matter.
Overall, this is a record from the Nickelback I remember from when I was in middle school. It has great catchy songs and powerful ballads. There is something here for everyone, whether you like their trademark rock songs or you were a fan of their last album’s sound. Some of the lyrics are cringe-inducing and the last song is something to forget but as a whole, this album is what I wanted. This is a must have.
Rating: 9.3/10
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