Post-grunge modern mainstream rockers Nickelback kick off their sixth effort with what amounts to a musical sneer. First a driving pulse, then high-octane guitars and finally sleazy directness: “You look so much cuter with something in your mouth.” It’s the Canadian four-piece’s way of saying “suck it” to tastemakers who have long decried formulaic radio hit upon formulaic radio hit, just as the loping “Burn It to the Ground” is a defiant middle finger in the form of 100-proof boys’-night-out aggression.
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“Gotta Be Somebody” and “Never Gonna Be Alone” are what pass for “mature” love songs under the circumstances, while “S.E.X.” is nearly a refashioning of Korn’s “A.D.I.D.A.S.” for the popped-collar crowd. Most improbably of all, “I’d Come for You” bears striking lyrical similarities to Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You.” Who knew predatorily snarling frontman Chad Kroeger was such a closet Robin Hood fan?
Even when immediate precursors don’t spring to mind, no entry gives the distinct impression of something that hasn’t been heard before. Simplistic lyrics, holler-along choruses and exactly two speeds (semi-rocking and totally rocking) prevail, though topics like the demise of a junkie friend (“Just to Get High”), the omnipresent Hollywood starlet-wannabe who believes the gutter will lead to the top (“Shakin’ Hands”) and bro-ing away the days (“This Afternoon”) don’t exactly speak to a creative evolution, either.
There’s nothing come-from-behind about Dark Horse, unless, of course, the title refers to a race for critical affirmation. In which case there’s still many a furlong to go.
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