Back from the Dead (Halestorm album)

Last updated

Back from the Dead
Halestorm BackfromtheDead.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 6, 2022
Recorded2021
Studio
  • Rock Falcon (Nashville, TN)
  • The Barn (Springfield, TN)
  • The Cabin (Los Angeles, CA) [1]
Genre
Length37:41
Label Atlantic
Producer
Halestorm chronology
Vicious
(2018)
Back from the Dead
(2022)
Singles from Back from the Dead
  1. "Back from the Dead"
    Released: August 18, 2021 [3]
  2. "The Steeple"
    Released: February 4, 2022 [4]
  3. "Wicked Ways"
    Released: July 16, 2022
  4. "Terrible Things"
    Released: May 24, 2023

Back from the Dead is the fifth studio album by American rock band Halestorm. It was released on May 6, 2022, through Atlantic Records. [1] The album was preceded by its title track, "Back from the Dead", which was released as a single in August 2021, [3] followed by "The Steeple" in February 2022. [4]

Contents

Background and production

Halestorm began working on their fifth studio album slightly before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. During the lockdown period, the band was forced to cease their customary schedule of frequent touring while finding ways to financially support their staff and crew. The band began formal work on the album in early 2021. [5]

Back From the Dead was the second time Halestorm worked with Nick Raskulinecz as their producer. [6]

Music and lyrics

Many of the album's lyrics are informed by singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale's experiences of self-discovery as a musician disconnected from fans and bandmates during the pandemic. [4]

"This album is the story of me carving myself out of that abyss. It is a journey of navigating mental health, debauchery, survival, redemption, rediscovery, and still maintaining faith in humanity." [7]

Hale has also shared that the song "Strange Girl" was intended to be an anthem for a teenage girl who had come out to her parents immediately before COVID. [8] She was stuck with them due to lockdown despite them not being supportive, so she had conversations with Hale and other fans online.

Critical reception

The album received generally favorable reviews from critics, often based on Lzzy Hale's performance. Wayne Parry of ABC News noted that "Hale manages to pull it off with a deft songwriting touch and a surprising sense of melody that belies the bombast." [2] According to Steve Beebee of Kerrang! , "Lzzy Hale owns the best voice in modern rock – but even she’s never sounded quite this enflamed" and called the album "the best 38 minutes of pure rock you’ve heard this year." [9]

In the words of Chad Bowar of Metal Injection, "This album does a better job of getting closer to the energy and passion of the band's live shows than the last one [ Vicious ] did." [10] According to Ed Ford of Rock N' Load, "If people wanted to know what the perfect rock album sounds like, give this a blast, you won’t hear much better." [11]

Accolades

Accolades for Back from the Dead
PublicationListRank
Metal Hammer The Best Metal Albums of 2022 So Far
[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Lzzy Hale and Scott Stevens, except track 6 by Lzzy Hale, Zac Malloy, and Scott Stevens; and track 8 by Lzzy Hale, Joe Hottinger, Josh Smith, and Arejay Hale

No.TitleLength
1."Back from the Dead"3:30
2."Wicked Ways"3:27
3."Strange Girl"3:42
4."Brightside"3:27
5."The Steeple"3:27
6."Terrible Things"3:36
7."My Redemption"3:33
8."Bombshell"3:07
9."I Come First"3:13
10."Psycho Crazy"3:25
11."Raise Your Horns"3:19
Total length:37:41
Japanese edition bonus tracks [13]
No.TitleLength
12."Back from the Dead (Acoustic)"3:39
13."Back from the Dead (Live)"3:43
Total length:45:14
Back from the Dead: Deluxe Edition [14]
No.TitleLength
12."Mine"4:19
13."Heavy MeNtal (Fuck Yeah)"3:00
14."Legendary"3:28
15."Wannabe"3:36
16."You Only Die Once"3:39
17."Alien"2:47
18."Special"3:43
Total length:62:12

Personnel

Halestorm

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Back from the Dead
Chart (2022)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [15] 90
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [16] 24
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [17] 58
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [18] 166
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [19] 94
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [20] 13
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [21] 12
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [22] 34
Japanese Hot Albums ( Billboard Japan ) [23] 62
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [24] 29
Scottish Albums (OCC) [25] 6
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [26] 12
UK Albums (OCC) [27] 9
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [28] 1
US Billboard 200 [29] 36
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [30] 2
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [31] 4

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References

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