Friday marked the return of Pennsylvania Grammy Winners Halestorm with Everest, which is only the sixth album of their nigh on 30-year existence. For over 20 of those years, the band has maintained a constant lineup with siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale alongside Joe Hottinger on guitar and Josh Smith on bass. One can say that this continuity has facilitated a true evolution over their entire recorded output.
Halestorm – Everest
Release Date: Out Now
Words: Sophie James
Fascinating insights were revealed during their recent Fan Q&A Session and Rhys Tagg’s chat with Arejay and Josh, which can be found by following Q&A and Interview, respectively.
Promotional appearances aside, all these have been leading up to the matter in hand – Album Number Six.
Opener Fallen Star commences with a frenzy of guitars and drums, which is exotically offset by the near whimsicality of the chorus and the ascending harmony of the post-solo bridge.
The sound has a raw, honest, and organic feel.
“I lean into the storm, it’s the way I was born.”
Next is the title track, a song already familiar to many of you, which launches a sequence of quality compositions. It builds from an almost spoken delivery over a staccato riff to Lzzy’s soaring vocal on the bridge.
Totally understandable why this was selected as one of the album’s previews.
“Sometimes, sometimes, Lovin’ you feels like dying.”
The graceful verses of Shiver present a subtle country intonation prior to its development into something with a weightier melodic swing.
“I want someone who cries, who feels every goodbye like I do, can you?”
Like A Woman Can is an impassioned tour de force with themes many ladies can identify and empathise with. The kind of song where Lzzy’s star truly shines. One of many standouts.
“Bitches burning in the flames, wicked women take the blame.”
Rain Your Blood On Me possesses such an infectious Metal essence, unsurprisingly, that it is already a feature of their live set. With its percussive and rallying opening, it is easy to imagine a sea of fans with arms aloft while the melody feels like something extracted from deep within our souls.
“We’re all fighters, holding up our lighters. Chasing off the monsters, drowning in our sins.”
Escalating from its delicate intro, the introductory release Darkness Always Wins is a thing of ascending magnificence. Ultimately, a song about persistence and multi-generational struggle, its delicate piano opening is reminiscent of Within Temptation, both in terms of the melody and the vocal phrasing.
This, however, is just a small segment of this showstopper. Just the most exquisite taster and an emergent classic.
In terms of its arrangement, Gather The Lambs is perhaps the album’s most consistent track, making it particularly rousing and anthemic.
“Watch out, that bitch is out for blood!”
WATCH OUT! is a ferocious assault upon the senses which sees Lzzy loosening her larynx with hostile abandon. In melodic contrast, Joe’s solo is a flight of expression and vibrance. 
Coming betwixt an assaultive brace, Broken Doll has the melodic sensibilities of indie style pop but with the band sacrificing none of their rock pedigree.
“Just be cool, just be calm, light the fuse, drop the bomb”.
K-I-L-L-I-N-G parades a more thrashy influence within its condensed 2 ½ minutes. Lzzy’s vocals alternate between the rapid, insistent and forceful and the harmoniously sirenesque. I can imagine its anthemic refrain going down well live.
“I told you all my secrets, I showed you all my scars. You used my trust against me and showed me who you are.”
I Gave You Everything has another of those haunting piano intros before igniting so spectacularly. This is a song born out of exasperation and anger at a failing relationship, and who can deny Lzzy’s vocal catharsis if this was inspired by true events.
“I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING!, I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING! But you fucked up and you fucked me again!!”
“What will be my legacy?”
Finale How Will You Remember Me follows in the tradition of Here’s To Us. Rich with contemplations of the autumn of one’s existence, it is quite simply THE big power ballad on which to conclude.
As Lzzy declares, “This album is US, louder and bolder, and more brutally honest than ever, standing tall in the face of the storm.”
With extended periods of melodic reflection shattered by savage outbursts, this is a deeply cathartic release. Lzzy’s lyrics and vocals truly lay bare her soul.
Credit should also be given to Joe, whose solo work is meticulous and flowing throughout. 
For a band who have a developmental writing methodology, the time invested in composing and arranging has reaped its rewards, while uberproducer Dave Cobb has resisted the temptation to overegg things and capture a sound that is more organic.
Those of you who caught them supporting Iron Maiden recently would have observed that approximately 50% of the set was culled from this release. Such was the justified confidence in the strength of this material.
An album that not only has instant appeal but continues to grow on the listener through each successive play.
Everest is out now via Atlantic Records. For more information, visit halestorm.lnk.to/Everest.
Halestorm play five UK Arena shows this November. Tickets are available from HalestormRocks.com. Special guests in the UK are Bloodywood plus Kelsey Karter & The Heroines.
