Top tracks — play these first
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Black Vultures Start here — This opening track sets a defiant tone for the album, combining aggressive riffs with lyrics that confront inner demons and societal pressures.
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Uncomfortable — With its catchy chorus and candid lyrics about facing awkward truths, this track captures the essence of vulnerability and self-reflection.
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Vicious — The title track encapsulates the album's raw energy and emotional intensity, exploring themes of love intertwined with pain and resilience.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
Halestorm's 'Vicious' combines energetic hard rock with emotional depth, showcasing strong songwriting and production.
What we noticed
- The first three tracks maintain a high energy level with aggressive guitar riffs and powerful vocals, while the fourth track introduces a more melodic chorus.
- Several songs feature dynamic shifts in intensity, such as 'Do Not Disturb', which alternates between softer verses and explosive choruses.
- The album closes with a ballad-like track, 'Letters', that contrasts sharply with the preceding heavier material, creating a sense of resolution.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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8/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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6/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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7/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- steady mid-tempo anthems
- defiant energy for empowerment
- explosive vocals for catharsis
- raw intensity with emotional depth
Maybe skip if you
- prefer soft, gentle sounds
- seek instant gratification tracks
Where this album fits
- In the catalog
- Critical Peak — Represents a high point in Halestorm's career with strong themes and musicality.
- Themes
- inner demons· societal pressures· awkward truths
- Career context
- By the time 'Vicious' was released in 2018, Halestorm had established themselves as a prominent force in hard rock, following their Grammy Award win for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 2013. This album marked their fourth studio release, showcasing a maturation in both lyrical themes and musical complexity after the success of their previous album, 'Into the Wild Life'.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Evanescence· In This Moment· Paramore
Tracklist
- 1 Black Vultures Start here 4:10
- 2 Skulls 3:19
- 3 Uncomfortable 3:40
- 4 Buzz 3:22
- 5 Do Not Disturb 3:23
- 6 Conflicted 3:29
- 7 Killing Ourselves to Live 4:00
- 8 Heart of Novocaine 3:33
- 9 Painkiller 3:13
- 10 White Dress 3:29
- 11 Vicious 3:01
- 12 The Silence 4:47
- 13 Nobody 4:12
- 14 Letters 5:19
If this landed
Records by other artists that run on the same instinct.
After Laughter
Paramore
Shares a blend of emotional depth and energetic instrumentation, exploring inner struggles with a pop-rock edge.
Attention Attention
Shinedown
Combines hard rock intensity with themes of personal battles and societal expectations, echoing similar vulnerabilities.
Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Against Me!
Delivers raw emotional honesty and fierce energy, tackling identity struggles and societal pressures in a punk context.
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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