Up next is one of those bands that are awesome live. The band on the chopping block is the band Halestorm and I’ve never heard much of them but they’ve been around for awhile and I saw them at last years Aftershock and they put on a hell of a show especially going on after Cypress Hill. So with that let’s take a look………
Halestorm- this is a lot softer than what I would’ve expected but still, it’s not bad. Now I forgot that they did the song I Get Off which as far as mainstream rock goes, is pretty good. As I stated earlier, it’s softer than what I would’ve expected and it does have a nice balance of some ballad type songs and some straightforward rock songs. I don’t know I can’t really describe it. Overall, it’s ok. I’ll give it a 7/10
Standouts: It’s Not You, What Were You Expecting, Dirty Work
The Strange Case Of…- whereas the last album felt like them trying to go soft then not soft, this one is definitely more of a rock record. They’re more dialed in and this more of a cohesive album. This also has the song Love Bites which is a great single but if you’re looking for an album of theirs to start with, this might be it. I’ll give it 8/10
Standouts: American Boys, Freak Like Me, You Call Me A Bitch Like It’s A Bad Thing
Into The Wild Life- maybe it’s the production but this one has a very pop feel to it. There’s something going on with how the vocals are produced but it could be me (don’t know much about production). The album? Well it’s not as strong as the last one but I’d say it’s a decent follow up. This one I got kinda bored with. I’ll give it 6/10
Standouts: Jump The Gun
Vicious- this one I feel like almost picks up where Strange Case left off. It’s certainly a step up from the last record and goes back to that hard rock sound. Definitely a much better album and I’ll give it a 8/10
Standouts: Black Vultures, Killing Ourselves To Live, Uncomfortable
Back From The Dead- what I like about this one is that it sort of encompasses sort of everything they’ve done up to this point. It does feel like they are finally hitting their stride and it’s a sign of things to come in the future. Overall, this is a great hard rock record and I’m giving it a 9/10
Standouts: Back From The Dead, My Redemption, The Steeple
This is definitely one of those bands that are awesome live. In my opinion, they are better live than on album. Live, they have this energy about them and the songs sound a lot better. Now I would be remiss if I didn’t say that Lizzy Hale has one of the best voices in modern rock. She’s definitely got one hell of a voice and she even did some shows with Skid Row which are awesome (YouTube them). Definitely a band I wouldn’t mind seeing live again.
Final Grade: A-
Album Rankings:
- Back From The Dead
- The Strange Case Of…
- Vicious
- Halestorm
- Into The Wild Life
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