While many shoot for the stars and aim for the moon, Nickelback find a comfortable middle ground between the sky and everything under the sun on their eleventh studio album.
The Canadian band have long been a divisive force in post-grunge and hard rock, earning both commercial success and persistent criticism throughout their career. With their best-known hits largely stemming from their earlier years – be it “How You Remind Me” or “Photograph” – Nickelback have consistently blended their signature stadium-rock style with more mainstream influences in pursuit of crossover appeal. On Everything Under The Sun, the band build on their trademark sound with acoustic textures, heavier metal influences and even touches of country, broadening their musical palette without straying too far from the formula that has defined their career.
Opening Everything Under The Sun, “Rattle The Cage” and “Bones For The Crows” are undoubtedly the album’s two angstiest songs. The former ventures into heavier metal, driven by distorted guitars and unexpectedly groovy drums, before culminating in a guitar solo from Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5. Chad Kroeger’s vocals carry a fierceness largely absent from Nickelback’s more recent work, an intensity that continues into the following track and lead single, “Bones For The Crows”. Initially featured in the 2023 video game Dungeon Hunter 6 before becoming the theme for WWE WrestleMania earlier this year, the track packs the punch of a classic Nickelback hit. Amped-up guitars and Kroeger’s impassioned delivery give the song plenty of bite, while its slightly cliché lyrics are overshadowed by the sheer force of the composition.
Another standout, “Chasin’ Famous” recalls the stylistic diversity of 2014’s No Fixed Address, particularly the southern-rock swagger of “Get ‘Em Up” and the funk-rock grooves of “She Keeps Me Up”. The guitars strike a balance between the two styles, propelled by a driving drum pulse and Chad Kroeger’s relentless vocal delivery. As the album’s strongest non-single, the track demonstrates how Nickelback can draw on their past experiments without sacrificing the heavier edge they have become known for.
In contrast, “Make Me Love You” strips that intensity for a heartfelt ballad that could pass as a spiritual successor to their 2008 single “I’d Come For You”. However, its softer arrangement lacks the force that makes the album’s heavier moments so compelling, and a more pronounced rock edge would have given the track greater weight. That is not to say Nickelback are incapable of pulling off a successful ballad. “Technicolor Steamboat”, a soft rock number tinted with the sounds of a modern country love song – for instance, Morgan Wallen’s “Love Somebody” – offers a more convincing alternative, incorporating country influences that give its romantic sentiment a different character.
“I Already Know” draws on the mainstream appeal of Post Malone’s country detour and the recent output of Ella Langley, filtering those influences through a more acoustic pop-rock sound. Its uptempo arrangement and strong chorus melody recall the qualities that often propel songs onto the Billboard Hot 100, giving the track an immediate accessibility that suits its country-pop leanings. While hardly groundbreaking, it's an enjoyable addition to the album’s softer side.
Ultimately, Everything Under The Sun proves that the formula Nickelback developed over two decades ago still holds up. Their heavier offerings deliver the punch that made them a commercial force, while their ventures into country and acoustic material offer enough variation to keep their sound engaging. Not every detour is equally successful, but the band demonstrates that their established sound still has room to evolve, even if they rarely stray far from what they know best.
7.3/10
