Hinder

When The Smoke Clears

Marshal Dutton – lead vocals, acoustic guitar

Cody Hanson – drums and percussion

Joe "Blower" Garvey – lead guitar, backing vocals

Mark King – rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Mike Rodden – bass guitar, backing vocals

            Hinder’s early roots began back in 2001 when three guys meet at a college party. They added a fourth member and recorded a 4 track demo. Two of those tracks were then re-recorded and added to two others for their first EP Far From Close. The EP was released in 2003. After the release the band was offered record deals with several labels and eventually signed with Universal Records in 2005. That same year their major label debut, Extreme Behavior, was released and the band took off. Several singles were released from the album including “Lips of an Angel.”  The band’s second release hit stores in 2008. Take It To The Limit had a few singles off of it and debuted at #4. 2010 seen the release of the groups third album, All American Nightmare. They followed it up with Welcome to the Freakshow in 2012 and soon after an announcement that Frontman Austin Winkler was leaving the band. With new signing in place, Hinder is back for their fifth go at it with their new release When the Smoke Clears. The album features ten tracks and gets going with “Rather Hate Than Hurt.” The track leads off the record with a nice little number that offers up a great set of vocals. With that said, don’t compare old Hinder to this new line up. A front man change they WILL sound different, just like Three Days Grace does, but that is just on the surface. The tunes sound solid on the offering with some awesome guitar work. They let them have a few spots to fly high. The drums also get to play around with speed. It’s a nice way to open up the new release. “Hit The Ground” continues the album in the right direction. It offers up some more awesome tunes. The guitars lay down some nice riffs and cords while the drums pound away. The solo section is great and you crave more after hearing it. The vocals give up a nice set of lyrics that you can sing right along with. It’s a fun number that I think would be a nice addition to a live set. “Wasted Life” is a freaking awesome tune. This is an instant classic on so many levels. It’s catchy as hell and will get a crowd yelling the lyrics right along with the band. The tunes are great and Cody hammers away on the drums while the guitars do their thing. This one should be on everyone’s devices to take it with them. I can’t get enough. “If Only For Tonight” is a soft spoken track with passion filled lyrics. The vocals offer up a great set of lyrics that will burrow into your brain. The backing vocals help out a lot in this track while they add in some extra instruments to enhance the track as well. The track comes together extremely well. It’s one of those that you can’t help but singing along with or closing your eyes and just take in. I think that this is might be a star in the making. It has that feel to it. “Intoxicated” is a fun track with awesome vocals and great vibe. The tunes are, forgive the pun, intoxicating. The vocals are the same way too though.  Back to the music for a minute, it sounds so smooth while the guitars are flying high and giving off some incredible notes and cords. The drums do their thing as they chill out in the back. The vocals are something to hang on to. They change up just a bit for this song as they have a bit of an attitude to them. You can sing right along with them. This track is going to blow up. It has everything to do so. It’s a hot number from the get go. “Dead To Me” opens up nicely with a strong intro before the vocals some strolling in. they are simple sounding, but get their words across. The verses seem a bit simple and plain musically, but they do get it going a bit for the chorus. It’s an okay track, but I feel like it’s going to get lost. There are star before it and I’m sure there is at least one after it as well. It’s not a track you will skip, but it’s not one that you will repeat either. “Foolish Eyes” is a weird track that begins like it would be a pop star. It does turn slightly rockish with a change in vocals, but it’s not a full turn. The easy going nature of the tune might turn some people off, but it’s not a bad tune. It just takes some time to get used to. The solo section is solid as are the vocals, but it just needed that one thing to make it stand out. The track is still solid though. “Nothing Left To Lose” is an okay track with some solid sounds, but it really doesn’t stand out much. The drums and guitars do what they do. The vocals try to hit some high notes and for the most part they succeed, but they just don’t inspire very much. Among the other tracks it just exists.  “Letting Go” is an emotional track that seems to come from past experiences. With that aspect of the track, I believe that the tune will stick with some people. It sounds solid in all of the elements while you sing along. The little guitar solo is really good and I think the transition in and out of it perfectly with the vocals. I think fans will hold on to this track for the long haul. “I Need Another Drink” is a flat out killer tune. Its super catchy and something that will get a crowd to erupt. The vocals are sassy and cocky while they offer up a kick ass set of lyrics. The tunes chilling in the background provide the perfect platform for this track to get moving. The solo section is awesome, but when they kick back in with the vocals after the section, the track elevates to the next level. This might be one of my favorite Hinder tunes period and definitely on this album it’s on the list. Overall I like this album a lot. It’s always different hearing a different sound from a band, but when that sound is vocals you are always worried that it would have the same effect on you. The songs have the same effect on you, but it almost could be called a different name other than Hinder. With that said, THIS album is solid. I do like the vocals, but I also liked the work Marshal did before Hinder. The vibes are there for fans to get into and the lyrics are written well. I love some of the riffs that they introduce and the overall sound of the tracks are good. You can tell that they put the work into this album. The new vocals fit well and I’m excited to hear them live now. This is an album worth having as there are several tracks that can stand on their own.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Tracks to Watch:

Wasted Life, If Only For Tonight, Intoxicated, and I Need Another Drink

Track List:

1. Rather Hate Than Hurt
2. Hit The Ground
3. Wasted Life
4. If Only For Tonight
5. Intoxicated
6. Dead To Me
7. Foolish Eyes
8. Nothing Left To Lose
9. Letting Go
10. I Need Another Drink

Website (s):  www.hindermusic.com