Everest
Artist: Halestorm
Genre: Rock
Record Label: Atlantic Records
Release Date: 8 August 2025
The award-winning band Halestorm is coming back this year with its latest release, Everest. The four-piece from Red Lion, Pennsylvania, was founded by the sibling duo Lzzy Hale (vocals, guitar) and Arejay Hale (drums) and joined by Joe Hottinger (guitar) and Josh Smith (bass). The band has recently shown at the final Black Sabbath concert in Birmingham, paying their tribute to the legendary metal band with many other bands and artists, and has announced its upcoming global tour nEVEREST, that is set to take place this autumn.
The band’s sixth full-length album, Everest, offers the audience twelve brand new songs, with three of them, “Everest”, “Rain Your Blood On Me”, and “Darkness Always Wins”, being already released as singles. The titular single is a gnarly and dark release that strikes with its slow, yet captivating melody, as the instruments capture every feeling, together with Lzzy Hale’s rumbling voice. “Rain Your Blood On Me”, on the other hand, brings in more rock elements, with Joe Hottinger’s prominent guitar riffs, that are resonating through the track hand-in-hand with Arejay Hale’s drumming and Josh Smith’s bass. The last single of the album, “Darkness Always Wins”, brings in a new perspective, as it starts off acoustically with piano, only to bring in guitars and drums, creating a unique and exciting soundscape. The most outstanding feature is, without a doubt, the haunting sound of bells, which just makes the whole song even more interesting.
Apart from the already released singles, Everest offers a multitude of new tracks that are, each in their own way, stunning. Right at the beginning, Halestorm opens the album with the song “Fallen Star”, a release that is packed with instruments and vocals, and is not holding back in the slightest. “Shiver” is on a similar note, yet the song boasts a slightly different approach to the melody, bringing in slow guitar riffs and short, but impactful solos, that are once again complementary to Hale’s vocals, as they create memorable harmonies.
The energy of the album, however, twists around completely with the song “Like A Woman Can”. Dominated with Hale’s vocals once again, the track brings to the table an exciting mix of precise drumming and haunting piano, tied together with the guitar riffs and very prominent bass, that are making the melody even more appealing. Unveiling the feelings of frustration and anger, the song explores the frustrations and needs of appreciation that sometimes come with love and is very beautifully written both lyrically and musically. It is with no doubt one of the most prominent songs on the album and tends to stay with the listener for quite a while after listening to it.
“Gather The Lambs”, “I Gave You Everything”, and “Broken Doll” are all on a similar note, offering three rock anthems that are set to captivate the audience with big solos, hitting vocals and lyrics about lost love, betrayal and frustration, that are recurring throughout the whole album multiple times. All three songs sound very similar to each other, yet they all bring in fresh perspectives on rock, predominantly because of the use of instruments and ever-changing techniques, which give each song its unique twist. The only difference is the slower start of “I Gave You Everything”, which is misleading at first, but that is only until the first riff hits.
On the other hand, “Watch Out!” and “K-I-L L-I-N-G” bring in a completely fresh perspective with their heavily used instruments and Hale’s vocal fry, making them the heaviest songs on the album without any arguments. While “Watch Out!” is still laid back and offers a mixture of screams and clears, “K-I-L L-I-N-G” goes all in with no hesitation, bringing a full metal experience, together with a quick clear vocal bridge, that still does not take away from the raw intensity of the track. The most stand-out feature of the song is, without doubt, the rap parts, which are just a cherry on top of the overall experience, that is led by the talented Arejay Hale, Joe Hottinger and Josh Smith.
The last song of the album, “How Will You Remember Me”, is exactly what a listener imagines when someone says “a closing song” – it is emotional, full of sad riffs and does not miss a heartfelt solo. As the title of the song hints, the lyrics are about departing from a close person, which just adds to the tension, as it can be interpreted as a goodbye from the band, as well as a personal message to someone dear.
Although sometimes the order of the songs was a bit head-scratching, and songs like “I Gave You Everything” would benefit from being placed differently, Everest is still a lovely and emotional experience, which ought to resonate with the audience. Playing around with so many different genres, the songs offer a unique listening experience, as the listeners never really know what is about to come next. Halestorm and its producer Dave Cobb did an outstanding work on Everest, and it surely can be described as one of the most memorable albums of the year.
Everest is coming out on 8th August via Atlantic Records.