IN REVIEW: Halestorm - "ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs EP"

As per tradition, Halestorm has released an EP of covers to satiate fans waiting for them to get a new album recorded and on the shelves. This third collection of covers more or less follows the same pattern as the two that came before; one glam metal track, one female pop artist from the late '80s/early '90s, one classic rock fist pumper, one modern pop hit, one grunge hit and one metal standard.

With little deviation from the original source material (aside from Sophie B. Hawkins' Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover and Twenty One Pilots' Heathens, which turn out more muscular by default), Halestorm's covers EPs can only be truly judged on the song selection and execution. Most of the tracks are serviceable, although a couple are so close to the original that their usefulness is tempered (Fell On Black Days, for example, is performed well, but shouldn't replace the Soundgarden version as anyone's go-to). Still of the Night would have been more satisfying had Halestorm chosen the album version over the two-minutes-shorter single version, and Ride the Lightning, while ably performed (and is actually served well by Lzzy Hale's vocals), doesn't truly gain anything from its inclusion here; that said, it is one of the riskiest covers they've attempted thus far, in that they're inviting the harsh criticism of Metallica fans.

All in all, Halestorm's third covers EP is just like the two that came before it; interesting on paper, decent in execution, worth a listen but ultimately not essential.

January 6, 2017 • Atlantic
Highlights I Hate Myself for Loving You • Heathens