Singles Roundup: Halestorm, Foo Fighters, Year Of The Goat, & Killswitch Engage

We've got a couple of big names, and one surprise, to discuss this week.

Halestorm - Rain Your Blood On Me

The first two singles told us this Halestorm record was going to be a different beast, and number three goes further in that direction. This is perhaps their most experimental song yet, throwing aside many of the conventions of a song to be released as a single. The focal point of the song is Lzzy's towering vocal that bellows the title, yet it is sung in a way that isn't aiming to be 'hooky' in a traditional way. She wails to release her emotions, as an almost blues riff that floats over the band's relative silence.

That gets punctuated by bursts of energy, where Lzzy spits out the lyrics at a rapid pace. The song is a start-and-stop that is a punctuated equilibrium, much like how our lives are not a smooth and continuous evolution toward our better selves. The rougher production feeds into this, with Joe's guitar fuzzy enough to tell us these are not songs going for the kill, but rather looking to expose the frayed energy of a mind trying to put itself back together.

It's a fascinating look into the journey, and a song that asks as many questions as it answers.

Foo Fighters - Today's Song

I feel so damn old when I hear mentions of this or that from my youth hitting thirtieth anniversaries. Foo Fighters have now reached that age, which is amazing to think about when you remember Kurt Cobain didn't reach that milestone in life. We've had Foo Fighters longer than we had Kurt. Wow.

At this stage, I'm not sure what to make of Dave Grohl. The last decade of Foo Fighters has been an odd stretch where it doesn't feel to me like he knows what he wants the band to be anymore. On the last record, he finally settled on recreating their early days. I didn't think it worked, and I don't think it works on this song either. The production tries to be the haze of the 90s, but it's a recreation rather than an honest expression. The song itself sounds old and tired, without the charm that turned them into one of the biggest bands in the world.

If this is who they are today, they're lucky they have the past to fall back on.

Year Of the Goat - Alucarda

Album number three is paramount when the first two didn't agree. Year Of The Goat's first album was a charming piece of vintage/occult rock. I loved that one, but the second album lacked a certain something. That means I'm not sure what to think of the upcoming third album, especially now that this song is out. Our first taste points us in a direction that hearkens back to the first album, where there's a feeling to their sound that to me gives the wink-and-nod impression they know this is all a bit cheesy. That's something I find necessary in this kind of music. Writing literally about black magic and demons is not only played out, but it's so disingenuous I struggle to find reasons why anyone wants to hear that stuff.

This song is perfectly Year Of The Goat. It sounds timeless without being a pastiche, sinister while still having fun. If this is an indication, they may have just righted the ship.

Killswitch Engage - Blood Upon The Water

Coming on the heels of a new album, it's an interesting decision to get an additional single so soon. While it was done for a charity, the timing will give the impression it was a song that didn't make it onto the record. That by itself would be fine, except for the fact the record was both not super long to begin with, and also dotted with some mediocre and forgettable tracks. This song is actually better than a few from the proper album, which actually works against the band. Rather than getting me excited about more songs in the future, it reminds me that "This Consequence" was a bit of a disappointment. Hearing this song, with its familiar sound and solid hook, is evidence the album could have been better by choosing a different track list. I don't think that's the impression the band wants to give, but in all honesty that's what I come away from it with.