Badmouthing Nickelback is something everyone has done at some point. It's like that old joke that doesn't even make much sense anymore, or that meme you use but don't know where it came from or its exact meaning. The point is, if you really know Nickelback, you won't speak ill of them.
The Canadian group has some of the biggest hits of the 2000s. The same people who criticize the band today had "How You Remind Me," "Photograph," and "Far Away" on their iPods or MP3 players.
In fact, in 2009, Billboard named Nickelback the biggest hard rock band of the decade. They sold over 50 million albums worldwide. They played to over eight million paying fans on international tours, including a 10-show sold-out tour in the UK. They had five number-one albums in Canada, the band's home country. And "How You Remind Me" was the best-selling rock song of the decade in the US.
So how can "the most hated band in the world" have these incredible numbers? It's precisely because it's fashionable to talk badly about Nickelback. It's a great way to start a conversation with someone, to feel like you belong somewhere. "Oh, you hate Nickelback? Me too!"
Fans of heavier rock might argue that it's a ballad band. Indeed, some of their biggest hits are more acoustic and mellow songs. But then, it's that old story: it's not very nice to criticize what you don't know. Amidst the ballads, Nickelback carries the intrinsic hard rock sound in their less popular tracks. Mike Kroeger , the guitarist, also brings metal influences, being a devoted Slayer . Now, you can't expect these songs to be radio singles, for example.
The track “Side of a Bullet,” from the album All The Right Reasons , is actually a tribute to Dimebag Darrell of Pantera . Vocalist Chad Kroeger called Vinnie Paul and asked for some material from the late guitarist. They then pieced together snippets of Dimebag's solos and created the song based on that. The solo in the track is actually Dimebag playing. Chad then showed “Side of a Bullet” to Vinnie Paul without him knowing it was a tribute. The drummer said, “You know what I want you to do? Write a song for my brother.”
In a YouTube comment on the music video for "Feed The Machine," a single from the band's latest album, a user wrote: "I can't believe this is the same band that made 'Photograph'." Indeed, a band can have more than one type of sound and influences. As with all their albums, the heavy guitars, double bass drum, and everything else are there.
You've probably never heard a hard rock band playing on a popular radio station, alongside country music, pop, and MPB (Brazilian Popular Music). But you've heard Nickelback. You know that old story about "rock being dead"? Well, it might not be true, since bands like Nickelback continue to play on the radio and win over diverse audiences.
And if you're a metal fan, you should be even more grateful to Nickelback. Until 2011, they released their albums through Roadrunner Records, a Warner Brothers subsidiary focused on metal. Each album sold by the band financed releases from other bands we like, such as Killswitch Engage, Machine Head, Opeth, Megadeth, and Dream Theater . When Nickelback left the label, Warner announced severe cuts to the label. They may not have been the ones keeping Roadrunner alive, but they certainly contributed to it.
So, before using the "Nickelback is bad" meme again, actually listen to the band, understand everything they did for 2000s rock, and maybe change your phrase to "I have nothing against Nickelback." Whether you like their sound or not, which is a matter of opinion, you might have more to celebrate with their existence than you think.