All American Nightmare (Deluxe Edition)

iTunes Review

With Hinder’s third album, the Oklahoma quintet breaks from their post-grunge trappings to create party anthems and lighter-hoisting arena rawk. All American Nightmare sounds like a tailor-made soundtrack for biker-themed drama; maybe not the classics like Easy Rider or The Wild Angels, but more contemporary works like 2007’s Wild Hogs or the Sons Of Anarchy television series. “2 Sides of Me” recalls recording effects from the ‘90s by opening with a mammoth guitar riff that suddenly stops to make way for distorted bullhorn vocals. The title-track flirts with Kid Rock-inspired Southern rock trimmed with the kind of keep-it-simple rhymes that might get an approving thumbs-up from Uncle Kracker, while the evocative “Hey Ho” unleashes opinionated anti hip-hop lyrics over Nickelback-esque balladry. Fans of Sammy Hagar-era Van Halen will find familiarity in “Striptease,” a commercial radio insta-hit that harks back to Black Oak Arkansas or Aerosmith. Of the five bonus tunes on the deluxe version (three are demos of album tracks), the confectionary “Good Life” proves to be the most catchy and festive.