Halestorm have elicited emotional, physical, and spiritual reaction from audiences worldwide since it began as a childhood dream of sister and brother Lzzy and Arejay Hale. Led by charismatic vocalist/guitarist Lzzy, the Pennsylvania-based post-grunge/metal quartet are one of the most successful hard rock groups of the early 21st century. With an aggressive yet hook-heavy sound that has become a fixture of American rock radio and upon massive stages across the globe.
The group scored a GRAMMY®Award in the category of ‘Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance’ for ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’. Halestorm became the first female-fronted band to hit #1 on the Active Rock radio charts, and cumulatively, their songs have racked up north of 1 billion global streams. In 2019, ‘Uncomfortable’ garnered their second GRAMMY®Award nomination. Playing hundreds of shows a year, they’ve toured with legends such as Heaven & Hell, Alice Cooper, and Joan Jett, to name a few. Simultaneously, Lzzy’s voice has resounded across popular culture. She has collaborated with Evanescence, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, Apocalyptica, Mark Morton of Lamb of God, and The Hu. A symbol of empowerment for young women in rock, Lzzy recently became Gibson’s first-ever female brand ambassador.
On their fifth full-length ‘Back From The Dead’ Halestorm turn up the volume across the board. The musicianship hits harder. The songwriting cuts deeper. The spirit shines brighter.
August 2023 saw UK ragga-metal legends Skindred fight a closely contested chart race for the UK Number 1 Album spot with their colossal eighth album ‘Smile’. With the incredible support of the rock and metal community – including messages of support from Metallica, Rage Against The Machine and Disturbed as well as Kerrang!, NME and Metal Hammer – the band landed a career-best of Number 2 in the UK Album chart, leading to a feature on BBC Breakfast.
All of this followed an incredible career-defining year for Skindred – from announcing their biggest-ever headline show at Wembley Arena for March 2024 and selling out multiple shows for their October 2023 headline tour months in advance to gracing the cover of Kerrang! magazine for the first time. The band’s 00s hit “Nobody” also saw an electrifying resurgence following a viral TikTok dance trend.
Smile’ attests to the enduring power of a band that delivers a good time, every time. “When I look out into the crowd, whether it’s in a small room or a festival crowd, the one thing I notice above all else is the smiles.” says Skindred’s formidable frontman Benji. For him and for Skindred – completed by guitarist Mikey Demus, bassist Daniel Pugsley, and drummer Arya Goggin – it’s about enduring and it’s about legacy. “In life, it’s about hearing that our music has encouraged people and got them through dark times. But even when we’re done and gone, people will still be listening to this music. That thought makes me smile.
