Here is an album for you all who likes female fronted rock with tons of attitude. Heavier than Paramore and Automatic Loveletter but nowhere near Arch Enemy, you find Halestorm in the same territory as Evancesence, but without the Gothic influences. Listen to a song like Break In and tell me that you do not get vibes from Amy Lee. Some songs sound like they could have been recorded by Hinder and similar acts but due to the female vocals Halestorm seem to find their own sound.
Anyway, the album starts off with first single Love Bites and that is a nice, sleazy song with a chorus that sticks like glue. There are surprisingly many slower songs on here, but I like them because they present Lzzy Hale a chance to shine on vocals. She can really go from a raspy rock voice to an almost quiet ballad voice in a nice way. They close the album with Here’s to Us, a great sing-a-long track and a nice way to conclude the album. Variation and diverse songs is something we talk a lot about and Halestorm manages to get a great mix here. Piano ballads, sleaze rock and just tough modern rock all blends together.
Howard Benson is once again behind the wheel and as always the production is flawless. With a great sound and strong songs this is one of the best albums so far 2012. Modern Rock size XXL. Get it the day it drops in stores!
