Halestorm – ReAnimate: The CoVeRs
Rating: 
This was unexpected to say the least.
Basically made for the heck of it, ReAnimate: The CoVeRs gives us an assortment of cover songs, and a decently fun time. Now, I know what you’re thinking. The band already isn’t that remarkable, and their debut album had much to be desired, so how can an EP filled with cover songs possibly be a good thing? Whether you believe it or not, the sex-driven rock group has done great justice to the songs. They may not be breaking new grounds by releasing a cover EP, but the band has never been revolutionary anyway. Considering that this band exudes rock as it formally was, creating this EP actually makes a lot of sense, and they ultimately prove it to be a sound idea.
The EP starts with a Skid Row cover from their classic album Slave to the Grind, which already spells disaster, but shockingly, the cover is immensely well done. In fact, Halestorm’s version of the song is so good that it makes the original seem as attractive as week old vomit. It has more energy and raw power than the original, and combined with Lzzy Hale’s extremely impressive vocals, it honestly puts the original song to shame. As usual, Lzzy’s vocals make songs immense, as she shows off her impressive vocal range, as well as her seamless transitions between gritty and pretty vocal styles. While there is the audacious ‘Slave to the Grind’, there is also the romantic ‘All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You’ which highlights Lzzy’s gorgeous vocals, and results in a beautiful song. Both the singer and the band are proving that they can handle diversity, and we’re finding that the band is much more talented than their debut album showed.
Surprisingly, there are almost no bad apples in the basket. The only rotten apple is their cover of ‘Hunger Strike’, which sounds uninspired, lazy, and incredibly boring. In the midst of such astoundingly good covers, it’s a pity that this one wormed its way in. Another pity is found in ‘Bad Romance’ which really didn’t need to be covered again. It’s a solid version to be sure, but the album version pales in comparison to their powerful live performance of the song. Thankfully though, with ‘Bad Romance’ being good anyway, and with ‘Hunger Strike’ being the only subpar song, the EP barely suffers. Instead, we are treated with excellent covers like ‘Out To Get Me’ and ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy). ‘Out To Get Me’ is a Guns N’ Roses cover which has been argued to be either just as good as the original or even better than it, and that’s no small feat. ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ is an amazing cover of a classic The Beatles song that just might be the best cover of the song yet. Yes, Halestorm has done quite well in making this EP, and with the band’s talent finally revealing itself, it bodes well for their upcoming album. This is one cover songs collection that you don’t want to miss.
iTunes -Â http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/reanimate-the-covers-ep/id424480616
Myspace -Â http://www.myspace.com/halestorm
