The Long Road of NICKELBACK

Long journey to success
It's interesting to know the history of this Canadian band. NICKELBACK started their career in music as a cover band in their hometown, Hanna, Calgary, Canada. Tired of playing other people's songs. Chad Kroeger (vocal) went to Vancouver with his brother, mike (guitar), and his friend, Ryan Vikedel (bass) after borrowing money from his stepfather. In 1996, they recorded and released the EP "Hesher" and the full-length "Curb" on their own. In late 1998 they fired their manager and handled everything by themselves. With their savings, they managed to release their independent album. The State, in January 2000. The album attracted some record companies such as Roadrunner, Island/Def jam, and EMI Canada, as it impressively sold 500.000 copies in Canada.

The unexpected result of The State encouraged the band to record their follow-up album, Silver Side Up. Interestingly, the songs on Silver Side Up were actually written before The State was released in the U.S. As "How You Remind Me" rocked the charts, NICKELBACK's popularity grem accordingly. Silver Side Up sold over 9 million copies worldwide and NICKELBACK stunned listeners by being #1 Most Played Rock Artist of 2002 Across All Radio Formats. This achievement made them the icon of the new grunge band of the new millennium.

A New Challenge
Life is full of challenges and the same goes for NICKELBACK. Forced to make a better album than the one before, the band took the challenge by releasing their follow-up album Long Road. Without any influences from other bands, the threesome confidently crafted the whole album to their tastes. On this album we can hear that the band focuses on melodic guitar crunch they never did before. The dynamic "Someday," the fully strapping guitar riffs in "Throw Yourself Away," the vibrant and energetic "Do This Anymore," and the bare emotion of "Feeling Way Too Damn Good" testify to that. This album also introduces a lyrical growth, shown by the way the band interpreted the universal themes on Long Road, making the record sounds more sophisticated than their predecessors. However, the band still needs to continue on their long road to ultimate success.