Hinder

Somebody needed to get the girls back into rock 'n' roll. Hinder step up to the plate, and score on their highly anticipated sophomore effort, Take it to the Limit. Following up their mega-successful, multi-platinum debut, Extreme Behavior, the Oklahoma quintet come out ready to rock the pants off just about anybody that comes under their spell. The album packs eleven arena-ready rockers into a tight, fun romp. Think Girls, Girls, Girls for the MySpace generation—minus the bad hair and makeup. The songs are sexy, soulful and simply infectious. Hinder make undeniable anthemic rock with all the grit, glam and good ole swagger that hard music needs right now. Avenged Sevenfold and Buckcherry made a valiant effort to rekindle that classic spirit, but Hinder ultimately succeed.

Cocked and loaded like Guns 'N' Roses, rowdier than AC/DC and more motley than the Crue, Hinder fire off hooks like there's no tomorrow in sight. From the guitar delay crescendo of album opener "Use Me," it's evident that Hinder have all cylinders firing. The song rocks hard, as singer Austin Winkler croons about the joys of being used in the sack. His gravelly delivery adds a level of tension to Hinder's sound that aligns them with the genre's classics more than their peers. In fact, it sounds like this record could've dropped in 1985 and fit right in. However, they bust out some modern guitar firepower that shows Hinder are far more than rock revivalists. They preserve that old school energy, while giving it a modern effects-drenched facelift. "Loaded and Alone" unearths the pains of fame with a massive guitar lead and fiery distorted stomp. "Up All Night" employs moaning a la "Rocket Queen" and "More Human than Human" to tell the tale of an amorous waitress. "Without You" is one of the record's big ballads, but it sees the band further flexing their instrumental prowess, rather than falling back on the formula for "Lips of an Angel."

On the title track, Joe Garvey and Mark King rip admirable riffs that give Mick Mars a run for his money. Mars pops up and lays down a solo, but the young guns stand proudly alongside their hero. There's a big bridge mid-song that features a warm guitar that could only come from Hinder. All of that rawk is tempered by various acoustic passages that open up the sound. Everything segues seamlessly, and Hinder become more epic while maintaining the pop gusto that makes them so undeniable.

The final track, "Far From Home," happens to be the best. It morphs from a somber acoustic melody with violin swells to a big grungey jammer. Winkler pours his heart out on the lyrics, and it shows the ravages of the rock life—while celebrating it. It's quite a conundrum, and as the orchestral outro flows, it's evident that Hinder are going to be rock stars for a long time. Ladies rejoice, you've got a rock band with balls!

—Rick Florino
11.04.08