Review: Halestorm- Reimagined EP
August 13, 2020
It’s been almost a tradition for Halestorm to release an EP of some kind in between albums. They haven’t done it every time, but they’ve done it enough that fans look forward to the possibility and this time, instead of a covers EP, they’ve released a remix EP loaded with six re-invented songs and they’ve knocked it out of the park yet again.
“I Get Off” starts it off with static guitars and explodes into a funk-fueled jam session with just enough soul sprinkled in. As it closes, we’re treated to a Lzzy scream-fest and it’s hard to hate it while “I Miss The Misery” keeps it going with an acoustic-oriented version.
It features orchestration and is peaceful but still somehow heavy; It’s very artsy and beautiful and Arejay’s solo with Lzzy’s vocals at 2:50 are a flawless 1-2 punch.
“I Am The Fire” features haunting guitars and is even more calming than the original version. The song builds along with Lzzy’s vocal prowess and the band rips into it at about 2:10 before toning it back down. There’s an amazing musical balance on this song.
“Break In” with Amy Lee released early as a single and got people really excited for the EP. The two have toured together and played a song together on Carnival of Madness in 2012 so a few fans have had the luxury of seeing them together but not all of us have had the chance to hear them team up.
We do here and it’s everything we could have hoped for. If you didn’t like the original version, this one will make you fall in love with it. Although there’s only two singers, it feels like a choir and it will bring a tear to your eye; As the song builds at 3:30, it’s bone-chilling.
Covering Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” is a ballsy move but they do it right by starting with Lzzy’s lone vocals, making you really listen and feel what she’s singing before she’s joined by a piano.
It’s a very stripped down rendition and really does the song justice. Lzzy completely lets her vocals go crazy on this one and it solidifies her as one of the top vocalists in all of music- not just rock. One word sums this one up- wow.
“Mz Hyde” closes things out and shows the band having a bluesy, jazz-filled acoustic jam session and this could fit really well into their live setlist- the entire EP could, actually.
Remix albums are hit and miss but this one is really fucking good. Halestorm does an impeccable job of adding new elements to their arsenal and hopefully some of them find their way onto the next LP.
Each band member has equal time to really spread their wings at different times and the fact that this is a legitimate re-invention and reimagining shows that they made a real effort to live up to the album title and they did exactly that.
Even though it\’s only six songs, there’s A LOT to digest on this EP and they give fans plenty to sink their teeth into and to tide them over until album 5 releases.
Rating: 9.5/10
-Reggie Edwards