Halestorm is an American rock band who spent most of their time on tours and Into the Wild Life is their third album. Listening to Halestorm, it is completely clear where do they come from. Influence wise. It is a classic rock and hard rock sound from few decades away modernized with, well, modern rock. It is how they decided to present their music – to make it available to both the older and younger generations.
Frontman Lzzy Hale is what makes the band potentially stand out. She is a true rock star because she has an attitude and her weapon is her voice. She has a voice and she is not afraid to use it. She can be very suggestive in the ballades, while being angry in the most powerful rock stuff.
Anyhow, Into the Wild Life is moderate. Some songs can easily be labeled as true rock pieces while others sound weak and unfinished. Those are usually the tracks that are desperately seeking for attention from the kids. Opening Scream shows the band who wants to mix a lot of things into the one whole. There are sections borrowed from metal, some from electronic music, but everything sounds like a hybrid of modern rock and hard rock. I am The Fire is trying to get to the audience who is into mainstream rock (such as Nickelback). No doubt, Lzzy is way better vocalist than Chad Kroeger is.
As the album moves forward, slow and fast paced tracks are switching. The band is holding their balance pretty well. Central number of the album is Mayhem. It sounds like The Distillers from their best days – punk rock plus alternative rock with frenetic vocals. Mayhem proves that Halestorm is the force to be reckoned with.
Radiophony is to be felt at the end. What Sober Couldn’t Say falls somewhere between sentimental Pink and oversentimental Avril Lavigne. Complete opposite is I Like It Heavy that owns its power to the records of rock dinosaurs.
Album has a great name because Into the Wild Life describes what you will find on it. Thirteen tracks show Halestorm in a different light. With some corrections, this could be even more successful release but we should still keep our eyes on Halestorm.
