Halestorm – “The Strange Case of…” (2012)

Label : Atlantic Records/Roadrunner Records/Warner

Review by Tony Cannella

I am in awe of the band Halestorm right now. Their new album “The Strange Case of…” just left me awestruck and speechless (no easy task).  From the word go “The Strange Case of…” offers a pure hard rock smorgasbord of hard rock, metal and punk infused guitar riffs, great songs that have easy mainstream appeal and a strong dose of attitude coming from this American band – especially from lead singer Lzzy Hale. To put it simply “The Strange Case of…” simply rocks. Occasionally Halestorm will slow things down on ballads like “In Your Room” and “Break In”, these songs are okay, but in my opinion Halestorm is at their best when they are rocking out. The opening track “Love Bites (So Do I)” sets the tone right out of the gate and offers plenty of attitude, this is the first video that the band has done for the album and a solid choice. The second track “Mz. Hyde” thumps in and has a bouncy, infectious, addicting vibe and a melody that is just flat out contagious. The next two tracks, “I Miss the Misery” and “Freak Like Me” are two songs that features Halestorm at their in-your-face best. These opening four songs bring come at you at a relentless, rapid fire pace. “Beautiful With You” slows things down a bit and although it is not strictly a ballad it allows the listener to catch his or her breath. After the ballad-ish “In Your Room” and “Break In”, Halestorm returns to rocking out in a big way with “Rock Show”, “Daughters of Darkness” and the simply awesome “You Call Me a Bitch Like It’s a Bad Thing”. The final two tracks “American Boys” and “Here’s to Us” brings things to a close with a bang. In short, don’t mess with Halestorm. This is the second full-length album from Halestorm and with “The Strange Case of…” the band seems ready to ascend to the next level, based on the power and quality of the songs contained here, that only seems inevitable. 2012 could just be Halestorm’s year. 

Rating – 95/100

Tracklist

1. Love Bites (So Do I)
2. Mz. Hyde
3. I Miss the Misery
4. Freak Like Me
5. Beautiful with You
6. In Your Room
7. Break In
8. Rock Show
9. Daughters of Darkness
10. You Call Me a Bitch Like It’s a Bad Thing
11. American Boys
12. Here’s to Us

Line Up

• Lzzy Hale – Vocals & Guitar
• Josh Smith – Bass
• Joe Hottinger – Guitar
• Arejay Hale – Drums

Links

MySpace * Facebook * Twitter * Site