HINDER | The Reign | Album Review

Yeah, you probably didn't know that Hinder, the band who peaked in the mid 2000's with "Extreme Behavior", and that huge song "Lips Of An Angel, was still around making music. What's even harder to believe to anyone that hasn't kept up with this band in recent times is that "The Reign", the newest album from the band, is their sixth studio album, and their second one with the new lead singer, Marshall Dutton, after Austin Winkler left the band in 2013. Yeah, I'm pretty sure this information isn't worth getting excited for except if you're a Hinder fan. And with "The Reign", the band has made a statement about it stating that they were going for a darker style, but also combine that with styles that Hinder has not shyed away from in their past discography. A little while before the album was announced, we were treated with the leadoff single entitled "Remember Me", which could or could not be written in the same vein as what they were going for, but whenever you really break this song down, it's generic and sounds like something you would get from a generic local or unknown band like Prosevere or Set For The Fall. So, the precedent that this track set wasn't very good, but as the band has stated that this would be in fact darker, the other songs that are featured on the album could potentially tell a much different tale as far as quality goes. Nope. 

I think this is a good time to bring up that just because a band says that they're going in a "darker" direction with their style doesn't mean the finished product that would come out of it would automatically be perceived as "good". Because, this album is still a generic and been-there-done-that experience with occasional moments of ridiculosity spread throughout almost exactly 40 minutes of music. I will give credit to some of the songs on the disc such as the title track (another pre-released single), "Another Way Out" and "Burn It Down" because all of these tracks have good elements to them, but overall if you really examine these tracks and break them down, this is all material that has been written before. In fact, "Burn It Down" is one of the most basic song titles in existence, and I'm confident in saying that there are much better songs out there with that title. "Another Way Out" has a decent drum performance and rhythm, but the lyrics here are also generic and the solo that leads to the final chorus is predictable. Not to mention, vocally, Marshal Dutton doesn't have anything distinctive in his vocals like with Austin Winkler. Even in the most formulaic parts of Hinder's career with Austin on vocals, at least it had a style. Dutton's voice is generic and he doesn't showcase much charisma with his performance, and that can be a problem with bands switching vocalists. And this is one of the most blatant examples of that. 

The generic nature of this disc continues once you examine emotionally flat songs like "Too Late" and "Long Gone", which I think are way more generic than anything Nickelback has written, and is actually much more insulting as well. There is nothing about these songs that stick out, even as softer moments on the album that could suit the adult contemporary audience or maybe even fans of country music. In fact, even with the straight-up rock tracks on the album, it has that feel to it and I would not be surprised if one of these songs showed up on country airplay, which is awful. Not only that, but there are two tracks on here, "Play To Win" and "Loser's Salute", that are absolutely ridiculous, especially "Loser's Salute". The lyrics on the latter track are awful, not even an ironic "so bad it is funny" way. There are lines on "Loser's Salute" that are just miserable and embarassing, and if this song were to somehow become an anthem that people sing at events and parties, I'd probably become ashamed of the human race. You can make a song that is not supposed to be taken seriously well, but with "Loser's Salute", which ends the album, it's very hard for any rational person to listen to this song and want to think it's funny or relatable. It's just awful. 

Well, to sum everything up, I need to ask one question: who would like this album in 2017? Who would think that Hinder still has an audience in the current trend of rock music? Because I have the feeling that Hinder only said this album was "darker" than any other album they've done just to trick people into thinking that they've really put out something worth listening to, when in fact, it is not even close to anything explorative or darker in terms of the musical landscape. This is more formulaic than formulaic, and it's truly this type of formulaic music that I find to be worse than Nickelback. At least Nickelback's method of writing can be laughed at somewhat, and that makes them tolerable to me. When it comes to bands like Hinder, they are an anomaly in how they are still thriving and how they are still somehow supported and showcased. If you legitimately enjoy this album, I hold nothing against you and you can enjoy a piece of music I don't like in any way you want to. As for my opinion, this is trash, and although there's really only a few songs here in which really turn out to be awful, and, really, in the scheme of bad music of 2017 this is kind of light compared to some other albums I have had the displeasure of hearing because of how generic and tepid it is, it's still not worth the money and it is not worth listening to in the slightest. 

RATING: 3/10

What did you think about the record? Was it good? Was it bad? Let me know in the comments below. And of course, these are only my opinions. If your opinions are different, awesome! If they're similar, then that's great, too. So, don't hesitate- comment to me about it down below. Take care.