Halestorm brings nEVEREST DUALITY Tour to Cedar Rapids

"Everest," the title of Halestorm's latest album, is apt. Like the massive mountain climbers dream to scale, Halestorm's sixth release is big.

It's a huge sounding album which features a majestic title cut and a collection of songs delivered by the underrated vocalist-guitarist Lzzy Hale, who has a formidable set of pipes. The powerful, old school album, which was released in August, has obviously been impacted by the iconic Black Sabbath.

"We're one of those bands that's never been afraid to wear our influences on our sleeves," bassist Josh Smith said. "We've always leaned into '70s rock and metal. We love the heavier side of things, but not in a nu metal way. We love Black Sabbath. They're one of our favorite bands."

Halestorm, which will perform Wednesday at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse, was thrilled to be tabbed to perform at the final Black Sabbath concert ever in the legendary band's hometown of Birmingham, England, in July.

"That was unreal," Smith said while calling from Cherokee, North Carolina. "(Tool guitarist) Adam (Jones) said it best. He said you have a bucket list but there are things that you don't realize are on your bucket list, and that Sabbath concert was one of those events."

Halestorm was on a who's who of metal acts paying tribute to Black Sabbath and the late Ozzy Osbourne, who announced that the show would be his final performance. Osbourne died two weeks after the charity event, which was dubbed "Back to the Beginning," since Sabbath is from Birmingham.

Metallica, Anthrax, Pantera and Slayer were some of the iconic acts, which paid tribute to the Prince of Darkness.

"Being part of that concert was one of the greatest experiences of my life," Smith said. "It was an absolute honor to be included. There was so much positivity and support for Sabbath and Ozzy. All of the best emotions were wrapped into one when Black Sabbath performed. Watching the biggest metal bands in the world perform without having any egos go up there for 30 minutes. It was something I'll never forget."

Halestorm, which also includes drummer Arejay Hale and guitarist Joe Hottinger, blitzed through a 15-minute set, which included a cover of Osbourne's muscular "Perry Mason."

The band is embarking on its headlining tour and is pleased to render a full set.

"Now that we have six albums out, we discovered that we don't have the flexibility we once had," Smith said. "When we wrote a set list last night, we didn't play some songs that we normally play since the catalog has grown so much. But it's a good problem to have."

It's also good to have a dynamic vocalist like Hale, who enjoys engaging the audience.

"Not only is Lzzy so talented, she's incredibly consistent," Smith said. "That's not easy for a power singer to pull off. So many singers who have a voice like hers have issues with endurance, but she never cancels shows. She's so dedicated but so is everyone in this band. Part of the reason I joined this band was because of how committed each of the members of the group are."

There was a revolving door at bass until Smith joined Halestorm in 2004. There were four prior bassists who played with the Hale siblings before Smith arrived. The band has been intact since Smith joined the fold.

"We're like a family," Smith said. "We come from the same area in (Red Lion) Pennsylvania. We came of age together in this band and we support each other. We love recording and especially have fun playing live."

Halestorm delivers intense performances and doesn't mirror its studio recordings.

"It's an experience playing live," Smith said. "When I buy a ticket with my hard earned money, I want a live show. If I just wanted to listen to the album, I would stay home."

Halestorm doesn't just have a retro sound but a throwback feel to how bands operated during Sabbath's salad days back in the '70s.

"We don't have a big mission statement like a lot of bands," Smith said. "The only message we have is that there are no rules. We love what we do and appreciate that we have this base of fans that support us. We want to have a long career like Black Sabbath had. That would be the coolest thing."