halestorm- back from the dead (+ deluxe)

their bonus tracks were their redemption

intro

okay, lower your pitchforks and torches for a second. i am a die-hard halestorm fan. this review is coming from a place of love, because i know they could've done better and i love them enough to wait for the next album, whenever that will happen. i wanted to love this album, i really did, but sometimes even the bands you love the most will have their "why did they release this" moments. anyway, onto the review.
when halestorm dropped first single and title track to their new album, i was blown away. everything was on point with them as usual, and i was itching to listen to the rest of the album. a bit later i saw them with evanescence, which was easily the best concert i've been to yet. halestorm opened with back from the dead, which only made me even more hyped for the album. that is, until lzzy started leaking the lyrics to the other songs online. i hate to say it, but they're bad. like, shit i would've written in middle school bad. it's repetitive and some of the lines felt like she got them off of a sarcastic glitter graphic circa 2005. these are lyrics i would expect from maybe their debut album, but not from a well established band that's been in the scene for decades. i also noticed that lzzy is going through an "i'm not like other girls" phase (at 38 no less), and like, i get it, love yourself and your differences, but if you're gonna write about it at least make the lyrics good. there were songs that stood out to me in a good way, only to immediately go back to being disappointed when the next song plays. overall, back from the dead by halestorm had some great songs, but it gets overshadowed and ruined by songs with boring, repetitive, and down right poor quality lyrics which gives me the impression that it was rushed so they have an excuse to tour again.

track-by-track

BACK FROM THE DEAD: the song that got my hopes up. this is what i really expected from the whole album. strong lyrics with instrumentals to match, roaring vocals, and a message that (quite literally) screams "we aren't done yet, we're back and better than ever". hearing this live ,ade it even better; it was proof that they truly are back. this was their best song on the album and it what made me come back to it and listen to it again just one more time. 10/10.
WICKED WAYS: immediately after one of their best singles of all time, i am met with disappointment. it honestly just feels like a part two to i'm not an angel from their selt titled album. the lyrics can be chalked up to "ooh i'm so messed up but i don't really care", like congrats i guess? this is where the "i'm not like other girls" stuff comes in. lyrics aside, this songs feels boring and almost incomplete in a way, solidifing my belief that this album was rushed. she threw in a random scream towards the end to try and help, but it really didn't. 0/10.
STRANGE GIRL: this one grew on me a bit! the lyrics are still a bit hit and miss, but it honestly isn't as bad as i remembered the first time i listened to it. the guitars we're fuckin awesome, might i add. still a bit "i'm not like other girls"ish, but i'll let it slide. the "I'LL. NEVER BE YOUUUUUUUUUUU" part was perfect, it really made it sound like what i was expecting with the album. 7/10.
BRIGHTSIDE: and it's back to basically the same problems wicked ways had. it's boring, it's forgettable, and again, the lyrics just weren't polished at all. not much to say about it other than the whispering bit makes me think that lzzy should start an asmr channel. 0/10.
THE STEEPLE: when this single came out, i started to lose hope for the album. similar to wicked ways, this felt like a part two to one their past songs, amen. "it stopped raining in my head today" is an especially weak lyric. i noticed that in this song and some of the others (wicked ways, strange girl, bombshell, i come first) the lyrics are so repetitive, which can make it hard to listen to. despite this, the steeple is actually one of the better tracks on the album. the guitar solo was great as usual, some lyrics were pretty solid, it felt enough like halestorm, and i'm glad they chose this as a single over some of the other songs. 6/10.
TERRIBLE THINGS: i'm a sucker for halestorm acoustic songs and this one is no different. lzzy's voice was so smooth and beautiful and the low, subtle strings gave it a sort of far from heaven by evanescence vibe (same producer and both bands collabed quite a bit lately, so it makes sense). one of their best acoustic songs to be honest. 9/10.
MY REDEMPTION: really cool guitars, i love the fast bits. has that solid halestorm feel that i think certain songs in the album just don't have. sounds like something out of both into the wild life and vicious. 7/10.
BOMBSHELL: this song truly angers me. it had SO MUCH POTENTIAL. the instrumentals rip your brain apart and it makes you think you're about to listen to their best song yet. until the lyrics start. oh. my. god. it's bad. i thought there was no way to ruin this song, but my god did they fuck it up. if the guitars weren't the best work they've done, this would've gotten a zero. 2/10.
I COME FIRST: lyrics are... okay considering what i just listened to. bridge was weak. the delivery and the instrumentals carried the song. 5/10.
PSYCHO CRAZY: ah yes, the classic demonization of mental illness. that combined with the horribly weak lyrics makes it easily their worst song yet no amount of sick ass guitars and screaming can save it. i'm so fucking tired of this album. 0/10.
RAISE YOUR HORNS: oh thank god it's over. this piano ballad is kinda okay, nothing really memorable. i think it would be better live with everyone singing together with their lighters/flashlights/horns held high in the air. other than that, it's pretty boring. 2/10.

final thoughts

they should've given themselves more time to work on the album. i know, they had the whole pandemic to write it and all, but really they should've taken a step back when they finally were able to get together and make this thing and polish up those lyrics more. and maybe not hire nick raskulinecz to produce the album, his mixing didn't help at all. i truly did want to like this album and i tried to be as nice as i could get, but man, it's so hard to listen to. on the bright side (no pun intended), there were a few diamonds in the rough with this album, which is something i would like to see more of in the future. i really hope they get out of this rut by their next album, i love this band and i don't think i can handle them having such a decline in quality. 4/10.

UPDATE:

the deluxe version just released and most of the bonus tracks are somehow better than the album. lets go through them real quick. might actually go in depth on this later but it's 1:30 am rn i'm tired

MINE: fun cheesy 80s style song with the generic lyrics to match. not one of the stronger bonus songs but i'll take anything over most of the main album. 5/10.
HEAVY MENTAL (FUCK YEAH!): HATE the title. was fully expecting to hate the song. fucking. loved it. this should replace psycho crazy. points off for the stupid title but bonus points for... what sounds to be slipknot kegs? kinda fuck with it. this is what i expected from the album in the first place 8/10.
LEGENDARY: kinda started a little eh at first, but it really grew on me. easily can replace bombshell. THAT BITCH IS LEGENDARY 7/10.
WANNABE: i'm a little weirded out by this one due to the lyrics. it's supposed to be like... "you're copying my style but you're a total bitch to people you can never be like me" which i get but the delivery is weird. it's quite catchy though. it's... definitely a BFTD track i can tell you that. i actually cant tell if i like it or hate it. 4/10?
YOU ONLY DIE ONCE who's naming these songs?? anyway, this FUCKS. should've been on the album. no notes other than yeah this is what i expect from halestorm and it took a minute but they delivered. 7/10.
ALIEN: annnd we're back to lzzy "i'm not like other girls" hale. except this time she ACTUALLY SAYS SHE NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS IN THIS. ALMOST WORD FOR WORD. it's not a boring or bad song by all means (it's pretty alright actually) but jesus WE GET IT elizabeth! i'm just glad that the bonus tracks aren't boring like half the main album at this point. 6/10.
SPECIAL:OH MY GOD. this was it this restored my faith in halestorm's next album. if anyone asks i never doubted them for a second. if you're debating getting BFTD deluxe get it for this song. this could've been the only bonus track and i'd still love it more than the album. 9/10.

final final thoughts

damn. goddamn. you're telling me we could've had these tracks on the album instead of like, brightside and wicked ways? this could've easily been a decent album if we got a few of those tracks on there. it actually sounded like they took their time on it! the lyrics aren't completely there and can use a bit more polishing, but some of these really sounded interesting and memorable. the bonus tracks alone total up to about a 7/10 and the bonus tracks combined with the main album average out to a neat little... 5/10. honestly i thought it'd go up a little bit higher but i'm literally just using a calculator and averaging all the tracks out and the math doesn't lie i guess. i think now that lockdown is well over by now they'll bounce back in their next album.