The original album and deluxe edition both move from track to track well, with a good mix of hard-charging rock songs sprinkled with choice ballads. I’m all for Atmos mixes when done with intent, but I certainly don’t believe it should be done for the sake of ticking a box. All tracks are written by Lzzy Hale and Scott Stevens, except track 6 by Lzzy Hale, Zac Malloy, and Scott Stevens; and track 8 by Lzzy Hale, Joe Hottinger, Josh Smith, and Arejay Hale No. Mine", the first single off the deluxe edition, features a dance-inspired beat, pop vocals and a cheesy sing-along chorus that sound straight out of the 1980s pop playbook.

The album received generally favorable reviews from critics, often based on Lzzy Hale's performance. On the throat-busting Wicked Ways and Psycho Crazy, her envelope-pushing performance is like that of a woman running from – or maybe towards – an avalanche. Ask any modern rock fan to name a few of the most powerful women in the genre today, and Lzzy Hale will likely be high on the list.Subsequently, I’d suggest that Psycho Crazy is a little overproduced in that it is trying too hard and should have fewer musical elements, thereby allowing for a cleaner recording and overall presentation of an otherwise solid tune. Fronted by the incomparable Lzzy Hale with drummer Arejay Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger, and bass player Josh Smith, Halestorm has earned a reputation as a powerful live music force, headlining sold-out shows and topping festival bills around the world. Lzzy and her brother, drummer Arejay Hale, often site the towering, arena rock sounds of the '70s and '80s as inspirations, and that comes through on the release. NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account.

The emotive, piano-led Raise Your Horns is a decent closer, but if your skin doesn’t prickle when Lzzy sings the opening lines of The Steeple – a song made for crowds, the stage, the very things we’ve missed – then you should probably check a few of your other vital signs. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Mastodon, Alice in Chains) with co-production by Scott Stevens (Shinedown, Daughtry, New Year’s Day), Back From The Dead quickly evolved from songwriting exercises into a matter of survival for the band, taking the listener through ‘a journey of navigating mental health, debauchery, survival, redemption, and rediscovery, while still maintaining faith in humanity’ says frontwoman Lzzy Hale. It’s Halestorm 101 and while it may not break new ground, you know exactly what to expect and Halestorm delivers. It’s up against 2012’s breakthrough sophomore release The Strange Case Of… for that accolade, but if context is taken into consideration, it’s a contender. That said, as it pertains to the Dolby Atmos surround sound mix, also on Apple Music, it isn’t as hard-hitting and rocking as the stereo mix and sounds a little muddy in places.Halestorm's 2022 release, their fifth studio album Back From The Dead, is a triumphant album that is not only on par with their prior records, but in many respects trumps all that has come before. The album features the title track along with current single, “The Steeple” Halestorm has grown from a childhood dream of siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale into one of the most celebrated rock bands of the last two decades. While Back From The Dead demonstrates Halestorm's musical growth and experimentation, it’s an album that provides further validation to their unwavering dedication to the hard rock industry, their fans, and to the music itself, for Back From The Dead is full of electrifying performances.

Not only does she have some of hard rock's most commanding pipes, but Lzzy's guitar playing abilities are uniquely exceptional. It’s hard to imagine this opener – the purging, anthemic title track – being birthed in any other era. While bands with strong vocalists sometimes sound as if they're competing against the guitars, in HALESTORM, the two are perfectly married, not clashing but instead working together, supporting one another. Hale’s incredible vocal is the magical element that ensures Wicked Ways is a highlight of the album.Remember lockdown, that shapeless mass of wasted life in which time seemed to distort and bands had to swap real for virtual? Naturally, it isn’t only Hale’s prowess on the microphone that makes such an impact for the band is on fire throughout this hard rock masterpiece.