It’s hard not to love Halestorm. The band’s pure love and passion for Hard Rock and Metal is all over the place and in frontwoman Lzzy Hale the band has a real source of power. She’s attitude deluxe, energetic, in your face and holds an amazing voice that sounds edgy, evil, aggressive and hard when needed but also silky and smooth when needed. They also write killer songs. That said, with the band’s last album I have the feeling of a band treading water on repeat. That doesn’t mean that the albums aren’t good because they are. Damn good even. The problem is that style-wise it kinda feels like the have painted themselves into a corner which in turn makes the songs come out a bit too alike. It’s really not an issue per se but I still can’t shake the feeling of the band’s need to reinvent and develop themselves a bit more to not stagnate.
The opening title-track and first single is classic Halestorm all the way. Hard, heavy, punchy and aggressive, the song blends classic Metal with Hard Rock vibes. Edgy guitar riffs are carried by a punchy and hard-hitting drums and a thumping bass-line. It’s fueled with anger and energy but also some distinct vocal hooks and a slammin’ chorus. A great opener indeed. Latest single “Wicked Ways” is rough, raw and edgy with a stomping groove and a beefy rhythm. The guitars rips and tears with Lzzy Hale going both loud and melodic when she lashes out the direct vocal-melodies. It’s a great song that can set any arena out there on fire. Great one.
Taking the pace down a notch to a slower tempo, the dark and heavy “Strange Girl” features some tuned-down guitars over a bouncy beat with an effective main-melody on top. The downside to the song is that it feels like you’ve heard it before by the band, the good thing is that it’s a killer tune with another grabbing refrain. Keeping the mid-pace “Brightside” brings on some chuggy riffing, classic Hard Rock style and an intense groove. The melodies and the big chorus hook might come across as a bit too obvious rock-radio friendly but as it’s not a single, that might not be intentional after all. Anyway, I really dig the song.
Latest single “The Steeple” is another mid-tempo rocker on a stompy ground. The rhythm hits like a fist on the jaw with rowdy guitars giving it their best to rip us all a new one. It’s a rousing headbanger that lands somewhere between Metal and classic 80’s Hard Rock with a chorus that brings a hook so sharp it hurts. Awesome. Going into ballad-territory, “Terrible Things” is deep and dark with mournful vocals and a saddening tone. It’s acoustically laden with some glowing strings bringing on the orchestration. It’s low-key and laid-back, emotional and honest. It’s a breather with a gorgeous vocal-arrangement. Fantastic.
“My Redemption” is an aggressive hard-hitter full of piss n’ vinegar, attitude and grit where the guitars goes for broke and is on your case with rowdy aggression. It’s dark, brutal and honest but not without melodies. It might not be the stand-out track of the album but it’s still a good one. Slower in pace yet heavy and muscular the rhythmic and edgy riffing “Bombshell” brings on some pissed-off attitudes and a hard-punchy rhythm section. Still it holds a captivating main melody and a strong chorus. The message is of course about the misogyny of the music industry – “be a good girl, play along, wear your skirt short”. Of course it’s an angry song with a subject like that. Very good.
“I Come First” – the pun is really in the title and even though it might be about putting yourself in the first room it’s probably about something different, knowing Lzzy Hale’s lyrics of old – is fat and punchy with a rolling rhythm, distinct melody-hooks and a Fuck You attitude. The chorus is bang-on-target and strikes hard. That said, the song is good but it really doesn’t grab me. The same with “Psycho Crazy”, it just won’t linger with me. It starts out held-back and down-beat yet quite heavy. It takes on a rougher edge, speeds up some and holds a poundy rhythm with an edgy guitar up front. It’s a relentless and powerful metal-banger with a chorus that bites but without being bad it just won’t stick with me.
Closing track, the metal-tinged titled “Raise Your Horns” is really a sparse and brittle ballad, stripped down to only piano and vocals that sports a mellow melancholy, quite low-key. It’s a slow, emotional track with heartfelt vocal-melodies that really grabs a hold and a stunning vocal-performance from Hale. It’s a deep track where Hale’s honest voice really pours her heart out and gets under my skin. The chorus is nothing short of affable and every melody has its hooks in me from go. This is just terrific.
As a whole, this album is a Halestorm what you hear is what you get record, meaning that it really doesn’t at all from their previous records neither in style or song structure. While it might come across as a bit predictable – and maybe it is – Halestorm sure has their own style and while the might dwell inside the painted corner I wrote about up above, this album is really good and what’s more, it’s damn honest and Lzzy pretty much spill the beans of all her inner emotions and demons in every song and it never comes across as contrived or forced and that goes a long, long way. This is an album made from heart and soul and the songs really speak to me. Raise your horns dammit!
7/10
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Tracklist:
1. Back From The Dead
2. Wicked Ways
3. Strange Girl
4. Brightside
5. The Steeple
6. Terrible Things
7. My Redemption
8. Bombshell
9. I Come First
10. Psycho Crazy
11. Raise Your Horns
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