Oklahoman hard rockers Hinder shot to No. 6 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart with their triple-Platinum debut Extreme Behavior in 2005, an album with a post-grunge sound that often got them compared to Nickelback, whom they toured with in 2007. In fact, that latter band’s former co-producer Joey Moi co-wrote lyrics on the album’s first three songs. Their debut’s three big songs, “Get Stoned,” and the ballads “Better than Me” and the ultra-popular “Lips of an Angel,” a song about teetering on the edge of infidelity, built a big buzz and big sales for them. “Lips of an Angel” sold 4 million copies domestically and remains the song they are best known for.
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When the group decided to create their sophomore album Take It to the Limit, they actually rewound to the late ‘80s Sunset Strip rock era. Frontman Austin John Winkler, guitarists guitarist Joe “Blower” Garvey and Mark King, bassist Mike Rodden, and drummer Cody Hanson didn’t tease their hair out, go glam, or overdo the power ballads, but they wrote about partying it up as well as heartbreak and even brought some introspection about the dark side of fame. That direction was foreshadowed when Hinder recorded a lively cover of Steppenwolf’s ‘60s anthem “Born to Be Wild” that emerged on the deluxe edition of their debut.
Energy Boost
Take It to the Limit was superior to their debut album in every way. It had more energy and stronger hooks, and the band reveled in playing the songs. Opening song “Use Me” flipped the script on ‘80s rock bravado as the singer was going to be the sex object for his object of desire, and he was going to accept whatever was going to happen. It had roaring riffs and gang chants that one would expect from the Sunset Strip, and the video featured the fivesome partying it up in a mansion with a bevy of hot babes. Controversial comedian Andrew Dice Clay even made an appearance as a bouncer at the front door. “Up All Night” and the title track also continued the party hearty vibes.
Other songs broached familiar subject matter but were performed with verve. There were the melancholy ballads “Without You” and “Far from Home,” the latter about letting go of a lover because life on the road had become a wedge issue. “Loaded and Alone” was inspired by certain narcissistic rockers they crossed paths who seemed devoid of intimate, personal connections in their lives. “Lost in the Sun” was about an ex reaching out to a desirable old flame who’s taken, with the risk of creating a very sticky situation for both of them.
When I interviewed the band in 2008 prior to the album’s release, they implied that the ‘80s vibe wasn’t intentional. Critics later made comparisons to Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, AC/DC, and Guns N’ Roses.
“We don’t have this set thing that we’re going for. I think our influences just flood out,” Winkler told me.
Added Hanson, “I think people are saying that there’s an ’80s vibe just because we enjoy music that has the big hooks and stuff like that. It’s really melodic, really catchy, and really fun. That’s how those songs in the ‘80s were, so I think that’s why we’re getting comparisons to ’80s stuff so much.”
“Those gang vocals probably help,” Winkler chimed in.
Universal Panics
Having Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars offer his blessing by contributing a solo to the title track certainly helped add to that retro perception. Oh, and the band held a release party at the Playboy Mansion, and one deluxe edition of the album included photos of bare-breasted models in the gatefold packaging. (The less salacious Wal-Mart edition included their cover of AC/DC’s 1990 mega-hit “Thunderstruck,” a rather bold move given how tricky that tune is to tackle.)
Despite Hinder having a younger audience than the bands that had inspired them here, it seemed like this would have been a good cross-generational record. For some reason, however, the video and single didn’t click right away, and their label Universal got nervous and went to the album’s weakest song, “Without You,” to try to boost airplay and sales. It was a bad move. They should have followed a common ‘80s rule—make the third single the ballad. (Sometimes it was the second.) Ultimately, Take It to the Limit stalled at gold sales status.
“[Universal] released ‘Use Me,’ but then they pulled it really fast. I think it ended up hurting us pretty badly with fans and radio as well,” Hanson told me in 2010 when discussing their next album. “They backed off of the rock single early and tried to go to recreate the success of ‘Lips [of an Angel].’ That’s great, that’s awesome, but we’re still a rock band and want people to see that. They definitely made a mistake on that one, but it’s done. All we can try to do is fix it on this record.”
Hinder kept pushing ahead, with their third album All American Nightmare being even heavier in spots. The band recorded Nightmare and Welcome to the Freakshow with Winkler before substance-abuse issues that informed his performances on the latter forced him to depart the band. He was replaced by Marshall Dutton, and they have been touring ever since. They recorded two more albums (When the Smoke Clears and The Reign), although not with the same level of popularity.
Winkler Goes Solo
Two years ago, Austin John Winkler released new solo material, including a song called “SuperJaded” that was inspired by his experiences getting sober, and it feels like the time is ripe for a reunion between him and the band. Many fans have been waiting for it. His matured world view could bring an added dimension to the band, too.
Perhaps Take It to the Limit having more of an old-school vibe might have confused the audience who glommed on to their debut. But given that ‘80s nostalgia has been going on for 25 years, it might be the right time to revive these songs and vibe. We could use more unfettered rock ‘n’ roll, especially as things have gotten rather stale in the mainstream. If you missed Take It to the Limit the first time around, check it out. It’s a fun ride.
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Photo by Steve C Mitchell/EPA/Shutterstock
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