Spotlight – Hinder

Along with the likes of Disturbed and Nickelback, Hinder are another American radio rock act who get a bad rep in this country unfairly. They are a big concern in the States, but have never really caught on over here in the same manner as those other bands have.

They have released three awesome albums thus far, and each one is definitely worth a look at. They write catchy, and at times anthemic, American radio rock, which is rich on huge choruses, solos, whiskey soaked rock stomp, and then, sometimes in the space of a song, they switch it up with a lighter waving enormo rock ballad. For me, they have it all, and they are notorious party boys, trying to follow in the rock and roll excess peddled by Motley Crue and the like before them. They have morphed into a debauched rock and roll juggernaut, and I am surprised that people over here have failed to catch on. To many, Hinder remain a cult concern over here, and if you ask the average rock fan about them, they will either have never heard of them, or malign them in much the same fashion as the press do.

If they actually took the time to look behind that, and the sexually charged and alcohol induced party boy antics, they would uncover a band with bags of potential, and some of the best rock songs of the last few years.

Extreme Behavior was their introduction to the world with radio friendly single Lips Of An Angel being a massive hit across the pond. Get Stoned then was the drug-fuelled antithesis to this track, showcasing extreme (!) diversity in their approach. Across the rest of that debut though, they really hit a chord with me particularly, in terms of how well their songs were put together. It was highly accomplished, and well produced, but behind all that, they were just really great songs. Homecoming Queen and How Long were awesome songs, and there were plenty more hits across the debut, such as By The Way, Nothing Good About Goodbye, Room 21, Better Than Me, and Bliss (I Don’t Wanna Know)

Their sophomore release built on that formula, and they progressed into a real force to be reckoned with, once more flaunting their rock and roll swagger in heavier and faster numbers, yet still being able to thrill the listener with the slower songs. Highlights for me included Loaded and Alone, Use Me, Last Kiss Goodbye, Lost In The Sun, and Heaven Sent. Heaven Sent and Loaded have a real anthemic stance to them, and by the end of the song you can’t help but sing along. Once again it was a prime example of just writing great songs that can engage the listener, and allow them to sing along in unison with the band. Some of their tracks also embraced the bands ethos for sex, drugs and rock and roll, with the likes of Up All Night and Take It To The Limit rocking hard.

Their third album, released last year, carried on the same themes throughout really. I have only had chance to listen to it in full once, and it looked another solid effort from the Oklahoma boys. Early stand outs for me were the awesome Red Tail Lights, and The Life. Striptease was also a low down and dirty rock stomp with bags of swag, and I am sure that on further listens, I will only grow to love it more, along with the rest of the album.

All of the antics aside, they are an immensely talented bunch. Front man Austin Winkler is a perfect front man, who has a great voice, a great look and works the stage live like a pro, his waif-like frame dancing around, trying to embody the likes of the heroes he idolises. Behind him though, the licks and riffs are incredible, with the occasional solo littered in to great effect.

As a whole, they are an exciting proposition, and to me are definitely ones to keep an eye on in the future, as they could perhaps one day transcend the labels they have had forced on them, and become a stadium sized rock beast. Sure, they may talk the talk in the interviews, but they can also walk the walk, and back up what they preach.

Forget the headlines, and the stigma, and get into this band, as they are a hot prospect, and continually write and release awesome albums, and if the press can’t accept that, then that is their loss. It is about time they came over to the UK once more, as their headline run in 2007 was a massive success, selling out, before I could even get hold of a ticket. It has been 4 years since then, and another tour would be great, along with some festival slots to go hand in hand with it.