Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Halestorm, Warner Music Australia 2018.
Here’s one for the heavy rock fans amongst us.
Halestorm made their debut in 2009 with their self-titled album which was highly rated and sold well.
They followed that up with 2012’s The Strange Case of… which featured the Grammy Award winning single Love Bites (So Do I) and then, Into The Wild Life, which was released in 2015.
They have a large and loyal fan base and Vicious, their fourth release, is sure to further cement their reputation as one of the hardest driving, hardest working, hard rock bands in the world.
They are renowned for their near constant touring and they’ve performed thousands of shows in tours that have taken them around the world, including Australia in 2015 and 2017.
All the classic elements of the hard rock genre are present in their music: the over-driven distorted guitars, frantic riffing, thunderous bass and drums and powerful screamed vocals.
They also break their songs up into sectors that range from quiet and restrained to frantic. Their constant touring has made them one of the tightest bands on the scene.
This album was recorded earlier this year in Nashville (better known for being the country music capital of the USA) with producer Nick Raskulinecz who produced albums for The Foo Fighters, Alice in Chains, and Rush, and I can certainly hear some of their sound in this CD.
Lead singer and guitarist, Lizzy Hale, has the ability to articulate her words better than most hard rock vocalists because I can decipher most of what she’s singing without the aid of lyric sheets.
While listening to Vicious to write this review I kept hearing all sorts of influences in their music.
Do Not Disturb has a vocal that is very reminiscent of Suzie Quatro and I found myself enjoying the raunchier rockers in preference to the heavier metal inspired tracks.
Halestorm are currently touring America as part of a tour co-headlined by, In This Moment, showcasing all female-fronted rock bands.
