Vicious

by Halestorm

Overview

Halestorm is aptly named, as vowel-averse frontwoman Lzzy Hale has an F5 tornado for a voice, which she uses to great effect on her band's fourth studio long-player. The follow-up to 2015's Into the Wild Life, which was the group's highest-charting outing to date, Vicious doesn't deviate too much from the stock hedonism of its predecessor -- the holy hard rock trinity of sex, drugs, and rock & roll is alive and well -- but it connects on such a visceral and familiar level that listeners will likely be unable to resist the urge to turn things up to 11. In lesser hands, big-box hard rock songs like "Skulls," "Uncomfortable," and "Black Vultures" would blow in one ear and out the other, but Hale and company are as adept with hooks as they are with decibels, which makes the material sticky enough to leave some residue on its way out of your head. Produced with a considerable amount of punch by Nick Raskulinecz (Ghost, Foo Fighters), the 12-track set ticks off all the boxes, from big, inclusive, arena-ready anthems like "Killing Ourselves to Live" and cigarette lighter-ready power ballads like "Heart of Novocaine" to the trashy vamp-ups "Do Not Disturb" and "Vicious," the latter of which gives off a surprising Pretty Hate Machine-era Nine Inch Nails vibe. The nostalgia-driven, Zeppelin-esque closer, "The Silence," feels a bit out of place tonally, but it does a nice job showing what a versatile singer Hale is -- equal parts Pat Benatar, Brandi Carlile, and Cinderella's Tom Keifer -- and allows some much needed light into the room. Four albums in and Halestorm appear to have officially hit their stride. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	09/28/2018
Label:	Atlantic
UPC:	0075678656262

Tracks

1. Black Vultures
2. Skulls
3. Uncomfortable
4. Buzz
5. Do Not Disturb
6. Conflicted
7. Killing Oursleves to Live
8. Heart of Novocaine
9. Painkiller
10. White Dress
11. Vicious
12. The Silence

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Halestorm   Primary Artist
Lzzy Hale   Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Synthesizer
Josh Smith   Piano,Vocals,Synthesizer,Guitar (Bass)
Joe Hottinger   Guitar,Vocals,Synthesizer
Arejay Hale   Drums,Vocals
The Rock Falcon Choir   Choir/Chorus

Technical Credits

Ted Jensen   Mastering
Nick Raskulinecz   Producer
Emma Pollock   Composer
Dan Book   Composer
Lzzy Hale   Composer,Group Member
Halestorm   Composer,Creative Director
Michael Pollack   Composer
Chris Lord-Alge   Mixing
Kevin Churko   Composer
Pete Ganbarg   A&R
Nik Karpen   Engineer,Mixing Assistant
Andrew Goldstein   Composer
Scott Stevens   Composer,Additional Production
Steve "Doc" Dachroeden   Guitar Technician
Brian Ranney   Packaging Manager
Josh Smith   Composer,Group Member
Brian Vodinh   Composer
David Brown   Technician,Guitar Technician
Joe Hottinger   Whip,Composer,Group Member
Jimmy Fontaine   Photography
Nathan Yarborough   Engineer
Alex Kirzhner   Design,Creative Director
Scott Dachroden   Technician
Arejay Hale   Composer,Group Member
Ingrid Andress   Composer
Andre Davidson   Composer
Suzi Akyuz   Product Manager
Khloe Churko   Composer
Jesse Davidson   Composer
Charlie Puth   Composer
Jordan Logue   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Stephen Puth   Composer
Rock Falcon   Technician,Drum Technician
Bryson Andres   Composer