Joined as she has been on every Halestorm album so far by drummer brother Arejay Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger, and bassist Josh Smith, Lzzy sounds as good as ever here. Despite this album being the band's toughest-sounding to date, this does not mean that it is always so. Perhaps previous albums would have sounded heavier than this one if they had benefitted from this album's production, but there is plenty of weight here - alongside some powerful ballads, poppier moments, and the occasional experiment. The album opens with Fallen Star, a pretty hard-hitting mid-paced rocker - which kicks off with a slab-like riff and lots of big drum rolls. Whilst this intro suggests that the song might be faster than it actually is, there is plenty of weight throughout - with verses that sit back on a heavy and Black Sabbath-esque groove. The drums are simple and pack a punch, whilst the crunchy guitars are the perfect bed for Lzzy's sultry vocals - which are gritty in parts and slightly more melodic elsewhere. The song slows down for its chorus, which sees chiming guitar melodies and a paired back drum arrangement allowing for a moment of atmosphere. Lzzy sings in a much more melodic way here, which suits the sparser backing well and the overall contrast with the big riffing elsewhere is noticeable. A later, fairly lengthy guitar solo adds some screaming, bluesy leads to the track - and the plentiful riffing, melodic, slow-burning chorus, and a heavier, 1990s Metallica-esque closing section ensure that the album gets underway in a memorable fashion. The title track follows, opening with gentle piano and some wordless vocals from Lzzy - before the guitars and drums join in, laying down a slightly cold-sounding shuffling groove, whilst Smith's bass rumbles away beneath. The track is one which grows slowly, then, with Lzzy part-talking/part-singing over this strange verse groove - before she launches into a more powerful and soulful delivery during a more full-on chorus. The chorus sees the band kick in more significantly, even if the deliberate pacing is somewhat retained. The approach is more cinematic, though, with big guitar chords and subtle vocal harmonies - whilst another pretty lengthy guitar solo follows its first iteration. There is a darkness to the song despite this bigger chorus scope and I really like the mix of grooves and vibes here - plus the focus on lead guitar moments throughout which has perhaps not been something the band have done enough of in the past. Following two strong opening cuts, I perhaps find Shiver to be something of a dip in quality. The opening harmony guitar leads hint at some Thin Lizzy-isms, especially given the drum groove behind them, but this vibe is short lived - with the verses morphing into something much slower overall, with a sombre feeling and chiming clean guitar melodies. The song is something of a power ballad, of the kind the band have done many times in the past, and I think many of their previous examples are better. The chorus is more hard rocking, but it perhaps lacks the big hooks I would expect so it fails to properly latch on. A screaming guitar solo is welcome, though, and is likely the best part of the song. There is certainly nothing overtly wrong here, there is just better to be found throughout this album.
This is especially the case given that the following four songs are some of the best tracks here. Like a Woman Can is one of the tracks which feels a bit more experimental - as it mixes poppy lounge grooves with hard rock, and the combination works surprisingly well. The verses see Lzzy delivering some of her best vocals on the album, mixing jazzy inflections with her trademark power, whilst swinging programmed drums and echoey piano melodies create a suitably smoky atmosphere to back Lzzy's Amy Winehouse-esque delivery. The chorus is much more typical of the band's core sound, though, with heavier guitars crashing in and the drumming becoming much punchier. Lzzy also leaves behind the jazz vibes during the chorus, to instead deliver a much grittier feel - and even with the piano remaining there is plenty of hard rock grit here. Another strong guitar solo is thrown in, too, and the track is an overall highlight here thanks to its mix of sounds. Rain Your Blood on Me is a heavier track overall, which opens with some noisy guitar before a stomping beat kicks in and Lzzy recites the song's title in an anthemic manner. This primal, stomping groove returns throughout the song, creating an organic chorus, but the guitar riffing elsewhere and the high-octane verses are some of the album's heaviest moments - with a true metal edge, snarling guitars, and the occasional thrashy drum moment. A shredded guitar solo later adds to this overall feel, with fast-paced leads sitting atop double bass drumming and pulsing bass guitar, whilst Lzzy is often at her most gritty throughout the song - even if the chorus is a bit retro blues in the vein of bands like When Rivers Meet. The combination works well, though, with the band really showcasing their heavy side - with Cobb's production finally allowing the band to really roar. Darkness Always Wins slows the pace down again, with a strange percussion loop and ringing piano melodies creating an atmospheric and dark soundscape initially - over which Lzzy soon starts to sing. I was a bit critical of Shiver as it is a bit of a typical power ballad - but Darkness Always Wins does that style in a much more effective manner in my view. There is a strong emotional pull throughout, with Lzzy really delivering vocally, whilst the piano playing throughout feels a little busier and classier - which counters Lzzy's vocals nicely. Slow-burning verses and initial chorus renditions set a dark and dense tone - but later on the band kick things up a notch and take the song in a heavier direction, with some bigger riffing. Lzzy's scream later transitions the song to a heavier section still - with shuffling, metallic riffing and another shredded guitar solo. The move from slow-burning ballad to all-out metal is effective - and when the band returns to the gentle piano of the chorus, before then delivering a heavier version of it, to close things out the song really seems to come together.
Despite it opening slowly, with some clean guitars and another percussion loop, Gather the Lambs is a hard rocker which feels like old-school Halestorm. This is album is very much recognisably by the band, but it does take some twists and turns along the way - Gather the Lamb could have sat on one of the band's early albums without sounding out of the place, as the poppy chorus is very much out of the band's classic playbook. There are lots of strong choruses here, but this one feels very immediate given the radio-friendly vocal melodies and Lzzy's relative lack of grit - but there are still some big guitar rhythms to bulk out the chorus, alongside another screaming guitar solo. Slow-burning verses, which feel quite minimalist, contrast nicely with the radio rock of the chorus and the hard rock of the instrumental section - with the song pulling together a number of elements which helped Halestorm to break through in the first place. Watch Out! opens with some chaotic riffing and drumming - and the song is perhaps the album's most aggressive piece with plentiful guitar riffs, hard hitting drumming, and some strange synths rearing their heads occasionally. The band just really rock out here, with Lzzy delivering some of her grittiest vocals on the album - which almost border on harsh vocals at times. The snappy chorus hooks are perhaps a little nu-metal in tone and rhythm for me to ever fully love the song, but it is certainly fun seeing the band really go for it here - and the raw production, despite some synth inclusions, allows them to sound heavy. It is maybe the heaviest that the band have ever sounded - so it is fitting that there is another pretty lengthy guitar solo here which includes fast-paced and more measured moments throughout. Broken Doll is another track which sounds like a bit of a throwback to the band's earlier albums. The band have had quite a lot of success over the years by mixing slow-burning, clean guitar-led verses with more band-orientated and heavier choruses - and that is exactly what this song does. As this album has shaken up the formula a bit more in places, this track does end up feeling a little simple and perhaps less interesting than some of the other cuts here. There are still some strong melodies, though, and the chorus has that fists-in-the-air and uplifting feel that is synonymous with Halestorm. As a result, it is likely to go down well live - even if here on the album it is perhaps overshadowed by some stronger and more interesting songs from a songwriting and arrangement perspective.
K-I-L-L-I-N-G is another pretty heavy track, and it follows a similar vein to Watch Out! whilst perhaps never quite reaching the overall level of toughness as that previous number. Lzzy sounds gritty throughout, but she does not really flirt with harsh vocals this time, with the chorus instead being more of a chanted, old-school hard rock stomp which feels like a more high-octane version of the approach taken on Rain Your Blood on Me's chorus. The song is much weightier overall, though, with some more nu-metal-esque quitar moments - with some Fear Factory-adjacent grooves and riffs at times, despite the band never sounding quite that mechanical. I like hearing the band really letting their hair down on songs like this - even if, melody-wise, the song is not as interesting as some of the others here. I Gave You Everything is more dynamic, with the song again treading the path of slower-burning verses mixing nicely with a heavier chorus. Chiming guitar melodies and sparser drumming keeps the verses ticking, with distant spoken word filling some of the gaps in between Lzzy's vocal lines - whilst the chorus is much more explosive. The chorus is pretty simple, too, and kicks off when a strident riff takes over - with the transition between the slower moments and the heavier moments being pretty stark. Vocally, too, the chorus is simple - with Lzzy essentially repeating a couple of lines over and over. Again, then, there are more interesting songs here - but the chorus becomes memorable for its caveman-like insistence after a couple of listens, and it is great to hear Lzzy really letting rip vocally. The album then comes to a close with How Will You Remember Me?, another power ballad of sorts with strident guitar leads opening things up - before piano takes over when Lzzy begins to sing. There is something quite classy and expansive about the song as a whole - with a good mix of piano and guitar throughout, as well as some pretty varied vocals from Lzzy. She really lets rip here, instead delivering a smoother, more emotional vocal throughout - which hangs over the early piano melodies nicely, before a little more rock is injected for a chorus which is tougher overall despite a cinematic approach retained. Another guitar solo is utilised here, too, but it is a bit shorter than many of the others on the album. I would have actually preferred the solo to have been a bit longer given that this song is the album's closing statement. It still works well, though, and it is perhaps the chorus vocal melodies which are meant to be what remains in the brain as the album comes to a close - with Lzzy's gentle vocals and piano being the last thing heard as the song fades out. Whilst I am familiar with the band's other albums, this the first album of theirs that I have properly digested for reviewing purposes - and I feel more connected with it as a result than I do any of their previous work. I really like the variety here and the fact that the album is not just more of the same - which it would be easy for any successful band to produce. This feels like a creative piece of work which may not satisfy everyone, or hit home immediately, but it feels more satisfying as a result - and I am looking forward to seeing the band keep up such a mindset going forward.
The album was released on 8th August 2025 via Atlantic Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Everest.
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