Nickelback have always been somewhat puzzling. On one hand, they have a fairly convincing case to be considered one of the world’s biggest bands. Each single they release is a massive hit, and I doubt there is anyone in the world that hasn’t heard ‘Fade Away’. At the same time, whenever a list is made or a discussion is started focusing on the worst rock bands of all time, Nickelback’s name is thrown in 9/10 times.

All the Right Reasons is really the album that put Nickelback on the map. Prior to this album they had quite a number of decent hits, but not before this chart topping, radio wave conquering, rip off spawning release did Nickelback really become a phenomena. 7 hit singles were released, and the album sold about 11 million worldwide.

All the songs on this album are catchy and easy to listen too. ‘Photograph’ is a highlight, a mid-tempo rock song with a fun beat and as expected a catchy chorus. The lyrics are nothing great, but they get the job done. After hearing the track 10 times a day on the radio it can get a bit annoying though.

‘Follow You Home’ is the hard hitting intro. The riffs are simple but fairly effective, but the lyrics are hilariously bad, and unlike most of their other tracks the chorus is not that great either.  ‘Side of a Bullet’ is the heaviest track on the album. A guitar driven number and the lyrics are quite good as they deal with the shooting of Dimebag Darrell. The song also has a solo written by Dimebag during Pantera’s Far Beyond Driven Era. ‘Fight for all the Wrong Reasons’ is the other heavy track, but it’s an average song by all accounts. The chorus has a decent punch to it, but the rest of the track is pretty forgettable.

‘Animals’ was another hit single, and it’s an important song in Nickelback’s history. It’s by no means a bad song; the guitar work is quite good with heavy riffs and even a short solo. The lyrics are very tongue in cheek, but not too bad. This song would latter inspire the bands next two albums, as Chad’s sex adventures become the band’s main lyrical inspiration. Exciting.

As someone can expect, there are quite a bit of ballads on All the Right Reasons. ‘If Everyone Cared’ is a piano driven ‘heal the world’ type track. Kroeger sounds decent enough on it and the lyrics serve their purpose. ‘Far Away’ is really a weak track. The guitar work is bland and repetitive, a cheesy ‘falling in love’ track with an emotionless performance by Kroeger. The song is a perfect radio single, but it should have and could have been much better. ‘Rockstar’ is the acoustic closer. It’s a simple pop song about living your life to the fullest; the beat is simple but fun to listen too.


Nickelback have perfect the genre of commercial rock. They don’t even have to try anymore. They’ve discovered a formula that is beyond successful for them, and now they’ve reached the point where anything they release will sell. Dark Horse and Here and Now followed up All the Right Reasons, and even though there focused way too much on Kroeger life between the sheets, and both are fairly bland albums in general; there was never any doubt that they would be anything less than massive hits.

Recommended: Yes

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