HALESTORM / ReAniMate : The Covers EP (2011)

Halestorm unleashes a turbulent torrent of infectious hard rock on their self-titled Atlantic debut. The band-guitarist Joe Hottinger, bassist Josh Smith, drummer Arejay Hale and singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale-churn out uncompromising rock n' roll anthems. Drawing from an arsenal of songs that she's penned since she was 13, Lzzy examines love and life on the edge. Halestorm signed with Atlantic and released the live EP, One and Done. In 2008, Halestorm entered a Los Angeles studio to record their debut album with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson (Three Days Grace, Flyleaf, My Chemical Romance) and mixer Chris Lord-Alge (Underoath, AFI, Green Day). 'I Get Off', from their self-titled album, was a smash hit in 2009!

So, nowadays, Halestorm are back with a new EP that features cover songs from Guns N’ Roses, Lady Gaga, the Beatles, Skid Row, Temple Of The Dog and Heart! The opening track, "Slave To The Grind", is a huge Skid Row track! Halestorm takes this gem and they achieve to balance it between old and new with a fresh air! For sure an impressive start! The next song is Lady Gaga's big hit "Bad Romance". And yes they are doin' an excellent job with it. They keep the pop feeling with a harder edge and the result, overall, is  good. “Out Ta Get Me” and Heart's classic tune of “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You” are both performed very well. I really dig the cover of the Beattles track “I Want You/She’s So Heavy”. An excellent track!! In "Hunger Strike" the band delivers a decent performance.

All in all, this is an interesting release from Halestorm. Even though the band is involved with covers from some big hard rock/rock names they achieve to offer a solid album. Well done!!
HeavyParadise's Rating : 8/10

track list :  1 - Slave To The Grind (Skid Row cover), 2 - Bad Romance (Lady Gaga cover), 3 - Hunger Strike (Temple Of The Dog cover), 4 - Out Ta Get Me (Guns 'N Roses cover), 5 - All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You (Heart cover), 6 - I Want You [She's So Heavy] (The Beatles cover)