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HALESTORM
Everest Atlantic Records

Snowblind!
Over the mountain!
....peak performance?

Pathing their way through the land of the ice and snow over the past two decades or so, don't you think that HALESTORM know what they're doing? Lzzy Hale's recent glamorous appearance and performance of "The Ultimate Sin" alongside Jake E. Lee during Back To The Beginning alone was proof of the proverbial torch being passed towards the next generation of ambitious headbangers to the point that somewhere within the hallowed halls of Birmingham's Aston Villa FC grounds that day, even Sharon Osbourne was probably thinking to herself "she's officially broken the mold and she's wearing a comfortable cocktail dress too while she's breaking that same mold!"

Yet, with so much proverbial yakety-yak, HALESTORM are not the type of band to simply coast or even to hold back as they aggressively mount the mountain with their sixth full-length album Everest. Their musical journey remains as sherpa-er, sharper as ever as they explore the next evolution of their career, focusing mostly on the darker elements of a deep personal effort that pushed each musician to their artistic limits, ultimately resulting in an evocative, genuine collection of rock songs. Presumably, that's why the album leads off with a single titled "Darkness Always Wins" - a haunting yet surging power ballad that reflects on the constant battle between good and evil. "When I listen to that recording I can really hear all of us trying to prove something," Lzzy says. "Sometimes when you demo and then record the life gets squeezed out of the song. But we really wanted to keep that initial spark of excitement in each one."

Opening numbers "Fallen Star" and the title track are perfect starting points for the album to base itself upon as HALESTORM bask in their own familiar elements and surroundings. But it's at around the time when the chunky riffs to the visually graphic-titled "Rain Your Blood On Me" sound off that shows that the band are ready for their newfound less-traveled path. Imagine DIO-era RAINBOW swapping out their rustic neo-classical sound for AUDIOSLAVE's groove-laden alternative-sounding funk on this number and HALESTORM appear to have found the common bond between the two distinct sounds. The aforementioned "Darkness Always Wins" is easily the strongest-sounding track on the entire album in terms of a dramatically crescending build-up, but it's the smoke-filled hazy Amy Winehouse-meets-Diana Kralltorch-bearing pull of "Like A Woman Can" which showcases Lzzy's newfound skill for soft crooning vocals at their best. Reverting back to their ferocious fist-pumping sound on the menacing "Watch Out!" and the surprisingly singalong catchiness of the otherwise savage-sounding "K-I-L-L-I-N-G", HALESTORM round out their well-tested musical expedition with the cathartically anthemic-sounding "I Gave You Everything". Produced by Grammy winner Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell), Everest is an album that dives deeply, both lyrically and sonically, into HALESTORM's own tumultuous mountainous climb over the last couple of decades and showcases a band willing to scale new heights far beyond the safely guided trails while keeping track of what had encouraged them to make such a challenging journey in the first place.

4.5 Out Of 5.0

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