Back From the Dead

Product Information

Remember lockdown, that shapeless mass of wasted life in which time seemed to distort and bands had to swap real for virtual? Fronted by the incomparable Lzzy Hale with drummer Arejay Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger, and bass player Josh Smith, Halestorm has earned a reputation as a powerful live music force, headlining sold-out shows and topping festival bills around the world. With Strange Girl, you’ll be met with a wall of sound but that’s far from a bad thing, especially for this style of music. It’s as if the album was recorded for stereo and then mixed to the surround format as an afterthought. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves.

In the words of Chad Bowar of Metal Injection, "This album does a better job of getting closer to the energy and passion of the band's live shows than the last one [ Vicious] did. On the scorching track, Lzzy kicks things off by proclaiming, "Tonight I'm going heavy metal," before launching into a grunge-inspired chorus and singing, "If you don't care, then I don't care! The emotive, piano-led Raise Your Horns is a decent closer, but if your skin doesn’t prickle when Lzzy sings the opening lines of The Steeple – a song made for crowds, the stage, the very things we’ve missed – then you should probably check a few of your other vital signs.Mine", the first single off the deluxe edition, features a dance-inspired beat, pop vocals and a cheesy sing-along chorus that sound straight out of the 1980s pop playbook. Naturally, it isn’t only Hale’s prowess on the microphone that makes such an impact for the band is on fire throughout this hard rock masterpiece. The album features the title track along with current single, “The Steeple” Halestorm has grown from a childhood dream of siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale into one of the most celebrated rock bands of the last two decades. Ask any modern rock fan to name a few of the most powerful women in the genre today, and Lzzy Hale will likely be high on the list. While bands with strong vocalists sometimes sound as if they're competing against the guitars, in HALESTORM, the two are perfectly married, not clashing but instead working together, supporting one another.

Subsequently, I’d suggest that Psycho Crazy is a little overproduced in that it is trying too hard and should have fewer musical elements, thereby allowing for a cleaner recording and overall presentation of an otherwise solid tune. Loaded with raw energy, captivating lyrics, and Lzzy Hale's signature powerhouse vocals, Back From The Dead stands as a fierce testament to the band's evolution and enduring spirit and is amongst the best albums released in 2022. Lzzy and her brother, drummer Arejay Hale, often site the towering, arena rock sounds of the '70s and '80s as inspirations, and that comes through on the release. Meanwhile, while HALESTORM aren't known as a band that uses a lot of expletives, that's not the case on "Heavy MeNtal (F**k Yeah)" , which drops quite a few f-bombs.The set is available digitally, as well as on CD and cassette tape, making this the first time the album has been offered in these formats. Many of the album's lyrics are informed by singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale's experiences of self-discovery as a musician disconnected from fans and bandmates during the pandemic. She was stuck with them due to lockdown despite them not being supportive, so she had conversations with Hale and other fans online.

It’s so enjoyable that I question if I need the vinyl counterpart, but that is a null thought as the artwork is worthy of ownership alone.Back From The Dead also marks Halestorm’s greatest album artwork to date as it’s evocative of their musical style and portrays the emotive frustrations of the last few years into a piece of visual art that would look incredible on the larger vinyl canvas.