To say the story of Rock-n-Roll band Hinder has been unpredictable is an understatement. Initially formed in 2001, the band would become Rock stars within a handful of years with the release of their 2005 album Extreme Behavior, which featured hit singles such as “Get Stoned,” “Lips of an Angel,” and “Better Than Me.” Attaining multi-platinum status, the band would go on to more success with 2008’s Take It to the Limit (an album that went gold) and 2010’s All American Nightmare and 2012’s Welcome to the Freakshow (both of which topped US charts).
A tremendous success story, a change was coming in 2013 when Co-founding Vocalist Austin John Winkler left the band for a long battle with addiction that practically killed him in 2019. A tragic story, Winkler was given a new lease on life and has been sober since 2019, while Hinder has continued with Marshal Dutton on vocals. The former vocalist of Faktion, Dutton, took over with Hinder shortly after Nolan Neal’s (who tragically passed away in 2022) brief stint between 2014 and 2015.
Now, a decade apart from Hinder, Marshal Dutton’s impact was felt right from the start with the 2015 album When the Smoke Clears, another which topped US Rock charts. Finding a chemistry with the rest of Hinder, they relatively quickly followed up with The Reign in 2017, but since then, it has been relatively quiet.
Leaving many wondering when new music was coming, it was as early as 2018 that reports were emerging that Co-founding Drummer Cody Hanson and Dutton had been working on some new music. Not completely happy with those songs, they refrained from putting out another album, but kept on the promise of new music with the single “Halo” popping up in early 2019, while a cover of The Eagles’ “Life in the Fast Lane” arrived that summer. Then, with COVID hitting in 2020, there was a dry spell of new Hinder music until the single “Unstoppable” (a Sia cover) in 2023.
Still keeping fans hungry, it would then be in 2024 that legitimate hope mounted for a full-length album with the release of the single “Live Without It,” the first original song from the band in five years. A big hit on the Rock charts, the track gave Hinder their highest-reaching hit since 2012’s “Save Me.” This would be followed by the emotionally charged “Everything Is A Cult” in late 2024, making it almost a new album was just around the corner. Then, in March 2025, another single called “Bring Me Back To Life” was released with the official announcement that the new album, Back to Life, would arrive on May 23, 2025.
A long, winding road, at last, Hinder’s long-overdue seventh studio album is finally here. Out through Evil Teen Records (a label founded by Warren Haynes), it almost marks their first without Guitarist Mark King, who bowed out in 2021. A new beginning of sorts, with Cody Hanson on drums, Mike Rodden on bass, Joe “Blower” Garvey on guitar, and Marshal Dutton on vocals, Hinder is ready to roll.
Coming with thirteen songs, lasting for almost fifty minutes, the highly anticipated record begins with the smooth and thoughtful single “Live Without It.” A good way to kick it off, next “Rearview” is catchy and thriving tune before the funky sound of the single “Everything Is a Cult” As mentioned earlier, driven by emotion, “Everything Is a Cult” is a firestarter with power, and the potential to ignite a spark of determination within you to break away from the insanity.
Next is the must-listen “Bring Me Back to Life,” a sincere song with a catchy chorus and thriving arrangements. Thereafter, “Vultures” creeps upon you, while “Bad Decisions” brings back the typical sound of Hinder with rhythmic arrangements and energetic choruses.
From here, the album moves along at a steady pace, with the heartfelt, beautiful piano lead of “Time to Breathe,” the more intense “Don’t Believe It,” the true blue rocker “Break the Cycle,” and the hard-to-resist “Reminiscing You.” This is before the more mellow side of Hinder with “Good Enough for You,” “Hard to Love,” and acoustic closer “Trying to Get Home.”
When it is all said and done, the blessing is that Hinder is finally back with new music. The wait was nearly eight years, but Back to Life was worth the wait. A balanced record, it has terrific yet varying songs, ranging from energy-stuck ones that make you feel more substantial to beautifully composed ones that melt hearts. Something Hinder fans are bound to love and prove they are an elite Rock-n-Roll band, Back to Life, 5 out of 5 stars.
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