SIDE OF A BULLET - NICKELBACK
The fifth (and final) single from Nickelback’s “All the Right Reasons” recalls when the group flirted with metal on debut album “The State.” On “Side of a Bullet,” a chugging Metallica-esque guitar is an abrupt jolt down memory lane in more ways than one. “Bullet” recalls the murder of “Dimebag” Darryl Abbott, who was killed onstage in 2004. As one of many who counted the guitarist as a friend, the band secured permission from Abbott’s family to use his material, so the Texas axeman rides again on a lightning-slick bittersweet solo. People can snarl about pop-rockers paying tribute to one of metal’s brightest lights, but for the sake of sentiment — and a ripping song that does it justice — criticism should be quelled. Billboard
