Rating - 5/5
"Take It To The Limit" is Hinder's much anticipated follow-up album to their breakthrough 3X platinum smash Extreme Behavior. This is one of my favorite albums of all-time. The album starts of with the first single "Use Me". It's raw, it's sleazy, it's amazing. Definitely one of best songs of the album. Hinder bring back 80's hair metal with a flavour of modern rock. It's somewhat like Motley Crue meets The Foo Fighers. Hinder are all about fun and good old fashioned rock n' roll. It doesn't matter that they aren't breaking and musical barriers here or trying out new things - their songs are just too good. The next song is "Loaded and Alone". The first time i heard this track I immiediately thought of Motley Crue. It's starts off with a killer riff and then Austin Winkler's voice just takes over. Definitely one of the standout tracks. It's great throwback to any 80's metal story about a kid with big dreams and finding out it's not what they really wanted (similar to "Shooting Star" by Bad Company).
Next up are "Last Kiss Goodbye" and "Up All Night". Both are great songs in their own right. "Last Kiss Goodbye" deals with a cheating partner. It;s softer than the first two tracks but it isn't mellow from any angle. Far from it. The 5th track "Without You" is the first powerballad. Is it as good as "Lips of an Angel"? Well no. Is it good? One of the best of the album (I know i've said this before but this album's just that good).
The title track "Take It To The Limit" features the uncomparable Mick Mars (from Motley Crue) playing guitar with the band. Mick Mars was (and still is) one of the premier rock and roll guitarists and it echoes with the new generation. At 60 years old, he's living proof that you're never too old to turn the amps up. Probably the best song of the album.
Scattered throughout the rest of the album, are catchy ballads, sing-along choruses that get stuck in your head and refuse to escape, and songs that recapture the magic of 80's hard rock and hair metal. Although it leaves you with a feeling of familiarity you realize what rock n' roll has been missing since the demise of the 80's. What's old is new again! Fans of "Extreme Behavior" might be a little disappointed with this record. While they maintain some of their signature sounds, it's the band paying tribute to their influences (Motley Crue, Def Leppard, KISS, Guns n' Roses, Aerosmith, etc.) Fans of Motley Crue, GNR, Aerosmith, Poison, Kiss, Bon Jovi etc. will love this album.
The only letdown is the cover art and the sleeve art. I mean seriously, they need to get some new clothes, and the same old 'Girls, Girls, Girls' theme is getting old. Well's here's to an even better third album. Cheers!
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