‘Hard-hitting, dark, powerful rock’ - ‘Feed the Machine’ Review: Nickelback
For over two decades, Nickelback have carved out a reputation as one of rock’s most divisive bands. For every fan of the four-piece, there is someone else who can’t stand them.
However, they are one of the most successful bands of all time, selling over 50 million albums worldwide, as well as having several of their singles chart highly in both the UK and US.
Three years on from the inspired, impressive ‘No Fixed Address’, they have returned with ‘Feed the Machine’.
The Canadian quartet waste no time in bringing us their signature brand of heavy rock, as the album opens with the title track ‘Feed the Machine’ (9/10)
Daniel Adair’s drums kick off a phenomenal opening cut, joining shortly after by guitarists Ryan Peake and Mike Kroeger, and lead singer/guitarist Chad Kroeger (no relation to Mike).
Chad’s vocals are powerful and ‘gritty’ as ever, particularly impressing as the band explode into one of their strongest choruses in years, and one that is (almost) impossible to resist.
The lyrics are superbly written, and conjure up dark images of dictatorship and conformity with lines such as ‘No more questions, get back in line!’
Track two ‘Coin for the Ferryman’ (7.5/10) once again turns the volume to the max, but is let down somewhat by lacklustre lyrics - lines such as ‘bat out of hell’ and ‘a thousand fairy lights’ stand out in particular. The bridge is also a ‘turn off’, however there are good elements.
The band all come together in unison to deliver another raucous melody, and Kroeger’s vocals are especially impressive given his vocal chord surgery only three years ago, shortly after the release of ‘No Fixed Address’.
Next up comes the album’s undoubted stand-out track ‘Song on Fire’ (9.5/10). This time the band reign it in a bit to deliver a passionate, heartfelt ballad, which is another style of song they have become known for over their career.
The lyrics are thought to refer to Chad’s ex-wife and fellow rocker Avril Lavigne, who he divorced in 2015 after just two years of marriage. However, regardless whether that is the truth or not, it remains a superb song.
‘Turn the volume to the max’
The lyric video for the ballad ‘Song on Fire’ - all copyrights owned by the band and relevant parties
The chorus in particular is most definitely a ‘lighters in the air’, sing-along moment and you can feel the frontman’s emotion in each word throughout.
Adair, Peake and Kroeger flank him superbly with another catchy, but more subtle melody - it would be no surprise if this became one of their most loved tracks.
‘Must Be Nice’ (8/10) roars into life with another hard-hitting guitar riff, and one of the most quirky, entertaining songs I’ve ever heard. The verse lyrics name-check a variety of nursery rhyme characters with lines such as ‘Humpty Dumpty, do your thing’, ‘Tinker Tailor whatcha got?’ and ‘Pretty maids all in a row’
The chorus is a hard-hitting riposte to someone whose life ‘is a goddamn fairy tale’, cleverly linking to the verses. It really shouldn’t work as well as it does, but you find yourself singing along to Kroeger’s bizarre wordplay.
Track five ‘After the Rain’ (7/10) is just about saved by it’s feel-good, emotive chorus but lacks the quality of the other impressive opening tracks. The verse lyrics are limp, and fail to match the chorus. Kroeger’s vocals are spot-on once more though - say what you will about the 42 year old, he still knows how to bring it.
‘For the River’ (7/10) is reminiscent of 2011′s ‘Here and Now’ album with an excellent riff, a focused, ‘locked in a cage’ vocal by Chad, and a KO punch of a chorus. The lyrics are solid without being too spectacular, making for a decent album track.
‘Home’ (7/10) sees the frontman in a contemplative mood, with lyrics such as ‘When the one to blame is standing in the mirror’. However, the track fails to ‘hit the heights’ once more, just falling short of being as good as the title track or ‘Song on Fire’. The melody and vocals are solid again, an almost constant on the album.
‘You find yourself singing along to Kroeger’s bizarre wordplay’
‘The Betrayal - Act III’ (8/10) is a fantastically dark track that has a grand, almost cinematic feel to it. It certainly leaves a big impact from the very first listen, with lyrics such as ‘Jealousy behind your mask’, and ‘blood on your hands, pawn inside the master plan’ echoing the thoughts and feelings behind the title track.
Adair drives the four-piece forward through another melody that pulls absolutely no punches and takes no prisoners - one of the strongest on the album.
‘Silent Majority’ (9/10) opens up with a catchy, ear-worm riff, for a track that again has Kroeger taking a wise, thoughtful outlook. Opening with lyrics ‘How could this affect my life, how could I affect the outcome?’, you immediately get a sense of inner searching by the frontman, as he looks to give hope to the ‘silent majority’ of the title.
The chorus is another bombastic, ‘pedals to the metal’ affair, adding to the impressive catalogue on the album, and by the band previously.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see this song released as the fourth single, after ‘Feed the Machine’, ‘Song on Fire’ and ‘Must Be Nice’ - it has potential to strike a chord.
‘Pulls absolutely no punches and takes no prisoners’
‘Every Time We’re Together’ (7.5/10) is an ode to the past, reflecting on those friends you build life-long relationships with, and when you reunite it’s like nothing has changed. It is sort of similar to ‘Photograph’, however it goes for a more immediately catchy, poppier feel. A very solid track indeed - Kroeger’s charismatic vocals supported by another fantastic turn by his fellow bandmates.
The album somewhat surprisingly ends with an instrumental ‘The Betrayal - Act I’, which is nowhere near as dark as the similarly titled earlier track, however it does have a mysterious, grandiose feel to it. A perfectly listenable cut, and a solid finish to the album.
Overall, this is a superb effort with Kroeger and co delivering a semi-political album to largely great effect. ‘Feed the Machine’ and ‘Silent Majority’ are undoubtedly the strongest of the tracks covering this theme. ‘Song on Fire’ ticks the ‘ballad box’ and is one of their best tracks to date. ‘The Betrayal - Act III’ is another excellent addition to the Canadians’ catalogue.
However, it is not without fault, and the lyrics can be a let-down on some of the tracks - that would be one area for the band to look at going forward, as they could really deliver a five-star album if these were improved. (3.5/5)