Nickelback
Silver Side Up

THE REVIEW

I have some good news and some bad news.
The good news is that the "five cents change," which is more or less the meaning of their name, is not a nu-metal band, which is not really a given these days, in my opinion, considering how, back in 2001-2002, that genre was everywhere.
The bad news is that these four Canadians from Vancouver, led by frontman Chad Kroeger, lack a crucial element: originality. Let's make it clear from the start, Nickelback haven't invented or discovered anything new. I like to define them as a band with “hard rock with the handbrake on”, basically they are part of that line of bands (another that comes to mind is Creed) that take (almost) hard rock riffs, the big "American highway" rock, even a bit of grunge here and there, and shake it up with some melody and a powerful, rough voice just enough. The result is an energetic rock aimed at pleasing everyone, and in this sense certainly “commercial.”

“Silver Side Up” is actually their fourth album (they have been active since 1996, the year in which two albums were released along with the later “The State” in 2000), but it can be considered a debut CD since with this work they made a name for themselves in Europe where they broke through, thanks in particular to the single “How You Remind Me”.
This album consists of good rock tracks, some more intense, others less so, all built on the classic scheme of voice, guitar, and drums. It starts with “Never Again” which really promises a lot with an initial drum line that vaguely reminds me of “Come As You Are” on which a riff that will accompany us throughout the track is inserted. Take a look at this and other lyrics, here the autobiographical element prevails: the fights between Chad's mother and his drunk and violent father, which he watched as a helpless spectator.
Then comes that little masterpiece “How You Remind Me”, a song that made me discover this group and kept me company during a time when I was angry (and that's an understatement) with the entire world. What more can I say? It is built on calm, spoken moments, which explode with the power of the chorus with such potent bass that makes (empty) vodka bottles on the sink tremble! (I speak from experience). It continues with “Woke Up This Morning” and another gem, “Too Bad”, another autobiographical text in which Chad expresses regret for the failure of the relationship with the father who abandoned him “When I needed you the most”. “Just For” follows closely, where the theme of love, so far treated marginally, explodes into a mad jealousy. The lyrics are chilling: “I want to take his eyes out/ just for looking at you/ I want to take his hands off/ just for touching you” and so on.
After the decent “Hollywood”, we move on to “Look What Your Money Bought” where Chad takes on a spoiled and deceitful woman. The riff here stays in your head from the very first listen. But Nickelback hasn't fired all their shots yet because “Where Do I Hide” and “Hangnail” are yet to come, which deal with one of the most classic American myths: the criminal on the run from everyone and everything. To conclude, Nickelback says goodbye with an epic and melancholic ballad titled “Good Times Gone”.

If you are interested in Nickelback or just curious, skip their subsequent, decent albums, and start with this one. It may not be a masterpiece that will go down in history, but at least it gives the impression of having been created with grit, passion, and energy. All elements that have begun to be lacking in their latest works, watered down in a sea of repetitiveness and unnecessary and obvious sentimentality.