Don't mess with Nickelback's power ballad

Love 'em or hate 'em is a good way to sum up the divergent public opinions on Nickelback, the Vancouver, B.C.-based rock group. The band returns to Washington state for the second time in six months this week, playing the Gorge Amphitheatre tonight.

Fans eat up Nickelback's high-energy, professionally produced hits — such as "How You Remind Me" and "Photograph." Critics call those same songs canned and repetitive. But indisputably, the quartet has nailed down a near-perfect formula for success in today's music business.

The group's sound is instantly recognizable — hard-driving but melodic — and brings to mind bands of yesteryear like Bon Jovi, Night Ranger and Damn Yankees. The foursome has mastered the power ballad, and it cranks out songs with themes that appeal to the masses — remembering the past, musing about lost love or crooning about being a rock star. This leads to extensive airplay, and record sales and concert ticket sales follow.

The band's fifth release, from 2005, "All the Right Reasons," continues to top the charts and is at seven-times platinum status (meaning 7 million CDs have been shipped for sale, according to the Recording Industry Association of America). Figures from the latest Billboard 200 also show the release has been on the charts some 94 weeks, and it currently holds the No. 11 spot (it was still in the Top 10 the week of Aug. 4).

The CD is vintage Nickelback. The single "Photograph" has an enticing little beat, a rousing chorus and downright silly lyrics that talk about looking at an old photo: "Look at this photograph/Every time I do it makes me laugh/How did our eyes get so red/And what the hell is on Joey's head?" Similarly, "Far Away" has a draw-you-in beat of steady drums, jangly guitars, throaty vocals from frontman Chad Kroeger and a heavy synthesizer sound that takes listeners back to the '80s. Other tracks are a bit more upbeat and have more of a metal feel to the guitars, including "Animals" and "Side of a Bullet."

Former "American Idol" contestant Chris Daughtry has been opening for the band on tour but won't be at the Gorge. Instead, Puddle of Mudd and Finger Eleven will fill out the bill.