Album Review

Halestorm - ReAnimate (The Covers EP)Halestorm – ReAnimate (The Covers EP)

Halestorm really impressed me with their self titled 2009 debut album as they have very addictive songs and it’s definitely a very distinctive sound. They are one of the best modern day female fronted rock bands today as singer Lzzy Hale has many different edges to her voice; not many girls could pull off Lady Gaga then go straight to Guns N’ Roses so I’m very impressed!

This covers EP has been released to keep the bands fan base interested in them as they do more touring as there won’t be another Halestorm album till later on so this is just to tide people over until the new material comes. The songs on this album are a very strange selection and from completely different genres; this didn’t stop the band taking them and making them all their own.

“Slave To The Grind” is bloody quick, quicker than anything Halestorm have written themselves so when they prove they can handle it they prove themselves as very talented musicians. Only Critique I have about this cover is that it’s the song on the album that’s the least Halestorm sounding in the way that they didn’t make it their own as well as some of the others.

They come into their own with songs “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You” and “Out Ta Get Me” mostly because these particular songs have the most room for improvisation and fit to Halestorm’s sound the best. “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You” is a female sang song as it is and is fairly light; the band have took it added Lzzy’s vocals to it and some heavier guitar work and made it a song more like one of their own like “Bet U Wish U Had Me Back” or “Familiar Taste of Poison” both of which are the same style they’ve applied to this track. “Out Ta Get Me” with Lzzy’s vocals is tremendous! What a cover, it’s hard to cover Guns N’ Roses when your band already plays rock music but here we have just the right amount of stylistic inclusion without taking away the unique edge the original version had; beautifully done you can tell it’s Halestorm right from the start.

“Bad Romance” and “Hunger Strike” are songs I don’t normally listen to, these covers though are great! Turning Lady Gaga into gritty rock music? The novelty is enough to draw everyone in and listen to it then the fact its brilliant will make it stick. “Hunger Strike” is already a very sweet soft song as it is, so when this band took it and put their stamp on it the song remained sweet and soft with Halestorm’s gritty rock edge added to it at effective parts during the song.

One song I dislike however is their Beatles cover “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” it just doesn’t fit with their style at all and puts a downer on the end of an awesome EP, musically its great but it’s not really Halestorm more just a group of musicians playing a Beatles song.

It’s done its job, it’ll tide me over till some new material comes along and it can’t come soon enough!

4/5

Review by James Webb

 Band Members

Lzzy Hale
Arejay Hale
Joe Hottinger
Josh Smith
 Track Listing
1. Slave To The Grind (Skid Row)
2. Bad Romance (Lady Gaga)
3. Hunger Strike (Temple of the Dog)
4. Out Ta Get Me (Guns N’ Roses)
5. All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You (Heart)
6. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (The Beatles)
 Band Related Links
Halestorm Myspace
 Review Score Code
- Top Cheese
- Brilliant
- Pretty damn good
- Ok I guess
- What Was That?