Nickelback is often tied to “butt rock”, a perjorative slang for the subgenre of post-grunge and hard rock that is known for it’s mainstream success while lacking artistic merit. Critics slammed them for being formulaic and the name itself became shorthand for rock that plays on stations with “nothing but rock.” Alongside bands like Creed and Three Days Grace Nickelback was kind of the face of the genre. They sold out stadiums but got roasted on Reddit. So is life.
Butt rock is kind of having a moment in the sun though as we covered during our writeup of Creed’s Human Clay. And it’s really hard to hate on Nickelback for doing so well over the years– their sound is perfectly polished, the hooks are strong, and Chad Kroeger’s voice is instantly recognizable the moment it cuts through your headphones. It was hard to avoid the desire to belt out “Photograph” at the top of my lungs when it came on. So I did. And dammit it felt good.
Standout Songs: “Photograph”, “Fight For All The Wrong Reasons”, “Far Away”, “Savin’ Me”
