The State

The State is an early work on which NICKELBACK, with heavy guitar, hard rhythm and rough vocals, sounded straightforward post-grunge rock. While centered on simple construction, in the choruses they push out emotion greatly. It is the effective breakthrough work that made the band’s name widely known. On “Leader of Men,” “Breathe” and “Old Enough,” the not-overly-polished feel of the sound strengthens the work’s earnestness. In particular, “Leader of Men” became a popular song of the band’s early period. Songs like “Cowboy Hat” and “Worthy to Say” breathe the band’s full playing too. One can hear the foundation of the riffs and melody that connects to the later band image. It is an important record that leads to the great success on the next album.