Here and Now

Seven albums into their multiplatinum career, Nickelback know where their bread is buttered: riffs that sound like someone dropped a chainsaw into a wood chipper propelled by swaggering rhythms for stripping and/or stomping ("God almighty, look at that body," brays Chad Kroeger on "Gotta Get Me Some"). Yet Here and Now isn't without its twists: "Lullaby" is just that, a power ballad worthy of a summer blockbuster love story, and the single "When We Stand Together" swings with a power pop chorus that's hard to shake. Lest anyone think our heroes have gone soft, "Midnight Queen" delivers the hard rock goods.