The Strange Case of...

Though many a music writer has noted that Lzzy Hale's versatile voice is what separates Halestorm from so many other post-grunge groups, it can be argued that the band simply writes catchier songs. Halestorm’s 2012 sophomore album shows this with the opening cut, “Love Bites (So Do I),” where Hale snarls suggestive lyrics over hard-chugging riffs and a well-oiled rhythm section. “Mz. Hyde” employs even more menacing melodies, as Hale howls nightmarish narratives over Black Sabbath–inspired riffs filtered through radio-friendly production. She hints at masochistic tendencies in the plodding midtempo rocker “I Miss the Misery” before rallying her troops to wave their weirdo banners on the anthemic “Freak Like Me.” It’s not until the power ballad “Beautiful with You” that Hale sings of a romance that has nothing to do with tough love. “In Your Room” similarly softens the album’s darker moods.