![]() ![]() Isn’t that what falling in love by its de facto nature is? It helps if I think of the song’s lyrics as an account of a psychotic episode on some extremely potent psychoactive drugs. ![]() By and large, the new NICKELBACK outing is pretty good but I would rather have it without this particular song. If there is one thing I simply cannot come to terms with, it is a love song with clichéd lyrics about heaven missing an angel – you know, that Barry White stuff that almost comes off like a celebration of unhealthy attachment issues. The syrup factor gears up rather prominently on “Does Heaven Even Know You’re Missing?” The lyrics notwithstanding, the song isn’t even that bad but, I cannot help it, the lyrics do churn my stomach quite a bit. Oh, yes – despite the fact that the song has somewhat syrupy lyrics, it is the definitive standout track on the album. On further listening, Kroeger‘s signature hard-rock phrasing is maybe the only thing giving away that the song is not, in fact, some previously unreleased gem unearthed from the TALK TALK archives. With a nice tempo delay, the song could have even fitted U2‘s magnificent “Joshua Tree” album from 1987. The sparkling guitars take a good deep nod towards the widescreen pop realms of 1980s-tinted new-wave rock. Then, a little unexpectedly, the make-or-break track turns out to be one of the softest in the selection: “Tidal Wave” is an atmospheric song that sounds almost more like Bryan Adams having a blast with some modern indie outfit, such as ARCTIC MONKEYS or EDITORS, rather than a hard-rock bunch flirting with pop. “Vegas Bomb” is yet another decent, riff-driven hard-rock boogie like the first two bangers on the outing. Okay, five songs into the album, I might still struggle a bit to make up my mind whether to purchase it or not. If truth be told, I would still rather listen to these than to the band’s hit, “When We Stand Together” from 2011, with all due respect. I do consider myself a tad more open-minded, but I must admit that these two cuts are not perhaps the best calling cards for the album, albeit they did not prompt me to press the skip button either. If this song is not yet enough to convince them to dismiss the new NICKELBACK endeavor as a crime against humanity, the country-influenced follow-up, “High Time,” sure will. Okay, the third track, “Those Days,” plunges into a softer mood with acoustic guitars and singalong choruses – no doubt provoking a slight migraine in the heads of all trve kvlt heavy-metal aficionados. ![]() There’s definitely a good booty-kicking vibe not that far from the boogie of NICKELBACK’s 2008 banger, “Burn It To the Ground.” A similar groove continues on “Skinny Little Missy,” with the song’s hard-rock stomp being strongly reminiscent of bands such as BLACK STONE CHERRY and KRIS BARRAS BAND, while Kroeger‘s vocal delivery triggers subtle flashbacks of the band’s older hits. The album opener, “San Quentin” sets things in motion with a good pinch of heavy riffing and a steady rolling rock ‘n’ roll groove not that far from vintage MÖTLEY CRUE or AC/DC outings – with a tad less sleaze and alcohol fumes, obviously. I mean… if not sounding “smooth” enough for radio play was the virtue to go by, I guess we should all be listening to IGORRR. Yes, these Canadians sure know how to be radio-friendly, but I’m not entirely sure why it should necessarily be a bad thing. ![]() Then again, I’m sure some of the softer songs on this new offering will also provide more fuel to the fire for those who are wholeheartedly determined to keep hating the band. While the new selection, bearing the album title “Get Rollin’,” is instantly recognizable, perhaps due to vocalist Chad Kroeger‘s signature belting, there is also a new level of heaviness that I cannot remember hearing from this bunch before. On November 18th, 2022, NICKELBACK released their tenth studio album, the first in 5 years, via BMG. It is, no doubt, a rather bitter pill to swallow for the uppity music snobs for whom this Canadian bunch has been but the butt of ridicule from the heyday of their blockbuster hit, “How You Remind Me,” 20-something years ago. Having amassed hits for over 2 decades now, NICKELBACK ranks as the eleventh best-selling musical act of all time with over 50 million albums sold. ![]()
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