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Halestorm are not hanging around on ‘Everest’, the sixth (and latest) album from the GRAMMY-winning band who have been knocking on doors very loudly since releasing their self-titled album way back in 2009.
Opening track ‘Fallen Star’ flies out of the traps at breakneck speed with a killer display of fast, incendiary, buzzsaw riffage from lead guitarist Joe Hottinger (who is rapidly becoming a six-stringer with great chops) and explosive hits from drummer Arejay Hale. It’s immediate, it’s in your face, and with Arejay playing out of his skin (that guy has dynamite in his sticks), it is a perfect introduction to ‘Everest’. It also features a gorgeous vocal performance from Lzzy Hale, where she reigns in the trademark screams and allows her natural vocals to shine through. Just as the listener thinks they have the track all figured out, here comes some odd time signatures on a proggy/thrashy jam outro, which starts with Lzzy proclaiming “Kick it.”
The title track lands early on and again, Lzzy Hale resists the urge to go full-Lzzy Hale, and the spoken vocals peppered throughout are insanely catchy and give the track a mysterious, epic feel. The Gilmour-esque guitar solo from Hottinger that lands mid-song is perfect, and leads into some stunning arrangements and a stark, simple piano outro with siren-like, dreamy vocals. One of those tracks where the only thing left to do once it fades out is hit the replay button.
‘Shiver’ quickly follows on, and in an alternate universe, it is the next James Bond theme song. Although devoid of all the overblown clichés that a Bond theme can often bring, it is still full of cinematic touches. It ebbs and flows with a waltz-like feel, and through a mixture of fragile vocals and one hair-raising scream, Lzzy Hale highlights again why she is one of the most respected vocalists in music today. The show-stealing ‘Like A Woman Can’ amplifies that thought a million times over, and will no doubt go on to be a Halestorm setlist staple for years to come. Beguiling and melancholic from start to finish, it’s a torch song at heart, but a torch song with added bite. And a sizzling guitar solo.
‘Gather The Lambs’ is another ballad-like moment that appears in the second half of the album; more uplifting and soaring than the darker ‘Like A Woman Can’, it gets better with each listen.
The heavier side of Halestorm breaks through on moments such as the foot-stomping ‘Rain Your Blood on Me’, which features Arejay threatening to ruin all the dental work in your mouth with his thumping hits (great partnership with the ever-reliable Josh Smith on bass). Great turn of pace mid-song with machine-gun vocals from Lzzy when the band floor it. Loads of twists and turns throughout on a song that will slay when played live. Likewise, ‘Darkness Always Wins’, with its foreboding tones, tolling bell, and haunting screams, proves that a song doesn’t need to be Slayer-heavy to be classed as “heavy”.
The early stages of the album are stronger than the closing stages and take some beating, although the slow-burning ‘Broken Doll’, and the closing pair of ‘I Gave You Everything’, and ‘How Will You Remember Me’ all stand out, especially the latter, which tips the hat to Lzzy’s beloved Skid Row.
With GRAMMY-winning producer Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell) at the helm, ‘Everest’ is more eclectic than its predecessor, 2022’s ‘Back From The Dead’, and a lot is going on throughout the twelve tracks. Calling an album “mature” might make it sound non-descript or bland, but ‘Everest’ highlights the maturity to be found in Halestorm circa-2025, something that perhaps comes with the territory of being – along with acts like Alter Bridge, and Shinedown – elder-statesmen/women to more recent acts such as The Warning.
Easily the strongest album that Halestorm have created in some time, thus, they have given themselves an almighty setlist headache as there are at least six or seven tracks here that you would be pissed if they didn’t make the cut on the forthcoming headline tour.
‘Everest’ is available August 8th via Atlantic Records. More information, HERE.
Review – Dave
Photo – credit Jimmy Fontaine
HALESTORM: ON TOUR 2025
July 17 – August 22: Supporting Volbeat (where noted)
September 11 – October 11: Support from Lindsey Stirling and Apocalyptica
October 22 – November 26: Support from Bloodywood
November 20 – November 26: Support from Kelsy Karter & The Heroines
UK & Ireland dates are highlighted in bold
AUGUST
9 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion (supporting Volbeat)
10 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center (supporting Volbeat)
12 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater (supporting Volbeat)
13 – Gilford, NH – Bank NH Pavilion (supporting Volbeat)
14 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center (supporting Volbeat)
16 – Hershey, PA – GIANT Center (supporting Volbeat)
17 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center (supporting Volbeat)
19 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Center (supporting Volbeat)
21 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center (supporting Volbeat)
22 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre (supporting Volbeat)
23 – Marshfield, WI – Central Wisconsin State Fair (headline date)
SEPTEMBER
11 – Salem, VA – Salem Civic Center (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
12 – Cherokee, NC – Harrah’s Cherokee (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
14 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
16 – Syracuse, NY – Upstate Medical University Arena at the Oncenter (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
18 – Laval, QC – Place Bell (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
19 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
21 – Madison, WI – Breese Stevens Field (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
23 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
24 – Cedar Rapids, IA – Alliant Energy PowerHouse (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
26 – Welch, MN – Treasure Island Amphitheater (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
27 – Duluth, MN – AMSOIL Arena (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
29 – Bonner Springs, KS – Azura Amphitheater (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
OCTOBER
1 – Sioux City, IA – Tyson Events Center (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
2 – Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
4 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
5 – Saskatoon, SK – SaskTel Centre (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
7 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
8 – Penticton, BC – South Okanagan Events Centre (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
10 – Vancouver, BC – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
11 – Spokane, WA – Spokane Arena (with Lindsey Stirling, Apocalyptica)
22 – Wiesbaden, DE – Schlachthof (with Bloodywood)
23 – Oberhausen, DE – Turbinehalle 2 (with Bloodywood)
25 – Hamburg, DE – Inselpark Arena (with Bloodywood)
27 – Stockholm SE – Fållan (with Bloodywood)
28 – Copenhagen, DK – The Grey Hall (with Bloodywood)
30 – Warsaw, PL – COS Torwar (with Bloodywood)
NOVEMBER
1 – Berlin, DE – Columbiahalle (with Bloodywood)
3 – Prague, CZ – Lucerna Velkỳ Sàl (with Bloodywood)
5 – Vienna, AT – Gasometer (with Bloodywood)
6 – Budapest, HU – Barba Negra (with Bloodywood)
8 – Munich, DE – Zenith (with Bloodywood)
9 – Zurich, CH – Komplex457 (with Bloodywood)
11 – Milan, IT – Alcatraz (with Bloodywood)
12 – Barcelona, ES – Razzmatazz 1 (with Bloodywood)
14 – Pamplona, ES – Totem (with Bloodywood)
15 – Madrid, ES – La Riviera (with Bloodywood)
17 – Paris, FR – Olympia (with Bloodywood)
18 – Amsterdam, NL – AFAS Live (with Bloodywood)
20 – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena (with Bloodywood, Kelsy Karter & The Heroines)
21 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro (with Bloodywood, Kelsy Karter & The Heroines)
23 – Birmingham, UK – bp pulse LIVE (with Bloodywood, Kelsy Karter & The Heroines)
24 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena (with Bloodywood, Kelsy Karter & The Heroines)
26 – London, UK – O2 Arena (with Bloodywood, Kelsy Karter & The Heroines)
