There's a lot to talk about in this group of new singles. Let's not waste any time.
Halestorm - Everest
The second single for the upcoming record continues to show us Halestorm is moving in a very different direction. They lean fully into Dio-esque epic construction, letting the song build from one section to the next, taking us on a ride that feels more epic than the four-plus minute running time might indicate. Lzzy matches this with her vocal, which goes from soft cooing with the piano at the beginning to nearly screaming her lungs out as she belts the chorus.
That chorus... Lzzy tells us how her journey to the person she now is compares to climbing the highest mountain, and she does so by throwing in the pun of metaphorically summiting Mount Everest being an endeavor in which she won't "ever rest'. The pun seems obvious, but also completely unexpected among an album of songs that dig into the journey of healing yourself. This might be an example of laughter being the best medicine, and the nod-and-wink joke being an indicator that Lzzy is now able to look back and laugh at the path that brought her to today.
Either way, like "Darkness Always Wins", "Everest" is the sound of Halestorm opening up and becoming more artists in addition to a rock band. There is nuance and power to this song they have not explored in this way before, and it's a fascinating twist on their usual approach. Their first shift occurred on "Into The Wild Life", and this signals their second. So far, this shift is sounding like they already know the way forward, and there won't be any growing pains along the way.
Creeper - Headstones
I did not enjoy "Sanguivore" at all. Other than the Meat Loaf inspired opening epic, the goth rock of that album was a sound completely lost and/or wasted on me. I found it dull, and far more forgettable than either of the sounds Creeper had taken on before. That makes the idea of a sequel album a less than appealing thought, but that is what we will be getting in the autumn. The first taste of that is "Headstones", and I'm rather surprised.
While there is still a bit of goth in the sound, this is more of a makeup job over the original Creeper sound than a pure attempt to emulate goth of the olden days. The guitars retain their punk energy, the vocals don't get bogged down in the deep resonance of croaked goth, and we get a hint of comedy that at least tells us Creeper knows how ridiculous their entire career has been.
Leading into the chorus by chanting, "give us head.... stones", is the sort of terrible joke that Jim Steinman would have loved to have written himself. That this is the band's most propulsive song since their debut might indicate they realize they had drifted too far from their identity, and made it difficult for some of us to feel like we know who they are as a band. Adding color to the original, rather than painting with a whole new palate, sure sounds a whole lot better to me. I'm not burying them just yet.
Rise Against - I Want It All
I know many Rise Against fans have not been overly fond of the band's recent work, but I am in the camp that thought "Wolves" and "Nowhere Generation" were great records. In fact, the bonus EP "Nowhere Generation II" is even better, and is one of the few EPs I truly love without feeling disappointed it isn't a full-length experience. With all that, I should be excited for a new Rise Against album, but songs like this one make it hard to say such a thing.
The production choices are a key in that. The guitars are dirtier without sounding heavier, which push the vocals back in the mix a bit. With some filtering in the chorus, it all makes me wonder if it was a choice to hide age creeping in. Regardless, it leaves me with the impression this is a noisier take on Rise Against's sound, one that comes with less in the way of hooky melody. The stop-start chorus doesn't grab me, and the rest of the track is merely a means to and end. After hearing three songs from this record, I'm not feeling very good about the rest of the songs salvaging this one.
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