A Military Commander Actually Banned Nickelback

Adding to the long list of people who already hate Nickelback, a military commander has banned the group's music from being played at an army post in Washington State. A memo sent out on Feb. 14 with the subject line "Banned Playing of Terrible 'Rock Groups'" enacted the immediate prohibition of Nickelback's discography at "all times, not just work hours."

The commander is not alone with his distaste. In addition to earning the title of being the "World's Most Hated Band," Nickelback's songs have earned the distinction of being used as tools for punishment by police officers.

The public's intense hatred for the Canadian band has fascinated many over the years. In April 2016, a student went attempted to get to the root of the hate by compiling 14 years' worth of reviews of Nickelback's music. Her conclusion? A myriad of hypocritical expectations from the music world. "They follow genre expectations too well, which is seen as empty imitation," she wrote, "but also not well enough, which is read as commercial tactics and as a lack of a stable and sincere identity."

Mike Trysom, editor of U.S Army W.T.F! Moments, which originally published the memo, told the Huffington Post that it was likely a genuine document but probably meant to be taken as a joke. "Do we really think this commander signed that memo as a lawful order?" he said. "No, not at all. It was likely a joke or a prank he played on one of the platoons under his command. The memo is valid and in the right format. Some of our commenters are not as smart as they think they are."

Though the group has yet to respond to this new slight, its members have been good sports about similar disses in the past. After over 55,000 unhappy Detroit Lions fans signed a petition demanding that the group not play at the team's Thanksgiving game in 2011, they appeared in a Funny or Die sketch to figure out why they were so hated by the city of Detroit. The official Nickelback Twitter account replied to a slew of negative comments in 2012, ranging from good-natured to genuinely bothered.

Still, despite all the hate, Nickelback is one of the most successful bands of recent times. They've sold over 50 million albums, snatched six Grammy nominations, and made major bank from sold out worldwide tours.

Aside from remembering their achievements, Nickelback can also take solace in the fact that they were not the only musical act to be mentioned in the military commander's memo — Korn, Slipknot, Creed, and Smashmouth got the same treatment.