Hinder returns to Northern Quest with long-awaited new songs

It’s been seven years since Hinder released new material. The hard rock band, like many other veteran acts, such as Kiss and Kansas, wondered if it was wise to make another album.

“We had the conversation whether we should make new music,” drummer Cody Hanson said while calling from his Oklahoma City home. “Does it make financial sense? Many of the fans want to hear the older songs. There are so many reasons not to make and release new music.

“But (Hinder bassist) Mike (Rodden) was for creating new songs and so we decided to write and record some new ones.”

The post-grunge band, which hit with its breakthrough album, “Extreme Behavior” in 2005, recently finished off an album’s worth of material. A few new songs, such as the visceral “Bring Me Back to Life” will be previewed when Hinder returns Thursday to Northern Quest Resort and Casino. The new, as-yet untitled album is eclectic, Hanson said.

“The fresh stuff is all over the place,” he said. “It came out in different styles. There’s rock. There’s pop with some edge. There’s songs with a country flavor. There’s dark, heavy rock and there’s some grunge tunes as well.

“We’re glad we decided to make another album. We have a lot of music in us. This was the next chapter for us. We’re keeping it together.”

It’s a challenge for a rock band to continue after nearly a quarter-century. Hinder, which formed in Oklahoma City in 2001, has survived the loss of two lead vocalists, Austin John Winkler, who left the band in 2013 and Nolan Neal, who fronted the group in 2015.

“It’s not easy to replace your singer but we’ve managed to pull it off,” Hanson said. Marshal Dutton has handled vocals for the last eight years.

“Marshal has been just a rock,” Hanson said. “He was just what we needed. Marshal has given us stability and he’s an amazing singer.

“It’s all worked out, since we all get along so well with Marshal. Chemistry is an important thing in a band and we have had great chemistry since Marshal joined us.”

Expect Hinder, which also includes guitarists Joe “Blower” Garvey and Mark King, to play plenty of early material at Northern Quest, particularly from “Extreme Behavior.”

Nearly 3 million copies of the band’s major label debut were sold, Much of that success is due to the band’s biggest hit, “Lips of an Angel.” “It was a great time for us,” Hanson said, recalling when “Lips of an Angel” reached the top of the pop charts in 2006. “It was amazing going places where fans knew the words to ‘Lips of an Angel’ and knew the rest of that album.”

Hinder is always up for a return to Spokane.

“It’s one of our favorite cities, since it’s such a great rock town,” Hanson said. “The fans there are always up for a high energy rock show. We like to go back to places like Spokane. We appreciate the reception we get.

“We’re grateful for that kind of support and grateful that we can still go out there to do what we love.”

Hinder was rocked when the band learned that the aforementioned Neal, who had competed in the music reality shows “The Voice” and “America’s Got Talent” died of a drug overdose in 2022.

“That was so tragic, since Nolan was such a talented guy,” Hanson said. “But the guy had a rough life and he couldn’t get those demons under control. It’s really sad. We had a great time with him when he was with us for that brief period.

“When I think about him, I think about how you don’t know what tomorrow will bring. So just do all you can today to appreciate what you have.”