All the Right Reasons

Roaring out of the Canadian far north with reckless aggression, Nickelback conquered the U.S. airwaves in 2000 and hasn’t looked back since. The foursome’s blistering brand of post-grunge rock is caught in peak form on <i>All the Right Reasons</i>. With new skin-slammer Daniel Adair behind the drum kit, the band rips into a lethal batch of seething rockers and expansive ballads with full-throttle gusto. Singer Chad Kroeger fills “Photograph” (already a massive hit) with brooding nostalgia and kicks the anthemic “Fight For All the Wrong Reasons” into desperate overdrive. From the reflective “Far Away” to the satiric “Rock Star,” guitarist Ryan Peake unleashes monstrous riffs with brutal finesse. A particular highlight is “On the Side of a Bullet,” featuring a guitar solo by the late, great metal hero Dimebag Darrell. Fusing rhythmic muscle with skull-snaring melodies, <i>All the Right Reasons</i> clinches Nickelback’s claim to rock’s top ranks.