''Welcome to the Freakshow'' is the fourth studio album by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Hinder Hinder is an American rock band from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, formed in 2001 by lead singer Austin John Winkler, guitarist Joe "Blower" Garvey, and drummer Cody Hanson with bassist Mike Roden and guitarist Mark King joining in 2003, solidifying ...

. Released on December 4, 2012 by

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

, it is the band's successor to ''

All American Nightmare ''All American Nightmare'' is the third studio album by American rock band Hinder. Released on December 7, 2010 by Universal Republic Records, it is the band's successor to '' Take It to the Limit'', which was released in 2008. ''All American Nigh ...

'', released in 2010. It is the final studio album to feature founding vocalist

Austin John Winkler Austin John Winkler (born October 25, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician best known for being the former lead singer of the American rock band Hinder. Since his departure from Hinder, Winkler has continued his career, but as a s ...

. The album debuted at number 65 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with 12,000 copies sold. It has sold 60,000 copies in the US as of May 2015.

Production

On August 9, 2012, Hinder announced, via Facebook and Twitter, that their new album will be titled ''Welcome to the Freakshow''. The album was released on December 4, 2012. Hinder released the first single, "Save Me," on August 30. According to

Artistdirect ARTISTdirect is an American online digital media entertainment company. Overview Founded in 1994, it owns several websites, including artistdirect.com and artistdirectinterviews.com. These websites are a group of affiliate websites offering mul ...

, the group, in addition to typical rock music, incorporated elements of pop and country to the album's sound. In an interview with

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

, frontman

said that ''Welcome to the Freakshow'' was recorded during "a really, really dark drug binge" for him; immediately after the album was completed he entered a rehabilitation program. He also said that the band wrote about thirty potential songs for the album before selecting the eleven included in the final release.

revealed that the album is reflection of "a really, really dark drug binge." He added, "I think you can definitely hear the turmoil in my voice. As soon as we got the record done I went into treatment to get help, and it's interesting to go back and listen to it now. Coming back, I have a whole new look on all of them and they mean something completely different to me now, too, so it's pretty cool. That's the beauty of music." The album was produced by Hinder drummer Cody Hanson and

Faktion Faktion was an American Rock music, rock band from Denton, Texas. History Faktion formed in 2002 as a four-piece group after the band members met at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Originally, guitarist Marshal Dutton was the ba ...

's Marshall Dutton and mixed by

James Michael James Andrew Michael is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, singer, sound engineer and mixer. He is currently the lead singer of the rock band Sixx:A.M. Early life He took piano lessons while growing up and sang in Holland High ...

of Sixx:A.M.

Release

The album was announced on October 2, 2012 for release on December 4, 2012. First single " Save Me" preceded the album, having been released on August 30. Hellhound Music called the track "an in-your-face performance of arena rock at its best"

Track listing

Best Buy exclusive:

Personnel

- lead vocals, guitars, piano *Joe Garvey - lead guitar, backing vocals *Mark King - rhythm guitar, backing vocals *Mike Rodden - bass, backing vocals *

Cody Hanson Cody Hanson (born May 24, 1982) is an American musician, songwriter and producer who is best known for being the drummer and one of the founding members in the American rock band Hinder. He also co-owns the production company Back Lounge Product ...

- drums, backing vocals

Chart positions

References

{{Authority control Hinder albums 2012 albums Republic Records albums